Ringgold Telephone Co. is now serving customers from its new facility off Alabama Highway, and company officials say customer service more than anything else prompted the move.

The company moved from Nashville Street to 6203 Ga. 151 near Rollins Industrial Park on June 28 to what was once the Tapistron Building.

When entering the new Ringgold Telephone Co. office, visitors may be struck by the shear immenseness of its lobby.

“I think the new building brings our image consistent with what we have been trying to relay to our customers,” said Kimberly Wheeler, public relations manager, during a tour last week. “We are very forward thinking. We are offering new services that other companies are not offering and making a difference. I think this building is a sign towards the future that we are here to stay.”

The tour highlighted many of the plans already complete and many still to come.

“We still have a lot in boxes,”Wheeler said. “We expect it to take a few weeks to have everything finished the way it is planned.”

Phil Erli, executive vice president, said the building was created with the customer first in mind.

“The reason we did this was for our customers,” he said. “Unlike so many places today trying to do business with customers by phone or long distance, we want them to come in an see us.

“We think this building is a celebration for our customers in that it gives us an opportunity to show them what we can provide as far as services,” he said.

According to Erli, Ringgold Telephone Co. serves approximately 14,000 telephone customers, 3,600 Internet customers and 1,200 NEXTV and video customers.

Unique experience

“We want to create an experience for our customers,” Wheeler said. “It’s not just about coming in and paying a bill. We want to create a memorable experience while they are here.

Erli said he envisions hosting lobby activities customers will find entertaining or interesting often and within the first 10 business days of the month.

“Perhaps a magician or a mime, something that will create an interest to see what we are doing this month,” he said.

Erli said the building helps to convey the company’s long-term plans for the community.

“Many companies our size in our business actually go away all together,” he said. “Alice (Evitt Bandy, president) is demonstrating that she is going to continue to make an investment not only in this business but in this community.”

Wheeler said the company tentatively hopes to host a grand opening in late September, and are serving customers now with three inside customer service windows and a drive-thru customer service window.

She said a large area to the right of the lobby beyond the customer service windows will soon house a state-of-art demonstration facility for the company’s many services.

“We also have two rooms set aside to work with new customers,” she said.

Also in full operation is the facility’s call center.

“We previously had this in the Evitt building near the courthouse,” she said. “It is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week even on holidays.”

“We are all together with customer service, tech support, plant operations; all are under one building,” Erli said. “If nothing else it improves communications; the synergy of having them together in one area is certainly an improvement.

“We think its just so much better an opportunity to demonstrate the kind of customer service we want,” he said. “With the call center — tech support and customer service being together, now you have a situation where you get that balance. If you have questions about billing or how your computer operates, it’s all right there in one room.”

The company’s latest venture, listlIT, is operating from the new facility providing customers an opportunity to list items on e-Bay.

Industrial expansion

Erli said the picturesque site holds hope for potential growth with 16-20 acres that could welcome other industry.

“With us owning this property and with the Rollins Industrial Park being almost completely full, one of the things I am interested in is development of this property in front of us,” Erli said, “and bringing in the types of business the county and the city of Ringgold want, high-tech type businesses that will create employment within Catoosa County. We think we have enough land for at least two or three good-size employers to come along and share this space with us.