Rochester Institute of Technology ("RIT") is no stranger to innovation. Founded in 1829, RIT is a diverse and collaborative community of engaged, socially conscious, and intellectually curious minds. Through creativity and innovation, and an intentional blending of technology, the arts and design, RIT provides exceptional individuals with a wide range of academic opportunities.
RingCentral, Inc., a leading provider of global enterprise cloud communications, video meetings, collaboration, and contact center solutions, delivers users with powerful new productivity tools for today’s hybrid work environment. To take business communications a step further, RingCentral partnered with Avaya to introduce Avaya Cloud Office™ - which enables users to realize how easy it is to communicate using an all-in-one solution that delivers calling, team messaging, video conferencing, file sharing and collaboration.
The Challenge
RIT understands the importance of their campus center workers and why it’s critical to equip them with the right tools and technology. However, when the pandemic hit, their current setup was no longer servicing their needs.
Recognizing the diverse needs and preferences of their employees as they shifted to new work settings, RIT prioritized allowing their workforce to choose audio solutions that best suited their working style. They also had to ensure that these solutions worked seamlessly with their communications platform of choice – Avaya Cloud Office, which is built on RingCentral’s leading open UCaaS platform.
From mono and stereo options to wired and wireless headsets and earbuds, RIT needed a provider that offered a range of options that emphasized versatility and flexibility, especially as the school upgraded to a cloud-based system and changed their phone systems. But above all, they needed to arm their employees with audio solutions that empowered them to be productive and comfortable, regardless of their location or work environment.
Making Remote Working Work
By choosing Avaya Cloud Office on RingCentral, RIT has the opportunity to unlock the full potential of its workforce and power equitable collaboration for workers wherever they are. Built on RingCentral’s open platform with over 200 pre-built business solution integrations, users can keep the tools they love and will be able to integrate them with Avaya Cloud Office. Users can also benefit from Avaya enterprise-grade features and services with the ease and speed of the leading cloud unified communications platform to meet their unique requirements and budget.
RIT took things a step further by offering employees Jabra’s leading audio solutions as the perfect pairing for Avaya Cloud Office. Every team member had the option to choose from Jabra’s entire Evolve2 lineup, ensuring they had a headset or earbud that worked best for them. The audio solutions allowed for seamless conversations regardless of where workers are located, helping ensure operations went unscathed as remote working took shape.
Driving Productivity with Hardware and Software Integration
Since Jabra and RingCentral are strategic partners, their customers – including RIT – can get integrated call control functionality between the audio solutions and UCaaS platform (e.g. answer, hold, mute , hang up, reject call, volume up/down, etc.). This gives end users the ability to control calls directly from the headset, speaker and/or the platform, which has strong benefits for productivity and user satisfaction.
Management at RIT had tested multiple headset options to ensure they aligned with their new cloud software and phone systems, and Jabra stood out with its exceptional audio quality and truly ready-to-use ability.
“Our biggest pain point was audio quality and making headsets simple and seamless to set up with Bluetooth pairing, etc. Going with Jabra, we can say ‘Hey, we're finally able to plug and play.’” - Knycos Ferguson, Support Lead IV Finance and Administration
Looking Ahead
Currently, Rochester Institute of Technology has 2,300 Jabra headsets in use, including 800 each of the Evolve2 65 and Evolve2 Buds. But their collaboration with Jabra doesn’t stop there. Enter the Jabra Speak 750.
With full duplex audio and omnidirectional microphones, the Speak 750 allows participants to hold completely natural conversations and have them flow just as they do in person. Coupled with Jabra's headsets, this unrivaled crystal-clear audio combination brings remote and in-person participants closer together – allowing the Rochester Institute of Technology employees to thrive in today’s hybrid work environment.
“Strong relationships with strategic hardware and software partners are critical as we continue to address the challenges around fostering collaboration in modern work environments, and we are thrilled to be working with innovative partners like RingCentral and Jabra,” - Knycos Ferguson, Support Lead IV Finance and Administration.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
