The Background

This leading Canadian auto parts retailer, a subsidiary of a U.S.-based multinational company, provides the distribution, merchandising and remanufacturing of automotive parts and replacement accessories for cars, trucks and heavy vehicles. With numerous stores across the country, this retailer supports various business groups from commercial to industrial parts and manufacturing.

The Challenges

This retailer had multiple voice and data vendors with legacy communications systems that were inflexible, ineffective and expensive to maintain. In addition, the systems were managed by a limited number of corporate IT personnel with an even smaller IT budget, so IT maintenance of the stores was outsourced. The client’s goals were to reduce network costs, improve interconnectivity and increase customer support capability.

The company’s stores had multiple legacy voice and data systems that did not provide the performance and cost structure necessary to meet business goals over the next 3-5 years.


The Solution

Advocate conducted a future state network assessment and developed a strategy for a cloud-based, unified communications (UC) platform and upgraded network. The new simplified network will provide robust interconnectivity between stores, flexible and scalable data transfer capability and consistency to support customers. By deploying a session initiation protocol (SIP) trunk solution at the retailer’s headquarters, all communications between the stores are considered internal thus the client no longer incurs long distance charges between its multiple stores.

Transforming infrastructure challenges into a strategic advantage.


Transforming retail network communications challenges by consolidating systems and vendors, while providing full inventory visibility and increased store performance and cost savings.

Advocate’s UC workshop provided our team with detailed analysis and recommendations for improvement that made us confident to move forward.


The Result



  • Advocate provided a future state assessment and roadmap for clients to migrate its stores to a cloudbased unified communications solution with a carriermanaged migration.

  • Executed a sourcing strategy and provided project leadership for the deployment of a robust new SIP network with a managed unified communications provider, which will improve network flexibility, user experience and scalability.

  • This unified communications platform and upgraded network will greatly increase store interconnectivity, customer support capability and cost savings.


“Our cloud-based communications system will greatly improve our store interconnectivity and ability to support our customers on a regional basis.