As we researched cloud solutions to replace our PBX infrastructure, we saw that with RingCentral, we could integrate a whole suite of communication features in one platform, connect our dozens of offices across the country for the first time ever, empower our employees to communicate from anywhere—and still save a million bucks a year.
Vice President of Infrastructure
A Leader In Supply Chain Solutions
C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. is an industry leader in supply chain solutions and wholesale grocery supply in the United States. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with over 100,000 different products.
In 2021, Forbes ranked C&S the eighth largest private company in the United States in any industry.
Acquisitions led to an outdated, feature-poor telephony infrastructure
The VP of Infrastructure for C&S, explains that when he joined the company a few years ago, telephony had become an increasing challenge. C&S had grown primarily through acquisitions, leading to a disjointed infrastructure of incompatible PBX systems. But, he adds, one of the keys to the company’s success has always been keeping costs as low as possible—and this included putting off upgrading its IT communications environment.
“The old infrastructure had become unsupportable. We had about 15 PBX systems across the country, and most didn’t talk to the others. To dial between our offices, the carriers were charging us per-minute long-distance rates. And because some of these systems were 30 years old, they offered very little functionality. Many of our employees couldn’t even forward their calls to a different number.”
