Migrating Wisconsin’s Largest Home Seller From Legacy Tech To Future-Focused Solutions

Buying a house can be emotional. From the initial multiple listing service (MLS) onboarding all the way to submitting an offer, today’s home buyer depends on a reliable, adaptive agent to ensure their experience is positive from start to finish. And for home sellers, they are looking for a frictionless provider to move them into the next phase with confidence.

“For Shorewest, the customer experience is paramount,” said Isaiah Chen, Director of Infrastructure and Information Systems at Shorewest. “We do everything we can to ensure that if you ever need to buy or sell a house again, you can come back to us.”

Shorewest is Wisconsin’s largest home seller. They’ve been around since 1946, and they have 29 branches along the coast of Lake Michigan. The company was founded on the Midwestern values of hard work and dedication, and the family-owned business continues to uphold the same values championed from the outset.

Unfortunately, the company’s legacy voice and internet solutions were outdated and no longer cost-competitive. It stood in the way of their staff—agents, administrators and IT team—delivering the seamless, modern experience their customers expect.

The Challenge: An Inability To Expand The Business

Shorewest’s existing voice and internet services made it difficult to expand or modify their business. It was also more expensive than comparable platforms, requiring a large chunk of their annual budget.

“Sticking with a legacy product usually means you’re pigeonholed into what that service currently offers,” Chen said. “You’re stuck with that forever or until your legacy provider decides to expand on it in some small way.”

Shorewest felt there must be a better way to meet their needs and set out to uncover a cheaper, safer and more flexible solution set. Their current provider circuit was on Lumen, and Lumen proposed migrating to a solution set that would change everything.

The Solution: A Fast And Easy Transition To Modern Circuits

Shorewest turned to Lumen for three specific services:

• Access to the network for internet service, delivering unprecedented, reliable internet connection
• Lumen^® Network Protection Service (NPS) for additional security
• A go-forward voice solution for additional flexibility and reduced costs

The company began the migration in early 2023, and Chen says it went exactly as expected. The future-focused solution set offered more flexibility than their previous provider, along with being cost-competitive.

Chen has been impressed with the smooth implementation of their new services. “Our transition to modern circuits was easy and fast and was facilitated every step of the way by friendly, knowledgeable people,” he said. “This customer experience, paired with a reduction in operating overhead brought by the new circuits, has been one of the most pleasant relationships I’ve had.”

Adding a layer of security has given them a greater sense of safety and scalability and laid the groundwork for additional security services as their business grows. Lumen^® Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) increases reliability so realtors can access the information they need when they need it, without having to worry about delays.

In addition to competitive pricing and outstanding customer service, Shorewest has maintained smooth operations and interconnectivity for all agents and internal staff—which translates to happier home buyers and sellers.

A Knowledgeable Partner Delivers Security And Reliability

Shorewest is happy with its new voice and internet services, which currently support 1,428 employees. This upgrade wasn’t Chen’s first experience working with Lumen, and it was like working with a familiar friend.

“Everybody that I’ve interacted with at Lumen since joining Shorewest has been every bit as knowledgeable and helpful as everybody I’ve encountered in the past,” Chen said. “This has helped to keep our relationship healthy and has provided a sense of security and comfort that few other vendors can provide.”

It’s hard enough to navigate the choppy waters of buying or selling a home, without dealing with poor customer service on top of everything else. With Lumen working behind the scenes, the team at Shorewest can focus on easing their clients’ concerns, finding them the best home and getting buyers or sellers the best deal for their future. Shorewest continues to count on Lumen as the partner who will help them expand their footprint across Wisconsin, delivering quality services and smooth transactions to clients across the state.

“We’ve experienced continuous growth over 75 years, and Lumen is the partner to help ensure our continued growth.”

To see more examples of companies upgrading legacy voice and internet services, read more of our customer success stories.

^{Current Lumen customer compensated for their endorsement.
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