Case Study: Schumacher Homes achieves improved uptime and halves communications costs with InterCall (managed communications provider)

Managed network the right call for custom home builder

Schumacher Homes, a custom home builder founded in 1992 with more than 20 design centers across 14 states, was struggling with a centralized network and fragmented phone systems. All locations shared a single 3 Mb internet connection routed through headquarters, creating congestion, long delays during peak design sessions, and a single point of failure; separate local phone systems generated high long‑distance costs and little IT control amid roughly 500–600 daily calls between centers and HQ.

Schumacher partnered with West IP Communications to implement a Cisco‑based MPLS backbone, VoiceMaxx IP telephony and MaxxSecure UTM, moving voice and data onto a prioritized, redundant network. The upgrade eliminated slowdowns, kept remote centers operational during outages, enabled four‑digit dialing with Cisco IP phones, finished two months early, and cut combined internet and calling costs from about $63,000/month to roughly $31,000/month while improving uptime and customer service.

Schumacher Homes

Will McCann

Senior IT Manager