For nearly sixty years, Bob’s Stores has led the industry in providing an extensive selection of affordable brand name footwear, casual clothing, active-wear, team-wear and work-wear in their 35 stores across the northeast. Generations of Bob’s success are a result of their timeless motto, “Treat all customers with respect and dignity and they will return again and again.”
With CallFire's telecommunications solutions, Bob's Stores has taken that same sentiment and applied it to the way it communicates with its associates in a more effective, convenient and streamlined way.
In Spring 2011, Bob’s Stores was thinking ahead. Rita Bertone, Director of Purchasing & Office Services and also part of the Business Continuity team, came to CallFire wanting a practical, efficient and affordable way to connect with Bob’s associates in case of an emergency. Situated in a part of the country where harsh weather can be the norm, Bob's Stores needed the ability to quickly and easily record a message to send out to their associates providing pertinent corporate and store operation information.
"In the past we would only have the means of a switchboard and associates would have to call in at different times for important messages,” says Rita. She then discovered CallFire's Voice Broadcast solution and with CallFire the messages are sent out simultaneously so therefore everyone is listening to the same message at the same time. Needing only a phone line and internet connection, Rita can send out (within seconds) messages anytime from wherever her location to as many associates as she needs to contact. She simply uploaded a list of her associate’s phone numbers into her CallFire account, and when the time came to create a broadcast, she was ready.
Fast-forward to October 2012 and CallFire’s services were called into action when a devastating storm hit the eastern seaboard.
On record as the largest Atlantic hurricane, Hurricane Sandy’s deadly impact ripped across the northeast over the course of several days leaving millions of people underwater, without power and unable to get to work. This left thousands of businesses with a major challenge: connecting with its associates. However, with CallFire on the front lines, Bob’s Stores was prepared.
Amid news reports of an unprecedented Category 2 hurricane, Rita contacted CallFire and asked that their account kick in. "Within minutes, I was able to contact over 200 people," she says. She alerted Bob’s associates that due to extreme weather conditions Bob’s would be closed. "We were able to notify our associates at the home office and distribution center. Nearly 100% of the calls were successfully answered and the associates were extremely happy with the service" Rita said.
"[CallFire] is fantastic. Daniel was extremely helpful and he was very knowledgeable," says Rita. Like Bob's Stores, CallFire is committed to personalized assistance for all of its customers.