Case Study: Driving Communication Modernization for a Leading Caterpillar Dealership

How Group9 Communications replaced legacy PBX with a modern UCaaS solution for an 800-employee enterprise

The Challenge

A 90+ year-old heavy equipment company—one of North America’s top Caterpillar dealerships—was operating with outdated, siloed communications tools that lacked cloud connectivity and enterprise-grade reliability. With more than 800 employees across multiple locations in the Southwest, the customer struggled with inefficiencies, limited mobility, and rising support costs due to their legacy PBX system.

They needed a modern solution that would unify communication, support future scalability, and deliver a seamless experience for both employees and customers.

The Group9 Approach

Group9 Communications stepped in to assess the client’s needs and guide them through a complete UCaaS transformation.

Our process included:

• A comprehensive audit of existing communications infrastructure

• Strategic consultation to align communication goals with business outcomes

• Leveraging our partner portfolio to identify four top-tier UCaaS providers

• Issuing and managing a detailed RFP process to evaluate technologies, total cost of ownership, and implementation requirements

• Assisting in selection and deployment of the best-fit solution based on performance, features, and long-term value

The Solution

After careful analysis and consultation, Group9 replaced the client’s outdated PBX with a cloud-based Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) platform. The solution offered seamless integration across voice, video, messaging, conferencing, and collaboration tools—empowering employees to communicate from anywhere with ease and consistency.

The Results

• Unified Platform: Streamlined communication tools into one integrated cloud-based UCaaS system

• Improved Efficiency: Enabled mobile and remote teams to collaborate in real time

• Future-Ready Infrastructure: Delivered a scalable platform to support long-term growth

• Cost Transparency: Full visibility into licensing, usage, and vendor support through the RFP process

• Increased Reliability: Eliminated downtime and service gaps from the previous PBX

Conclusion

By partnering with Group9 Communications, this respected heavy equipment dealer modernized its communications infrastructure, increased productivity, and laid the groundwork for future growth through a secure and scalable UCaaS platform.