Lifetime Products manufactures tables, chairs, and basketball equipment for customers in more than 50 countries. Its employees in the United States and China depend on messaging technologies to stay connected to customers and the office. To improve productivity, Lifetime deployed Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging. Employees can access their e-mail, voice-mail, and fax messages in their inboxes—while at work, at home, or on the road.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Customer Solution Case Study
Lifetime Products Boosts Productivity and Cuts Costs with Unified Messaging Solution Overview "With Exchange Server Unified Messaging, voice Country or Region: United States Industry: Consumer goods manufacturing messages are never neglected because users see messages immediately .. This capability will Customer Profile Lifetime Products is the world's largest dramatically improve our business results in the manufacturer of residential basketball coming years." equipment and polyethylene tables. John Bowden, Chief Information Officer, Lifetime Products Headquartered in Clearfield, Utah, the privately held company employs 2,300 people. Lifetime Products manufactures tables, chairs, and basketball Business Situation equipment for customers in more than 50 countries. Its employees To better support mobile employees and in the United States and China depend on messaging technologies improve communication, Lifetime deployed a unified messaging solution that to stay connected to customers and the office. To improve eliminated its traditional voice-mail system productivity, Lifetime deployed Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 and expanded mobile access. Unified Messaging. Employees can access their e-mail, voice-mail, Solution and fax messages in their inboxes-while at work, at home, or on Using features in Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007, engineers built a voice over the road. As a result, each employee using unified messaging has IP gateway to replace the existing voice- realized five hours per week in productivity gains, and the company mail system and created a replication strategy that streamlined access to has saved U.S.$180,000 by replacing 300 desktop phones. messaging. Customer service, system availability, and security also have been Benefits enhanced. Lifetime now has a unified communications „ Increases productivity environment that focuses on the flexibility of wireless devices over „ Reduces costs „ Boosts customer service desktop phones. „ Enhances availability and security „ Creates infrastructure to support goals
"I look at Outlook as my Situation While pleased with Exchange Server 2003 Lifetime Products manufactures residential SP2, the company was eager to move to the dashboard to life. It tells basketball equipment, folding tables and next generation of technologies. Lifetime me what is going on all chairs, and outdoor sheds and utility tables. wanted to further improve employee The company was founded in 1973 as a productivity by delivering e-mail, voice-mail, the time. I look at one garage-based sports equipment business and and fax messages to users' inboxes. The screen, and I can see now has customers all over the world. company also sought to reduce costs and Approximately 1,700 employees work at the simplify IT management by replacing its who I've talked to. I can company's headquarters in Clearfield, Utah, existing voice-mail system and many of its go in and write notes in and 600 employees are at facilities in desktop phones. The voice-mail maintenance Xiamen, China. Lifetime customers include contract was U.S.$43,000 per year. And the a message and keep numerous Fortune 500 companies in more proprietary phones cost about $600 annually that record forever." than 50 countries. for each user. In addition, because the voice- mail and Private Branch Exchange (PBX) Tressa Goff, Accounts Receivable Manager, The company's infrastructure includes 1,200 systems were separate from the e-mail Lifetime Products HP workstations running the Windows® XP system, adding new users meant duplicated Professional operating system or using efforts in setting up new accounts. Terminal Services in the Windows Server® 2003 Enterprise Edition operating system. In Another issue for Lifetime was that its China addition, 300 employees use wireless operations were not on an Exchange Server devices that run Windows Mobile® software. environment and employees there used a The combined technologies provide business- POP3 e-mail service. The company did not critical messaging and wireless access as want to establish a backup infrastructure well as Information Rights Management thousands of miles away that would duplicate capabilities that protect sensitive data. management tools and IT personnel. Lifetime deployed Microsoft® Exchang... [download for more]
