What does Kandersteg Oeschinensee AG do?
Kandersteg Oeschinensee AG is an efficient shuttle service to the nationally and internationally renowned Oeschinensee tourist region—the popular destination above Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland. Whenever possible, the company relies on digital processes and places great importance on modern facilities for its guests.
Why did you switch to a new telephony solution?
Since our previous solution was already quite old, we had been planning a change for some time. Due to an unexpected event, a switch ultimately became unavoidable, as we suddenly had to be able to handle a very high volume of calls simultaneously. That wasn’t possible with our old solution.
Which solution did you choose, and why that one in particular?
We chose Microsoft Teams because the solution is fully digital and offers a wide range of possibilities. For example, thanks to the text-to-speech feature, we were able to solve our challenge of answering multiple calls simultaneously while also improving our internal communication.
Why did you decide to partner with peoplefone and Weibel/IT?
Initially, we reached out to our previous provider. However, the hosted telephony solution they proposed didn’t meet our expectations. We didn’t want a half-baked digital solution. A colleague then introduced me to Weibel/IT. They, in turn, recommended peoplefone to us. The VoIP provider and the installation partner were among the early adopters who already had Microsoft Teams under control when others hadn’t yet.
How did the transition go?
Originally, the transition was planned for spring 2020. However, due to the circumstances, we unexpectedly had to begin implementation as early as December. Despite the short timeframe between planning and implementation, the rollout went smoothly. On December 2, we discussed the implementation for the first time; on December 9, the pilot was launched; and two weeks later, the migration took place.
Has anything else happened since the migration?
We recently migrated another facility at Lake Oeschinen to Microsoft Teams. We’ve also equipped employees with smartphones that have Teams installed. Previously, we had to provide employees with expensive mobile plans so they could be reached at all times. Now a data card is sufficient, since the seasonal workers only need the smartphone for business purposes. We’ve also set up seven dedicated phone numbers, each assigned to different operations or information centers.
What were the challenges?
Getting up to speed on setting up call queues and similar features wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. However, we received excellent support from our partner, Weibel/IT. Other than that, everything went quite smoothly. I personally had very little to do.
How was the collaboration with peoplefone and Weibel/IT?
The collaboration was very straightforward. Both the initial contact and the contract signing were handled digitally. No long trips were necessary for anyone involved. We were so satisfied that it led to a very good, long-term IT partnership.
How satisfied are you with the new solution?
So far, I’m very satisfied, and employee acceptance is very high. We’ve been able to achieve a great deal with the transition—and at a comparatively very low cost.
What is the biggest difference compared to the previous solution?
I mentioned the text-to-speech feature earlier. This allows us to handle a large portion of incoming calls through an automated call center. We can record the text for this in multiple languages and schedule it precisely. This enables us, on the one hand, to support languages that none of our employees actively speak and, on the other hand, to react very quickly to events. Previously, we had to rely on an answering machine for this.
From an interview with Mr. Daniel Spörri, IT, Gondelbahn Kandersteg Oeschinensee AG
, installed by Weibel/IT