Alpha Ecological

Since 1986, Alpha Ecological has been providing ecofriendly pest control services for residential and commercial customers. A passionate advocate for the environment, it is their mission to manage pests without causing damage to the eco-system. With consumer demand for green pest control steadily rising, Alpha faces changing technology needs to keep up with their growth.

The Situation and The Challenge

To streamline their business model, Alpha Ecological established satellite teams across six states to work from home – avoiding the operating expense of maintaining several offices. Andrew Hein, IT Director for Alpha Ecological explains, “Our team leaders are locally-based throughout our service footprint and manage pest control technicians within their own hometown. The cost of flying everyone back and forth for meetings was getting expensive. We experimented with another webinar service that had video capability to connect virtually, but it was not meeting our needs.”

LifeSize partner, Matrix Networks, is Alpha’s preferred provider for their business technology needs “so it made sense to start there” stated Hein. Technology Specialist at Matrix, Kyle Holmes, explains “Throughout our partnership, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Mr. Hein as he plans for company growth and the increased IT needs that go hand in hand with expansion. As Alpha Ecological continued to grow, it was clear that connecting key individuals was exponentially more difficult. This sparked a discussion about IP based HD Video Conferencing from LifeSize to fi ll the void.”

Hein had considered a video conferencing system in the past, but was gun shy about making the commitment to purchase technology that is arguably still evolving quickly. “We don’t want our business to be left in the dust while we wait for five years to save money for a new system while the old one is sitting on the shelf”, Hein remarked when asked about fears of obsolescence being a factor in his hesitation to pay cash for VTC.

The Solution

Matrix Networks demonstrated the LifeSize solution to Hein and he was impressed with the technology and its simplicity, but there was still the “fear” roadblock to get around. Holmes suggested LifeSize^® Smart Lease™ – a financing program offered by LifeSize Flexible Leasing (powered by TAMCO) that helps customers maintain control while offering the utmost in flexibility.

Holmes explains, “The LifeSize Smart Lease program made perfect sense for Alpha Ecological for two key reasons: first, the System Replacement Guarantee ensured that their new LifeSize technology would meet their needs or they could ‘rip and replace’ without financial penalty thus curing the obsolescence fear. Second, the ability to distribute the cost over a period time with monthly payments allowed Alpha to continue investing in their business by providing the best return on cash flow.”

Jessica Tetz, CFO at Alpha Ecological agreed with Holmes’ suggestion. Tetz gladly approved the acquisition because LifeSize Smart Lease is economically friendly – today and in the future.

Holmes gives credit to LifeSize Flexible Leasing and TAMCO programs, “Smart Lease was an integral part of executing this solution and in turn, connecting Alpha’s geographically diverse team. This program satisfies IT because they can get what they need without the fear of rapid change and CFOs approve it because it doesn’t impact their balance sheet. Smart Lease is a win win.”