Customer Spotlight: SPIN! Pizza
By Laren Landgren, Agent Manager, and Audrey Tomlinson, Agent Account Manager at Avid Communications
In 2004, a fast-casual concept restaurant popped up in Kansas City. With a menu crafted by partnering with a local, James Beard award-winning chef, SPIN! Pizza entered the food scene with grand reviews and long lines.
SPIN! was started by local entrepreneurs who shared a love of Italian cuisine and had the desire to create a unique restaurant. This restaurant came into fruition with world class pizzas, salads and sandwiches alongside great wines and craft beers. The owners worked hard to ensure a culture of guest first service, which resulted in locals driving across town and requests to open more locations in their area… so they did. Now SPIN! has 15 locations across Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas.
Avid Communications joins the story in the summer of 2019.
With a new location in Topeka, the store required phones. At the same time, the established locations were needing to replace their current phone systems. This transition process started with the Corbin Park location, as they were the first to see issues with a failing phone system. We knew they needed a hosted VoIP business phone solution with Avid.
A little over a year later, we moved to the next phase with Lawrence and the corporate office. With the timing of contracts coming into play, we made sure to work with SPIN! to have our installations line up with their end of service dates. The Lawrence location was set up like the previous two locations, but the corporate office had some unique features. We provided our firewall, access points, and a conference bridge to make sure we took care of all the office’s needs.
After completing three stores and their corporate office, SPIN! was happy with the smooth transition and their new business phone service.
The other locations were on a Toshiba analog phone system.
These phone systems are no longer made, therefore they can’t be replaced or serviced. It was a matter of time before the system failed. But before we could move forward with the other locations, we needed to fix a problem. Like many other businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, SPIN! saw a shift in their business. Even after dine-in restrictions were lifted, SPIN! had a majority of their orders being given to customers through carryout. More carryout orders meant a heavier call flow, which brought along its own challenges, like keeping calls in order, callers left on hold, and managing which staff members could take the calls.
Finding the best solution was truly a collaborative process between Avid and SPIN. We sat down with members at the corporate office and discussed their needs, and what we could do to meet those requirements.
Our first change was setting up an auto attendant.
The auto attendant is the message that is played when you call the location’s main number. The caller is given “press off” options for orders, catering, and general inquiries. The second change was the ability to queue calls. If the caller pressed off to place an order, their calls are directed to the phones that are handling takeout orders. However, if those phones are busy, the caller is put on hold in a queue, so their call is taken in the order of which it came in.
We implemented the new call flow at Corbin Park, their store with the highest call volume. We tested it, and even made some changes while on site, and after two weeks, SPIN! saw a difference. Not only were the customers able to have their order taken in a timely manner, but the SPIN! staff members had a much more manageable and organized way to take calls. From that point, SPIN! decided to get all the stores on our new system. And get the call flow setup ASAP!
Problem Solved.
By February of 2021, all 11 stores in the KC area were on Avid’s hosted phone solution. Calls went from ringing off the hook, to a processed queue handled by whoever is available. And their system is adjustable by the staff. They can change which phones can take calls with one push of a button. With the peace of mind of a reliable system, SPIN! can focus on what they do best – providing amazing food and service.
SPIN! is one of Avid’s favorite pizza spots! We’re excited to be back in the office so we can start ordering takeout for pizza Tuesdays again. If you haven’t already, check them out at a location near you. Their pizza is yummy. And they’ve recently launched some new summer salads (and they have gluten free and vegan options for those with dietary restrictions!)
