CLIENT PROFILE
ENT & Allergy Associates (ENTA) is north central Wisconsin’s most experienced and respected provider of ear, nose and throat and allergy/immunology/asthma services. It provides services out of its main Wausau office and eight additional satellite clinics.
THE SITUATION
ENTA was growing rapidly, but this growth came with challenges: Its main office was at capacity, and an additional location it had opened caused confusion for patients on which office to visit their physician at. The solution was to move everyone into a brand-new office. However, when it comes to IT networking and infrastructure, moving is easier said than done! ENTA turned to its longtime outsourced IT services provider, Wipfli, to help plan the process, improve on outdated systems, select vendors and ensure a smooth opening day.
ENTA had two big challenges that stood out. The first was its phone system, which was hosted through a third party. Phones frequently malfunctioned, and staff couldn’t change their auto attendant recording or route phone calls through multiple desks.
The second challenge was ENTA’s internet, which was small-business oriented and unable to keep up with its growth. When the internet went down, all work had to stop because physicians and staff couldn’t access the information they needed. There was no guest wi-fi either, so patients couldn’t work on homework or check email while waiting to be seen.
THE STRATEGY
Wipfli specializes in office moves and, as a national consulting firm, can pull team members from across the organization who have experience building out initial plans. One of those team members referred a phone system provider used with other clients, which was then vetted, approved and coordinated with to build a robust infrastructure in the new building.
As for the internet, Wipfli team members worked on a similarly strong infrastructure, including providing fiber-optic internet. Now there are separate production and guest wi-fi networks for the entire building, delivering excellent and reliable coverage.
Wipfli also completed other office-move projects, including setting up a new print server, enabling the electronic health record (EHR) reconfiguration, transferring the business to new computers, helping staff back up and transfer files, and setting up an inter-office chat.
WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?
The new phone system provides ENTA with much greater customization, efficiency and functionality compared to its old system — including overhead paging and the ability to modify the phone tree. The new internet is robust and reliable, and patients have even commented to the receptionist how pleased they are with the guest wi-fi.
Opening day in the new office was also a huge success. Every physician was present, and they saw more patients in one day than ever before. Wipfli’s extensive pre-testing and on-site troubleshooting ensured there were no hiccups with the technology systems. Doctors happily commented that, despite seeing so many patients, it didn’t even feel busy.
