Vinny Torregrossa | IT Manager
More than two decades later, the partnership has blossomed into a beloved, nationally-recognized dessert brand. With headquarters in Addison, Texas, Nothing Bundt Cakes has grown to encompass over 270 franchises nationwide, each one managed with care to carry out the company’s original commitment to warmth, hospitality, and, of course, delicious cakes for any occasion.
As a franchise built on open, honest collaboration that strives to maintain the company’s neighborly roots, effective communication is a top priority for Nothing Bundt Cakes. That’s why the company’s IT manager, Vinny Torregrossa, began looking for a new telecom provider in December 2017. At the time, Nothing Bundt Cakes’ headquarters had VoIP service while the franchise locations ran on traditional telephone service. Torregrossa said that he knew the company needed better integration with the locations, as well as more robust levels of support and quality from their providers.
Everyone was really pleased with the change from our old VoIP system to the new one. The call quality is 100 times better.
“We have a very lean IT team here at our support office, so it’s challenging to manage any type of changes or configurations. I was looking for a provider with knowledgeable customer support that could implement the basic system consistently each time we open a new bakery location, while also supporting franchisees who want to customize features.” Torregrossa also said he knew he wanted to use a VoIP-based provider. “The driving factor to go out and look for a new phone system was the quality. The capabilities you get with VoIP is far superior to traditional telephone lines,” Torregrossa said.
Nothing Bundt Cakes learned about Nextiva from their Channel Partner, TRCA, an Intelisys subagent, who connected them with a Nextiva sales representative. “After going through a demo, the Nextiva sales representative was able to show us the back-end configuration. It looked user-friendly, which was important,” Torregrossa explained. “Our bakery owners are busy and don’t have the time to dedicate to learning complicated systems. They rely on tech support for proper configuration. Therefore, the interface and the Nextiva Support team were a big selling point.”
Before making the switch, Torregrossa thoroughly vetted the system to figure out how it would work in practice, and how they could scale it efficiently to both the headquarters and franchise locations. After the analysis, Nothing Bundt Cakes decided to make Nextiva their preferred phone vendor. The official switch to Nextiva service at their corporate office and nearly 40 bakery locations began in February 2018. All new locations that open are now set up with Nextiva service.
In the corporate office, the transition to Nextiva went off without a hitch. “Everyone was really pleased with the change from our old VoIP system to the new one,” Torregrossa said. “The call quality is 100 times better.” Implementation was the easiest part, according to Torregrossa. After sending Nextiva their list of users, Nextiva uploaded them to the virtual NextOS Portal, and the office’s 50 users were ready to go.
Implementation also went smoothly in the franchise locations. Torregrossa trained franchise employees to use the system’s basic features and saw that they were happy with the newfound convenience of the NextOS Portal. They could now easily adjust their schedules when needed, such as during the busy holiday season. “Scheduling is one of the biggest features we rely on because we don’t want a guest waiting for an answer while no one is in the bakery,” Torregrossa said.
Working with our Account Manager to help support the system has been great, and anytime I’ve called Support, I’ve gotten answers, what the next steps are, or how to do something.
Another aspect of their experience that the company is highly satisfied with is Nextiva’s device rental program. “The price point really drove that decision, because it was hard to beat,” Torregrossa said. “Having a device that is under maintenance was a no-brainer for me, since it would have taken a few years to break even otherwise. It’s been great: the devices are versatile, and we utilize all our current phones on power-over-ethernet at the corporate office. They were easy to plug and play and it’s been a good decision.”
Torregrossa stated that overall, Nextiva’s technology has transformed communication between their corporate office and franchise bakeries. Keeping in touch with colleagues and guests has become much simpler. “There’s Voicemail to Email, so you’re notified if you’re not at your desk, and having the ability to ring your cell phone is convenient and helpful to stay available,” Torregrossa said. “In the bakeries, call quality is a big feature. To be able to ensure order accuracy and hear what the guest wants without making them repeat information is the kind of efficiency and experience we want.”
Torregrossa has had positive interactions with Nextiva Account and Channel Managers, Support, and Implementation. “Working with our Account Manager to help support the system has been great, and anytime I’ve called Support, I’ve gotten answers, what the next steps are, or how to do something. The constant communication between all departments is really top-notch, keeping the end-user in the loop.”
When asked what advice he would give to other businesses who are considering the switch to VoIP and choosing Nextiva as their provider, Torregrossa stated, “I would stress the importance of having that support team behind you. I think that’s invaluable for our bakery owners to pick up the phone and get in touch with someone at support. I would also tell them about my positive experiences with Nextiva so far.”
