Client Success Story: Animal Medical Center of Kansas City

Brandon Mathews recently interviewed one of our newest customers, Animal Medical Center of Kansas City. We’ve really enjoyed working with their team, and glad they chose Avid for their phone needs.

Dr. Meg Kaemmer and Kyle Kaemmer gave us some great feedback about the decision to switch to Avid Communications, what the installation and training process was like, and features of the Avid Communications Business VoIP Phone System they enjoy.

What issues were you having with your phone system before deciding to switch to Avid Communications?

We had been with previous provider for 4 years. Intermittently, phone lines would ring in… one call would come in, but it looked like five calls were coming in. When we answered, the call would drop. The customer would call back… and the call would drop again. So the staff would have to resort to using their cell phones and track the caller IDs of incoming calls (so they could call the customer back on their cell phone.) The previous provider tried to fix the system multiple times, including resetting the system and replacing hardware, but it never got fixed. This went on for two and a half years. We held off on switching because we were nervous about making a change. Also, when looking at competing services from other phone companies, the cost was going to be significantly higher than what we were currently paying.

Did you look at other providers besides Avid?

We looked at Ring Central. They were recommended by our IT provider. When we got quotes from them, they were high. In our research, the VoIP phone system providers have a similar set of features and functionality. And we wanted to work with a local company here in Kansas City. That was important to us. We actually considered switching to Avid 3 years ago, but “life” happened. We are a small business. When you’re dealing with a huge company, you often don’t get the level of service you hope for when you appear to be a “tiny” account in their eyes. We appreciate that Avid has actual salespeople that come and sit in our office to discuss our needs. And we also liked that the training was done on site with our team. That wouldn’t have happened with those larger companies.

What was the transition like? Were we able to answer all your questions before the switch?

One of my fears going into this transition was that is was going to be a painful process. We were going from an old analog (premise based) phone system to a VoIP phone system provided by Avid. You explained the process and it sounded straight forward. That gave me peace of mind. On the day of installation, you showed up and had all of our phones up and running in about an hour. You also provided great training on how the phones worked. It was shockingly seamless.

Are there any features that Avid’s VoIP Business Phone System provides that stand out to you?

I learned that Avid was the first Google Tech Partner in Kansas City. I like the idea that when there’s an internet bandwidth issue, we will get prioritized bandwidth for our phones. Keeping our phones up and running is critical to our operation. Now we have unlimited hold lines. We used to have 2. Internally, we can transfer calls to staff by name instead of having to remember extension numbers. The voicemail system is much easier than the old system. And of course, we like the Avid button that’s on all the phones. The fact that we can press that button and get immediate support from your team is great. And the headset you provided our receptionist is excellent… she loves it because it sounds great and allows her to walk around while on a call.

You mentioned cost was important in this decision. How did our offering compare?

I was previously paying $250/month. Other quotes I received were anywhere between $500-$700/month. Avid is much more comparable to what I used to be paying, which is a better fit our operating budget. It works better. And we have more features. So far, we are really happy with Avid. The switch couldn’t have gone any better than it did!

More about Animal Medical Center of Kansas City

Address: 204 W. 75th Street, Kansas City, MO 64114
Phone: (816) 333-9000

We want to make sure both pets and owners have a good experience with each and every visit to Animal Medical Center of Kansas City. Our team believes strongly in the bond between animals and their people, and we know that you only entrust your beloved pets to the very best.