When it comes to communications technology, business leaders want it easy and reliable. That’s why they want Altitude Communications. Altitude has been making complicated unified communications systems seem simple for clients since the company rebranded in 2010.
Altitude got its start in 1995 as telephone equipment provider TNS Telecom, and Marshall Anderson worked for the company before branching into local line and Internet services. He returned to acquire controlling interest in TNS and merged the two ventures to create Altitude Communications in 2010. He shed TNS’s peripheral activities and focused on one unified communications package so that he and his technically-savvy, creative team could offer Albertans a unique product in a way no one else was.
“Our strategy for growth was just to get really good at one platform – it’s easier for the technical side to keep certifications high and technical ability strong; and from the sales and customer service side, if you focus on one thing, when somebody calls in you know how to help,” says Anderson, president of Altitude Communications.
Altitude has experienced great growth in the market, managing more than 18,000 end points in a variety of sectors across Alberta. It provides services that cover the different ways people communicate today – voice, video, mobility, collaboration, email, instant messaging – while helping businesses with their connectivity, whether that is Internet, on-site dial tone or wide area networks.
With its award-winning communications solution called Mitel (formerly ShoreTel), Altitude gives clients the tools they need to better engage with customers, integrate all of their applications and stay connected. Packages include everything clients need, so from the connectivity to the phone on their desk to the application on their desktop, Altitude is the single point of contact that manages it all. And the company can service a wide spectrum of clients ranging from those operating on 30-year-old systems to the out-of-the-box early adopters eager to do business on the cutting edge.
A few years ago, a cutting-edge client approached the team looking for a cloud solution and Altitude jumped at the chance to collaborate. No existing options met the client’s needs, so Anderson decided to create his own.
“The client liked us and our product, so we just built something for them. It gave us an opportunity to have an anchor tenant in here and to really start developing the AltiSphere platform. We’ve been running that for three years,” he says.
AltiSphere is a unique, fully-managed cloud or hybrid solution that puts everything clients want at their fingertips. Any communications application can be stored in the cloud, offering clients flexibility and customized solutions that perfectly suit their needs. AltiSphere is managed from one secure data centre, allowing for safeguarded information and easy upgrades without any downtime for clients. Despite the complexity of the cloud technology, it couldn’t be easier for AltiSphere clients.
“When they get the hosted AltiSphere solution, it’s basically your communication system as an application on your desktop – it shows all your contacts you’d need to call or IM with, retrieves your voice mails, and you can either have a physical phone or use a headset,” says Kelly Hopp, program manager at Altitude.
Whether Altitude clients choose to have all or a few applications in the cloud or to have their applications managed completely on site, the company provides the best ongoing supportive maintenance program to ensure everything in the system is up to date.
Altitude further supports clients through consultations and audits of existing services. The team evaluates a client’s communication costs and systems and recommends changes that can save them money and improve efficiency and service. By getting to know the clients and their businesses, Altitude is able to offer them the best communications solutions, all in a tailor-made package.
“These days you need to improve the way internal communications happen but you also have to improve the experience of your customers,” says Michael McKenzie, account manager at Altitude. “If you can create efficiencies inside and create a better experience for customers coming in then you’re progressing on both sides of the table.”
Altitude Communications is driven to provide the perfect unified communications services by listening to clients’ challenges and integrating new technologies to address them. Thanks to its customized products paired with incredible customer service, Altitude has earned the reputation as an outside-of-the-box company with creative, innovative solutions. With AltiSphere and Mitel on offer, Altitude Communications is proud to dive deep into technology so clients don’t have to.
