Cleveland Indians Trade-Up to ShoreTel Communications Platform for Ease of Use and Higher Productivity

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ShoreTel® (NASDAQ: SHOR), the leading provider of brilliantly simple phone systems and unified communications (UC) solutions, today announced the Cleveland Indians have selected ShoreTel for its downtown Progressive Field stadium, front office, call center operations and spring training facility in Goodyear, Ariz. The ShoreTel unified communications platform is displacing an Avaya PBX to bring improved communications for staff and fans.

Working closely with ShoreTel Gold Partner Teletronics, the team purchased the ShoreTel IP-PBX solution with integrated unified communications, ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Center, ShoreTel Microsoft Dynamics CRM Integration, ShoreTel Conferencing, ShoreTel Mobility and several ShoreTel Dock units. When fully installed, the system will support 900 phones, with 125 users on mobility, and will reduce the team's projected cost by more than 50 percent.

"When our old contract was expiring, we decided to shop around for a new UC system, and with the guidance of Teletronics, ShoreTel quickly became the clear choice," said Whitney Kuszmaul, director of IT at the Cleveland Indians. "Ease of use of the ShoreTel system was a huge factor in our decision – everything was cumbersome and complicated with our previous phone system! ShoreTel Mobility was another differentiator. It puts us light-years ahead of where we were before. In addition, the system's ability to grow with us as we expand was an important consideration."

The Cleveland Indians also appreciate the benchmarking and reports provided by the ShoreTel system, which have helped improve its processes and drive efficiency, as well as a significantly simplified server environment. With ShoreTel, the team is seeing a dramatic reduction in the amount of data center footprint space and the number of ports required. In one location, the technology requirements went from 20 servers to four servers, an 80 percent reduction.

The team's use of ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Center has improved productivity and efficiency, especially among the fan services and sales teams. Utilizing the system's auto attendant and auto and abandoned callback functionalities, the abandon call time has been reduced from 21 minutes to three minutes, an 85 percent reduction, and hold times have been reduced from three minutes to less than one minute – significantly improving the overall fan experience. ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Center is also integrated with the Cleveland Indian's CRM system to further streamline operations.

"ShoreTel's integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides easier access to information, with screen pops and straightforward call routing, which means we can deliver an even better experience to our fans," added Kuszmaul.

"The Cleveland Indians are leveraging the benefits of ShoreTel's integrated communications system and applications to improve employee productivity whether they are in the office or a remote location," said Mark Roberts, chief marketing officer at ShoreTel. "ShoreTel enables the team to having winning technology."

The Cleveland Indians are the fourth Major League Baseball team to select ShoreTel for their UC needs, joining the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Miami Marlins.

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About Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians Baseball Club, established in 1901 as one of the four Charter members of the American League, is an organization dedicated to creating memories, connecting generations and celebrating families. The Indians organization has provided superior customer service and entertainment to nearly 50 million fans at Progressive Field since the gates opened in 1994.

About ShoreTel, Inc.
ShoreTel, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOR) is a leading provider of brilliantly simple IP phone systems and unified communications solutions. Its award-winning on-premises IP-PBX solution and cloud-based hosted phone system eliminate complexity and improve productivity. Recognized for its industry-leading customer experience and support, ShoreTel's innovative business phones, application integration, collaboration tools, mobility, and contact center applications enable users to communicate and collaborate no matter the time, place or device, with minimal demand on IT resources. ShoreTel is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has regional offices and partners worldwide. For more information, visit www.shoretel.com.

ShoreTel and the ShoreTel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ShoreTel, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Major League Baseball and MLB are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. All other trademarks, trade names and service marks herein are the property of their respective owners.

ShoreTel media contact:
Katie Maller
408-962-2786
[email protected]

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SOURCE ShoreTel