inside costco
By T. Foster Jones
GIVEN THE VARIETY
of sizes and complexities of
businesses, there really can be
no one-size-fits-all telephone system solution. Recognizing this, AccessLine, a
leader with 20 years of experience in providing hosted communications and managed
voice services to small and medium-size
businesses, created a simple, scalable solution
that is plug-and-play and flexible.
“At AccessLine, we work very hard to
make our phone system as simple as possible
to install,” says Mark Sher, vice president of
marketing for AccessLine. “Our phones arrive
preconfigured; plug the phone into power and
the existing computer network and you have a
phone system. Additionally, we have a staff of
specialists dedicated to our new customers to
help them get set up and specifically configure
their system to meet their needs.”
Besides the ease of installation, simple
setup and quality equipment, AccessLine
offers low monthly rates to Costco members,
so you may just find yourself saving some
money over your previous service.
“A Costco Executive member with five
phones and five lines of service will save
$2,895 per year compared to non-member
AccessLine retail pricing,” says Jim Goforth,
Costco’s manager of business services.
(Additionally, there is a current offer for a free
two-line phone. See the Update article on
page 99 for details.)
Every AccessLine line features unlimited
local and domestic long-distance calling with
voice mail, call hold, call transfer, call park
and much more. Enhancements such as conference calling, WebFax and toll-free numbers are also available.
AccessLine also now offers CallScape, a
free desktop application, as part of its service.
CallScape allows any user to see, at a glance,
who within the company is on the phone at
any given time. Additionally, users can place
calls directly from CallScape without ever
touching their phone.
AccessLine has been providing mem-
bers with business phone services for 10
years. Currently serving more than 10,000
Costco members, it is one of Costco’s most
popular member services. Rosamaria
“Rosy” DeSimone, a Costco member in Cali-
fornia, and the office manager for Vantage
Point Advisors, a business valuation firm with
17 employees, has been using the service for
several years.
“We were attracted by the cost, ease of use
and the flexibility for a small, growing company,” says DeSimone. “We’ve moved twice in
the last two years. The VoIP [Voice over
Internet Protocol] service made it so easy to
set up the Internet at each new location and
then pick up the phones and go. There was
literally no downtime.
“We increased our extensions as we grew,
and currently have five lines with 18 extensions.
This was a great feature and very easy for us. We
were able to just call AccessLine and have lines
added. Their customer service has been great.
“Phone service is very important to our
business,” she adds. “Our clients are CFOs,
CEOs, lawyers, accountants, etc. They need to
know they can easily pick up the phone and
reach us. Their time is important, so we want
this to be an easy process for them.”
For this reason, says DeSimone, the auto
attendant feature of the system is particularly
helpful. “Auto attendant is perfect for us,” she
says. “Clients and associates calling in can
route directly to the person they want to talk
to. We don’t have to hire a person to take calls
or manage the phones. It makes it efficient
and cost-effective for us.” C
AccessLine
business phone
service is well
received by
members
Connecting
For more information, go to Costco.com
and click “Services” then “Business Phone
Services,” or call 1-877-917-3419.
ACCESSLINE Communications offers
Costco members hosted business
phone services at exclusive rates. The
company developed features for its
VoIP phone system that cater to small
and medium-size businesses. These features were developed at the request
of AccessLine customers, many of
whom are Costco members. The features include:
• A PBX phone system that
delivers real cost savings by allowing
a business to purchase fewer phone
lines and still provide employees with a
desk phone and a phone number on
which they can be reached directly.
• Call Queuing. Automatically places
callers on hold (with your custom message) if all phones are in use. When a
phone becomes available, the caller is
instantly connected.
• Remote voice-mail access.
Available by unique phone number.
• Zero percent financing for all
phone equipment purchased through
AccessLine. Additional lines are available as needed.
• All-page intercom. Locate staff
using your phone.
• Call park and pickup. Place
a call on hold and pick it up on
another phone.
• Ability to support multiple
businesses with one phone system.
• CallScape: Download CallScape free
and use your Mac or PC to see who is
on the phone and click to call people
inside and outside your company.
• Customizable music message for
on-hold calls. Business members now
have an opportunity to record on-hold
sales and information messages along
with custom music they provide.—TFJ
AccessLine
service details
One system
to serve them all
