Jackson Electric Cooperative
Success Story
Before Alianza, JEC struggled with poor rural coverage and device interoperability.
Before Alianza, Jackson Electric Struggled to Get Started with Cloud-Based Voice
VERTICAL
Rural Electric Cooperative (REC)
GOALS
Launch Voice
PRODUCTS
Cloud PBX, Home Phone, and SIP Trunking
Company
Jackson Electric Cooperative is on a mission to provide safe and reliable power and broadband to their member communities in rural Texas. Today, they have more than 16,000 meters of electrical lines and 12,000 broadband subscribers and are working to expand their fiber network to as many areas as possible.
Key Challenges
JEC struggled to get devices and services to work with their local telco, and nothing was documented to walk them through it. Additionally, when the neighboring office set up a microwave link that caused call quality issues on the legacy copper landlines, the local telco declined to run lines into the new building. If they couldn’t make things work with what they had, other service providers might be struggling too.
Because many of Jackson Electric Cooperative’s members live in areas with poor cell phone coverage and don’t have existing landlines, they sought to add a reliable voice service to their power and broadband portfolio that would enable them to bid for RDOF funding and expand their services to areas with unreliable cell phone coverage — but they had no idea how to get started.
Technical Complications
“I couldn’t make the ATAs talk to our phone switch at all.”
Lack of Documentation
”I can’t believe we are the first people with a Mitel phone system . . . wanting to set up a few Polycoms.”
Poor Service Quality
“We could not get our local telco to run new lines [a] building.”
Goals & Requirements
Being relatively new to the world of voice, they wanted a turnkey solution that would enable them to bid for RDOF, increase value for their members, and enable them to successfully compete against local service providers.
JEC’s new voice partner had to meet the following requirements:
RDOF-approved and profitable voice offering
Cloud-based to provide service for members with unreliable cellphone coverage
High margins to increase the profitability of their broadband offering
Low maintenance, without the need to set up end user IT infrastructure
Easy to use and well documented
Integration with billing provider Azotel
Public connectivity with SIP trunks
Support fiber build ROI with over-the-top offerings
Why Alianza Works for Jackson Electric Cooperative
In searching for a VoIP solution, their business partners at the NRTC recommended Alianza. Alianza was the ideal candidate because our service provider-built model allows Jackson Electric Cooperative to provide a reliable, feature-rich, lower cost voice service to their broadband customers, enabling JEC to grow their service portfolio and maximize profitability.
Supports Fiber Build IRR
Since Alianza’s cloud communications platform is built for service providers of any size, JEC can grow and scale their service portfolio at their own pace. Because Alianza’s total cost of ownership is low, JEC can focus on fiber buildouts to expand into underserved areas before they ramp up the voice side of the business.
Increased Competitiveness
By offering voice services to their broadband customers using their existing equipment and infrastructure, Jackson Electric is better positioned to compete against local providers. An SMB “could not get phone lines into it. I don’t know why, but the local telco didn’t want to bring them… because they already had our internet, and we were able to make it easy to add phone service on top of it.”
Simplified Operations
JEC’s technicians no longer struggle to provision devices or configure services, because things that used to take forever now only take a few minutes on the web portal. Even their billing software, Azotel, integrates with Alianza via API, so if a customer makes an international call, it’s automatically added to their bill.
“Alianza is just an easy way to get into this business.”
Superior Call Quality
With Alianza as their partner, members with no or inconsistent cell phone coverage can simply add low-cost voice services to their existing broadband package. High-quality voice has been particularly impactful for members living in areas with poor quality cellphone network and don’t have existing landlines. Their members benefit from the lower cost, and ease of use, and enhanced features.
Jackson Electric Cooperative Solution Suite
In searching for a VoIP solution, their business partners at the NRTC recommended Alianza. Alianza was the ideal candidate because our service provider-built model allows Jackson Electric Cooperative to provide a reliable, feature-rich, lower cost voice service to their broadband customers to grow their service portfolio and maximize profitability.
Home Phone
Home Phone offers cost savings for home phone services without sacrificing quality.
Dedicated Help Center
Robust user documentation is there "if you want to do more advanced things, set up a rollover, music on hold," etc.
Delights Customers
“Once people dig in, they get above and beyond their expectations, and that creates a bit of customer delight.”
Superior Model
“We can make money on this. I couldn't tell you what percent is, but the margins are high."
Hosted Cloud PBX
A virtual phone system that delivers enhanced functionality for a wide range of SMBs.
Grow Customer Base
An internet customer's telco wouldn't bring in phone lines, so "we made it easy to add phone service with us."
Operational Simplicity
One customer's telco couldn't set up a simple rollover line, and I was able to say, "That's easy, let me show you."
More Value for Less
“We’ve sold more phone lines because of the lower cost, and our customers like how flexible and easy it is.”
SIP Trunking
Alianza’s SIP Trunking ensures customers can leverage their existing PBX and UC equipment while enjoying enhanced features and connectivity.
Sustainable Growth
JEC's VoIP business is growing. “It can scale. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how much it could scale.”
Easy Setup
Previously, "the Polycom SoundStations wouldn't work at all with our phone system.” Now they “work great."
Simplified Billing
SIP Trunking offers predictable monthly billing without the need to rip-and-replace existing infrastructures.
Scalability
Alianza’s cloud-native platform and solutions offer flexibility to scale as the ISP grows. Jackson Electric Cooperative can set up new accounts and add new lines in a matter of minutes.
Speed to Market
Alianza’s Admin Portal enables rapid, hassle free deployment of new lines, creating a best-in-class experience for both Jackson Electric Cooperative and its members.
Simplified Administration
Centralized cloud-based management allows IT administrators to tailor for any VoIP environment and to instantly deploy new features to all users.
Superior ROI
Bundling VoIP with broadband increases the profit margins and builds a stronger business case for fiber deployments. Better ROI also means greater profits for co-op members.
Proven Onboarding
Successful transformations require more effort, and coordination than most business leaders recognize, which is why Alianza’s team of experts helps every step of the way.
No Expertise Needed
The Admin Portal enables service providers to configure and manage Alianza services for their end users and accounts online, without requiring tech support.
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