Nearly 30 years ago, Citizens State Bank, the financial institution with the oldest active bank charter in Indiana, began what would become a long-term partnership with Taylored, one of the best communications, technology and IT providers in Indianapolis. Around 2005, Taylored helped Citizens State Bank install what was then a technologically advanced phone system from Toshiba. While that system functioned well and helped the Citizens team achieve their communications goals for more than 15 years, it recently became apparent that the system was no longer supported by Toshiba. 

Citizens decided that it was time to upgrade, and they turned again to Taylored to deploy a more modern system. What they got was a system that Citizens’ Chief Information Officer, Mark R. Prout, calls “light-years ahead” of their previous system. By upgrading their communications system, the Citizens State Bank team is now benefiting from features and functionality that they didn’t even know they needed, in addition to the service and support they’ve come to expect from Taylored.

Zultys On-Premise Phone System

After discussion with the team at Taylored, Citizens State Bank chose the Zultys on-premise communication system, which helped to truly connect all 16 of their locations. Previously, Citizens had individual phone systems that could only connect to one another via intercom. The Zultys solution from Taylored helped to provide a seamless integration to all 16 locations with one system. 

The system is managed by the Taylored Cloud SIP Trunks, which Prout anticipates “will save a tremendous amount of money going forward.” By simplifying the communications system into one single service, Taylored helped minimize the cost of multiple phone lines and streamline communication processes for operations, upgrades and expansion. 

Citizens State Bank enjoys the system’s desktop application, which makes it easy to view contacts, engage in chat functionality, auto-dial, move employees from one location to another without losing their extension and execute conference calls. In addition, Prout says that the level of quality and security for conference calling, either by voice or video, is much more advanced than that of free services. The system has been especially important for employees that must work from home, as they are able to use the app on their cell phone or computer to experience the same communication functionality as they would on their desk phone. 

Call Center Functionality 

The new Zultys communication system provided Citizens State Bank with much-needed call center functionality. Prior to working with Taylored to update their system, Citizens had an ad hoc call center process that was limiting and complicated. With the Zultys system, the staff can now utilize the system’s built-in call center functionality, which is rich with unique features and functions that help the Citizens team better address their client calls. 

The ability to ramp up their call center size as needed and provide a more robust support presence is essential, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as clients are relying more and more on phone support for their banking needs. 

Modern Features

In addition to offering all the standard functions the team at Citizens State Bank needed, the system also came with a variety of modern features that made the new solution more helpful than they could have expected. Some of these features include daily call center reports for management to assess how effective the call centers are as well as reports on the function of the system as a whole. These reports help Citizens adapt the size of the system and add resources as needed. 

One of the most important features of the Zultys system, according to Prout, is the system’s ability to be dynamic by adapting and upgrading as the financial institution’s needs shift and change. Prout reports that the bank is already seeing positive changes within the system. Whether those updates are intuitive or a direct result of Taylored and Zultys actively listening to their clients’ suggestions, Prout is happy that the features can be updated far easier than those of their previous system. 

Why Taylored Systems?

Despite having a relationship with Taylored since the late 1990s, Citizens State Bank could have chosen any of the many providers that offer updated communication solutions to update their systems. When asked why Citizens chose to work with Taylored over other local providers, Prout cited not only Taylored’s long-term relationship with Citizens State Bank, but also our personal approach to service, our advanced communication system products and software, and our team’s expert level of knowledge. 

“We consider [Taylored] to be partners with us . . . We did our due diligence and looked at other options . . . but the type of service and the people that are involved with Taylored really make the difference for us,” Prout says. “This system and our relationship with Taylored made this one a slam dunk.”

In addition, Prout thinks Taylored’s phone solutions have been “revolutionary” to Citizens State Bank’s daily operations, client connection, and ability to grow and expand. 

At Taylored, we believe in helping all of our clients achieve their technology goals with solutions that are approachable and functional while also being transformative. That’s why we create custom communication, technology and IT solutions for our clients’ varied needs. On top of our tech expertise, we offer the high-quality, personalized consultation and support that clients expect from a local Indiana provider. Contact us to learn more about our services.