To give you an idea of specific problems we have come across, and how we solved them, we present our “Case Study” series. These posts will give you an idea of how custom software and integration can help your business succeed.
AccuQuest Hearing Centers are on the leading edge of audiology, providing the most technically accurate hearing evaluations, care recommendations, and hearing aid fittings to those who have experienced hearing loss. The company was founded in the Chicago area, but in just a few short years expanded its operations to reach from coast-to-coast. AccuQuest now services nearly a thousand people a day in their 170 offices across the country.
Since their founding, AccuQuest had experienced significant growth and projected that this trend would continue, stretching its existing IT infrastructure too thin. They also recognized that having a decentralized IT network posed a risk for their increasing number of offices, and that their continued growth would increase the time needed for IT administration. How did we manage AccuQuest’s growing IT needs and improve their network infrastructure so that the business could continue to expand?
Our Solution: We designed a new network infrastructure for AccuQuest that would not only meet their current needs but would provide them with a platform that was ready to expand with the company. By centralizing AccuQuest’s IT system, they were able to reduce overhead and remove possible break points in the network’s communication and configuration, creating a more efficient and more reliable system. The new system reorganized the network to increase performance and manageability, and also ensured it was ready to grow with the company and could accommodate over 200 people within the first 12 to 24 months of implementation. BLC then developed and implemented a network-wide policy guide for AccuQuest in order to maintain the network’s security and stability.
Seamless Integration: BLC’s seamless installation of the new network infrastructure meant that there was no impact to business operations during the overhaul. To minimize potential impact, the upgrade process occurred over a weekend after all network users had been notified of upcoming changes. Because BLC successfully migrated all of AccuQuest’s existing data, business applications and information to the new network, everything was in place, and ready to use, when the new network was launched the following week.
“As our business and the number of AccuQuest offices is growing, we have peace of mind knowing that the new network Black | Line Consulting implemented for us was built to grow with us. By centralizing our network we knew we could easily oversee it, and more importantly depend on it, which has been invaluable as AccuQuest continues to expand. Thanks to this network, and the continued management of our IT growing needs by Black | Line, we are fully prepared to build additional offices across the nation. We know we can focus on our business and our clients, because Black | Line is focused on keeping our network running smoothly.”
Matt Clark, VP of Operations, AccuQuest Hearing Centers