For Customer Care, Data Is King

With privacy being a key concern, but capturing data being important for good customer service, Mossberg picks Avaya.

For the last 98 years, O.F. Mossberg & Sons, the oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer in the United States, has grown into a household name. But a crush of demand had overwhelmed its communications system, and the company needed something new.

What pain point were you trying to solve?

We were on a legacy system that left us unable to scale or easily collaborate across all sites. It also couldn’t capture data that we needed in order to generate reports that would help us make informed business decisions. We needed that kind of flexibility to grow the business.

Describe the obstacle it presented?

It was a lack of flexibility. We have multiple locations, and when there were seasonal demand spikes during hunting season or summer season or the Black Friday and holiday season, we found ourselves unable to support our customers the way that we needed to.

Step us through the thought process that led you to choose Avaya.

Sales and customer service was Number 1 on my list. We needed a solution offering the needed functionality to perform our best with sales, customer service, and reporting. We have a big sales team in the field in each state and needed to support them with the kind of tools that allow them to be anyplace at any time to take phone calls and record sales orders. Lastly, from a financial and technology standpoint, we wanted something that would allow us to stay within our budget and not wind up giving us any surprises. Also, it had to map with our overall long-term strategy when it came to long-term maintenance, return on investment and total cost of ownership standpoint.

Improved Customer Service

Now that you’ve had the system up and running since June, what’s the most pronounced change?

The biggest one relates to being able to now have a single number that rings for our sales and customer service teams, no matter where they are or whatever device they happen to be using. Now they never miss a call. When you have a great brand, you expect world class service.

Day-to-day, how has it affected operations?

We make decisions based upon data that is in front of us. With the reporting options and other functionality that Avaya brings to the table, we’re now able to capture more information, learn more about our customers, and provide them with solutions for their specific needs. That’s big. In the end, it helps us further cultivate lifetime customer relationships -- which obviously translates to helping our bottom line.

What are Mossberg’s specific support needs and how has Avaya assisted?

When it comes to the firearms industry, we have generations of customers who may want to be private about what they’re purchasing and prefer to have a live conversation versus going through the website. So, when they are talking with a live person, it gives them more of a friendly conversation and peace of mind about their privacy. In the end, they’re more willing to call back or do more business and make more purchases.

How long did it take your team to integrate Avaya’s technology into the business?

That was another big win. Our team was able to come up to speed quickly. From the day the gear arrived, we were able to go live 8 weeks later.

In one short sentence, how would you characterize your relationship with Avaya?

They’ve been an extension of the Mossberg team and family.