By Caron M. Sjoberg – Ideaworks
PENSACOLA, FL. – May 17, 2012 In the early days of the Web, while many people were enthralled with its entertainment capabilities and were creating new ways to “distract” people, Ross Overstreet was interested in ways to make people more productive. Instead of developing games, he focused on building software to help people solve problems, automate tasks and increase efficiency.
In 1996, the telecommunication industry was deregulated, bringing about many rule changes and new opportunities. Six years later, Overstreet created Overgroup out of what some may deem necessity. He found that telecom companies were using undeveloped back-office software. And despite the large sums of money companies were spending on those systems to increase effectiveness, the functions of every department were slow and inefficient.
“I saw that I could build a web-based solution for these companies that could make a remarkable difference in how they operate,” Overstreet said.
Thus, the H2O software system was born. H2O bundles customer service (CRM), billing and online invoicing, workflow and inventory management, customized reporting, commissions, agent/reseller portals, a management interface (CEO Dashboard), numerous databases and additional automated tools. The competitively priced software platform holds both high esthetic and intrinsic values.
“It’s one system that provides everything they need to do their jobs,” said Overstreet, but “how it looks, how it feels and how you interact with it is what makes H2O a fantastic experience.”
Overgroup’s ultimate goal is to provide employees with better tools to help them do their jobs. Increased job satisfaction will ideally trickle down, contributing, ultimately, to an entire company’s success. The beauty of H2O is the consolidation of all information for a company in one location, establishing a strong foundation for customer service providers. In today’s fast-paced work environment, losing a note or a ticket can mean losing revenue. The software provides automation of tasks to manage the bulk of activity allowing employees to pre-set the rules and processes, then simply visually supervising the function of the system.
Utilizing the CEO Dashboard allows the company to see key metrics about the business in real time and at a glance without having to run reports and analyze data. Customizable features allow the client to “cut to the chase and see exactly what they need to see when they want to see it,” according to Overstreet.
Clients of companies using H2O can also streamline their actions by taking charge of their respective accounts, making payments, signing up for auto pay and requesting changes, in addition to the many services through phone-based interactive voice response (IVR) and online portals.
Today, Overgroup currently has more than 50 telecom providers utilizing the H2O software. With Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC), Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILEC) and both standard and pre-paid wireless clients, Overgroup is poised to continue its charge towards helping organizations in the ever-evolving telecom industry to run more smoothly and efficiently.
In his commitment to building relationships, Overstreet, stresses that Overgroup wants to “build good relationships with the industry to help move [it] forward,” even with businesses who aren’t clients. He believes in the telecom “ecosystem” and is committed to its prosperity despite daily challenges that can arise.
Whether starting from scratch with H2O or performing a migration, Overgroup is committed to supporting their clients in every aspect of the process. An account manager is assigned to each customer, ensuring a stable support system during migration and throughout the relationship. One client commented that Overstreet was “personally involved” and “available all the time,” during their migration period.
Overgroup’s emphasis on customer service is a trait to be appreciated. As the CLEC, ILEC or wireless clients’ needs evolve, their software must also transition. H2O is built for efficiency, allowing increased functionality with maturation and continuous upgrades to the latest technology. Overgroup includes developmental hours in their customers pricing plan to allow for changes and implementations to avoid charging additional fees. Compared to other software developers and platforms, Overgroup and H2O has been likened to “a fine, custom tailor who over time continues to tweak your suit as need be,” with one client noting that though “things change, models change, [and] plans change, H2O changes with you.”
ABOUT OVERGROUP
Founded in 2002, Overgroup is a Pensacola, Fla.-based software company that provides web-based back-office solutions to 50+ telecom providers across the US. A leading developer of back office software, Overgroup provides billing, OSS, CRM, provisioning, workflow and commissioning services for their clients. For more information, contact Overgroup at (866) 470-5502 or visit them at www.overgroup.com.
