One of the first things one notices when entering the front door of the EIS Systems Inc. corporate office is a plaque that reads: “Winners don’t wait for chances, they take them.” These words exemplify the approach of Dan Dawson, president and CEO of the Anaheim-based company.
Dawson’s 20 plus years in senior management positions with such companies as McDonnell Douglas, Data Products Corp. and Phillips NV bode well for his ability to fashion the team of which he speaks highly.
“The business environment has changed dramatically over the past few years. If you’re not delivering the best products and the best services supported by the best people in the business, then chances are your organization will be in the obituary column of business failures,” Dawson said.
With that thought in mind, he hand-picked the team that makes EIS what it is today,an organization on the move, driven by winners who are willing to take chances and love success.
High-tech solutions
It was Dawson’s willingness to take chances that transformed the previously struggling small company into the thriving, growth-oriented organization it is today. After acquiring EIS Systems in 1996, Dawson seized the opportunity to focus the company’s redirection to bringing high-tech solutions to link companies together, across the country and around the globe.
“One of the first things I implemented was the development of a video-conferencing division,” Dawson explained. “This has met with great acceptance by many organizations with multiple and diverse locations in the U.S., as well as abroad, and has been a major part of our success.”
Videoconferencing, once found only in Fortune 100 boardrooms, has moved into the mainstream of international business. Advancements in video technology, accompanied by dramatic reductions in price, make video-conferencing available to virtually every corner of the business world. Telephone systems, initially the backbone of EIS’ business and still a significant contributor to its overall revenue, shares the spotlight with CTI (computer telephone integration), now a burgeoning market and one that EIS is well positioned to bring to its growing list of Fortune 100 customers. These distinct product lines make EIS Systems a communications stronghold not only in Orange County, but internationally as well.
“Like our staff, we hand-pick the products and the manufacturers we represent. Our current product lines include PolyCom, the ultimate in audio data and videoconferencing, as well as Comdial and Lucent, two highly recognized names in the telephony marketplace,” Dawson said.
Client-specific policy
Along with diving headfirst into high technology, Dawson embraced a strict client-specific integration policy. All products sold by EIS Systems are brought into its service center where they are tested, staged and completely programmed to the client’s specifications before being sent to the client location. Furthermore, the company supports its clientele’s equipment indefinitely.
“If the end users were to be served, then it was up to us to give them what they wanted, first time, every time. Client-specific integration ensures just that; every box is opened here, every system programmed and tested here,” he said. “There are no surprises when we install the equipment.”
To further serve its end users, EIS supplies training and on-site support with all its products. EIS representatives also oversee the installation of ISDN lines and the circuits that are required for business-level videoconferencing equipment.
Dawson’s dedication to quality technology and overall client satisfaction appears to have paid off. In the past four years since his takeover, EIS Systems has expanded its client list to include names like NASA, Boeing, Rocketdyne, Fluor Daniel, Dexter Corp., Artisan Entertainment, Aerojet, KIA Motors of America, BMW of North America and Herman Miller to name a few.
“Our attitude is that we will never reach the finish line, we’re continually working harder and smarter to deliver the finest products and services,” Dawson continued. “We were not going to be satisfied with merely good references, we wanted delighted ones,and that’s precisely what we’ve done.”
Promises are kept
Long-time client of EIS Systems, Bill Ritchie, manager of administrative services at Aerojet, a billion-dollar defense contractor with offices in Sacramento and Azusa, said he is pleasantly surprised that PolyCom’s promise of desktop management and software upgrades over the web has proven true.
“We used to use Sprint’s videoconferencing service over T-1 lines, but it was very expensive, so we decided to move to a more economical system, and we compared PolyCom with PictureTel. EIS Systems helped show us that PolyCom offers more functionality and better quality for less money than the competition’s more expensive and complex equipment,” Ritchie said. “The best thing is that I can manage the company’s entire videoconferencing activities right from my desktop PC. That’s progress.”
The company offers two types of video-conferencing. EIS sells and supports video-conferencing systems to the end user, utilizing PolyCom’s state-of-the-art videoconferencing solutions. EIS is also in the process of opening a number of demand-generated videoconferencing centers across North America and Europe, with videoconferencing equipment for rent by interested corporations on an hourly or daily basis.
At the centers, multi-point videoconferencing service is available. Clients can contact more than one location at a time during the videoconferencing call. EIS Systems uses multiple ISDN lines and new technology from PolyCom using H.323 protocol, capable of running video at 768kbs, which translates into 30 frames per second over the Internet.
“Motivational posters are nice, but until the organization and everyone in it truly embraces the message, the posters are just so much paper. It’s very obvious to everyone that comes through our offices that we’ve done just that,” Dawson concluded.
For more information regarding the services offered by EIS Systems, contact Wes Bundy or Dan Dawson at (800) 394-1115.
