The partnership that created better patient care

As people age, their eyes need specialized care. “So as you can imagine, there are more ophthalmology practices in Florida than any other state,” says Bill Watson, CEO of Florida-based Tomoka Eye Associates. “We set ourselves apart in patient experience, care and service, and communication is job number one. With so many of our patients being elderly, it’s important that when they call here, they get a person ― every single time.” 

When Tomoka’s unreliable voice over IP (VoIP) phone system kept patients from reaching the call center, and slow access to electronic medical records (EMRs) started bottlenecking patient treatment, Watson knew he needed to take action to ensure patient care and service didn’t suffer. He immediately set out to find a technology partner who could not only provide reliable technology solutions, but that was also committed to providing the same high level of service he strives to deliver to his patients. “I’ve always believed that the real value of a product is the person standing behind it,” he says.

Watson found that partner in Spectrum Business account manager Paula Gray. Since they first met years ago, Bill and Paula have come to value each other as both business partners and friends.

Bill: When Paula and I met, it was an instant friendship. She’s based out of Orlando, and I used to live in Orlando, so we found out we had some mutual acquaintances. We also discovered that we’re both into running and fitness. We really hit it off.

Paula: What I remember about my first meeting with Bill was how animated and funny he was; he likes to joke around. I have a high energy level too, so we make a good team.

Bill: During that first meeting I was really impressed with Paula ― she was very knowledgeable about her products and very professional ― but also warm and friendly. I felt like I could trust her. At the time there was only one other company that had the solutions we wanted, and their rep was not friendly or easy to deal with. Paula was the main reason we went with Spectrum Business.

Paula: When Bill and I first started talking they were using a T1 line for both their VoIP phone system and connectivity services. Going from a T1 to fiber is a really big jump, so I made sure I clearly explained how the switch would solve their network reliability and speed issues while allowing them to do more for their business. They decided to go with our Hosted Call Center solution, as well as our Dedicated Fiber Internet and Ethernet services.

Bill: Paula set clear expectations and discussed logistics with us prior to our install, and everything went smoothly and as promised. I’ve been in business long enough to know that’s not often the case.

Paula: I worked with an incredibly experienced Spectrum Business project manager who was integral to making the installation go as smoothly as it did. She’s very detail oriented.

Bill: Since the project has been completed, we’ve been able to focus on our business instead of the services that help us run it. We depend on Paula a lot to keep us going. She keeps us up on what’s new and looks out for us.  For example she called us when the pandemic hit to see how we were doing.

Paula: I wanted to let them I know I was there if they needed support. They were using the Hosted Call Center solution’s soft client feature so call center agents could safely take calls from their homes, and I wanted to make sure everything was working well for them.

Bill: At the end of the day it’s Paula’s service that keeps us as a partner.

Paula: I think our relationship works so well because we’re both 100 percent transparent with each other. For instance, we have to replace some equipment, which involves a lot of coordination and testing, so I’m being completely upfront about what’s involved and how we can mitigate any impact on the business.

Bill: Paula keeps us in touch with the engineers and other people we need to keep things running efficiently. She’s excellent at what she does.

Paula: Bill’s really great to work with, and he’s also become a good friend. We used to get together for lunch every few months, but until we can do that again we chat on the phone. We talk about what’s going on with the business, and we both love traveling so we talk about that also.

Bill: I have a son who lives in France, and Paula’s been there too so we compare notes. We truly enjoy each other’s company.

Learn more about how we helped Tomoka Eye Associates by reading the case study.