Mark Krassner is the founder of Knee Walker Central, a company that manufactures, rents and sells a medical mobility device that replaces crutches for people with foot and ankle injuries. It’s called a knee walker, and it inspired Krassner the very first time he saw one: “I asked people about this contraption they were rolling around on because I was so curious – and the resounding feedback was that it added so much to their lives and they were so grateful to have the product.”
He would later leave his job as a medical device sales manager in New York City to start Knee Walker Central. Now, with a clear vision and the help of the Vonage business phone system, his company has grown into a major national player. While he’s proud of this success, he’s equally proud of building a savvy workforce of home-based employees who enjoy a work/life balance that is seldom possible.
Supporting the company’s marketing engine is a well-choreographed effort between its Customer Service and Operations teams – another aspect of the business that relies heavily on a capable phone system.
“We work very hard to make sure that the system is really seamless for people requesting our products,” Krassner says. “Quite a bit of work goes into each order and each product customers receive.”
“Right now I’m talking to you from New York City where compensations are really high and competitive, but there are parts of the U.S. where the cost of living is much lower and it’s easier for people to take a job that meets their needs with my company.”
He believes the Vonage phone system gives him a competitive advantage because he’s able to hire quality employees from anywhere in the U.S.
“We have employees here in New York State, in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, California … And the beautiful thing is that as long as they have an Internet connection, they can work from anywhere, it doesn’t matter.”
This ability to “Work From Anywhere” with a broadband connection also makes his company more attractive to employees. He’s had employees work some of the year in one place and some of the year in a different state, and one employee moved from California to Arizona and never missed a beat.
Krassner also likes the flexibility the system gives to him personally: “The way Vonage works is that I can have calls routed anywhere. So I might have calls re-routed to a different phone when I travel to Brazil. Or, I can take calls right from the Internet from the portal Vonage provides me on my computer.”
Knee Walker Central is a prime example of a company embracing its business phone system to elevate how it does business. Krassner uses the system to enhance business practices, to enable his employees, and ultimately to help his team serve customers better. Among the features he relies on are:
Virtual Receptionist: When someone calls Knee Walker Central, they get a professional recording that efficiently guides them to a representative.
Call Queue: This feature ensures that calls are routed to the right person on the team, which is especially critical when call volumes are high.
Company Call Recording: Krassner uses this feature for compliance purposes, but also to help coach his employees. He pulls recordings on a random basis for each employees and works with each to improve their level of customer service.
Reporting & Analytics: This system reporting tool gives Krassner insights into call volume, average hold times, missed calls, calls to voicemail, etc. – ensuring his team is on track.
As with any successful business, Krassner and his team continually refine their processes and service approach. And it’s clear that the Vonage system is helping him strengthen the business: “There are a lot of companies out there that might be able to meet your basic needs. But if you really want to grow a business, scale a business, Vonage has so many tools at your disposal to help grow with you,” he says.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve built at Knee Walker Central because we provide a product for people that truly enhances their lives. At the same time, through our phone system, we’re giving our team members the ability to enhance their lifestyle by being able to work from anywhere.”
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