"A key step was standardising the heterogeneous structures in our company. We dismantled the different phone systems at each site and now run XPhone with a Session Border Controller instead."
The Maurer Verwaltungs-Holding has set itself a clear goal: to become the most digitally advanced trade company in the region. With around 500 employees at 14 sites, covering everything from Stuttgart to Lake Constance, Maurer is one of the leading providers in bathrooms & heating as well as energy & building technology. As part of its digitalisation strategy, the group is using a Unified Communications solution to efficiently connect its decentralised structure and fundamentally improve both internal and external communication.
From family business to corporate group
Established structures in a long-standing company bring stability, trust and a strong identity. But decades of grown processes can also slow down the adoption of new technologies. This balancing act is exactly what the Maurer Group is experiencing. Founded in 1933, the family-run business began acquiring local trade companies about 30 years ago – often firms without successors.
While these businesses kept their names and a high level of autonomy, central functions such as finance and IT were consolidated under Maurer’s umbrella. The result: a balanced mix of decentralised responsibility and centrally managed tasks.
Streamlining decentralised IT structures
With the ambition to push ahead with digitalisation and stay fit for the future, the pressure for change is growing. Maurer is already experimenting with AI in its processes, for example in its ERP system. But for Head of IT, Klaus Vollmer, modernising communication technology is one of the biggest levers.
“Communication is at the heart of our business. The entire success of the company depends on the exchange with customers, partners, internal contacts and the teams on site.”
"XPhone has enabled a quantum leap in office communication, as we can handle our processes more homogeneously and centrally."
How XPhone Replaces Legacy PBX with a Future-Proof UC Solution
Until recently, each site of the Maurer Group operated its own telephone system – a legacy of its historic independence. The technical prerequisites for communicating with customers, partners and colleagues varied widely, and in some cases key features for modern telephony were missing altogether. On top of this, the administrative effort for the IT department was considerable.
By introducing the unified communications solution XPhone Connect, Klaus Vollmer and his team were able to harmonise these heterogeneous structures. “Last week we finally decommissioned the very last PBX,” he reports. XPhone Connect simply doesn’t rely on a telephone system. Instead, a Session Border Controller (SBC) is deployed – a core component of VoIP networks. It establishes connections between different endpoints and transcodes audio and video streams to ensure full compatibility.
Time Savings Through Presence Management
With the PBXs gone, most employees – including many heavy phone users – now work with a PC-based softphone rather than desk phones. Thanks to the integrated presence management, they can instantly see in the client whether a colleague is available (green) or busy (red). Wasted time from unanswered or repeated call attempts has become a thing of the past.
“In the past I would often dial an extension, find it engaged, and then try again once or even twice – that was inefficient telephony,” recalls Vollmer. Alongside presence management, the Team Panel has become essential for him: it provides a real-time overview of the availability of whole departments and locations. “XPhone has been a quantum leap in office communication, allowing us to manage our processes far more consistently and centrally.”
Customer Data Integrated in the Phone Client
Another key benefit for Klaus Vollmer is the seamless ERP integration with XPhone: customer data is now directly available in the phone client – both on the desktop and in the mobile app. “No other provider offered us this level of functionality.”
The close link between business applications and telephony saves time and effort: staff no longer need to search across multiple systems or manually enter numbers and names. “This fast access further increases our efficiency. Even if each call only saves a few seconds, over time the gains add up – resulting in a measurable return on investment in the five-figure range within just a few years.”
How TeamDesk Optimises Hotline Management Company-Wide
For smaller branches in particular, manning the switchboard continuously is a challenge. Covering for holiday, illness or unplanned absences would otherwise require costly overstaffing – neither efficient nor economical.
“With TeamDesk, the hotline management system built into XPhone, we found an elegant solution,” says Vollmer. “If the switchboard is unavailable, calls are automatically forwarded. Hotline staff can log in from the office, from home or even on the move using the XPhone mobile app.”
Availability and Flexibility in Emergencies
Round-the-clock availability is a must-have in the trades sector. “This was a major factor when we explored new UC solutions,” recalls Vollmer.
To ensure this, the Maurer Group combines TeamDesk with the Auto Attendant. This means that out-of-hours callers are greeted with customised announcements and routed directly to the right contact. It’s a crucial function both for filtering calls effectively and for emergency service management – for example, when heating systems fail.
The Road to Digital Leadership
“Further developing, optimising and standardising processes and systems requires significant effort. But we embrace it, because digitalisation is absolutely critical to our business,” Vollmer affirms. The next step will be to extend XPhone to field technicians via the mobile client.
Even on construction sites, quick access to customer and supplier data is becoming increasingly vital. “This allows us to further digitalise the workflows between sites and offices, driving efficiency gains,” Vollmer explains. The objective is crystal clear: to become the most digitally advanced craft enterprise in the region.
