Webex empowers UK startup to help companies respond to emergencies

UK startup Gurste is taking on big responsibilities. They work to ensure no organization faces a crisis alone. They might help a small mom-and-pop shop recover after a fire, aid an international distributor with sudden supply chain issues, or assist clients with their security and counter-terrorism planning.

No matter the client, Gurste starts with a process of threat and risk assessment⁠ to determine what they need to prepare the client for. Once the assessment is complete, Gurste works with clients to develop plans the businesses can implement should threats and risks materialize. Most importantly, these plans help ensure that employees stay safe and receive long-term support as needed. Gurste also helps companies build public relations plans and identify other ongoing actions they might need to take after a crisis. From there, Gurste supports its client in training their teams to ensure that plans run like clockwork as soon as they’re required.

Easy-to-use, flexible video conferencing

With such a wide range of clients scattered internationally, Gurste needed a collaboration platform that was secure, reliable, cost-efficient, and easy to use. They tried Microsoft Teams, but found the user experience clunky. Gurste explored Zoom, but it struggled to meet necessary security requirements. They also used RingCentral, but moved away due to a mixture of high prices and first-party support for Cisco desk phones. After ruling these providers out, they worked with their Cisco partner Ionize and decided Webex was the perfect fit due to its robust feature set, performance, security and support.

“We are a remote-first company, so Webex is central to what we do,” said Gurste’s CEO Connor Gurney.

Gurste uses Webex Meetings as their primary method of communicating with clients, both on an everyday basis and during an incident. The video conferencing tool’s many features have served the business well.

“We regularly use the recording and transcription features of Webex Meetings to ensure that everybody can access information,” Gurney said. “This means that we always have a record of truth, which is vital when conducting post-incident reviews.”

When disaster strikes and clients call, time is of the essence. Gurste must quickly make accurate assessments of the situation and rapidly deploy the correct resources.

“Let’s say there was a fire in the building. We can quickly send them a link to join a Webex Meeting via their mobile phone when they’re in a safe place and see what is happening in real time,” Gurney said. “It can be incredibly easy to underestimate what’s going on based on just a phone call. Having reliable video conferencing available is important for us. Having Webex video conferencing allows us to see and understand the situation — first-hand.”

Best-in-class Cisco security to protect client data

Security is critical for Gurste. Whether responding to an incident in real time or developing a contingency plan, clients share details that need to stay safe and private.

“A lot of the information we handle is incredibly sensitive. We must have the very best in security, and we get that with Webex,” Gurney said. “Webex offers end-to-end encryption and is the only solution we identified that is able to offer this on VoIP calls, meetings, and messaging, which made it by far the best solution for our security needs.”

Webex Calling in addition to secure video conferencing

While they previously had to make calls from their personal mobile phones while working remotely, Gurste now relies on the Webex Calling platform to make and receive calls from any device, anywhere in the world.

In times when a phone call is the right move, the Gurste team has found Webex Calling to be an excellent resource for internal and external collaboration. They also use the Webex App to collaborate with suppliers in the UK and abroad.

Standout support

As a small company, Gurste has been impressed with the responsiveness of the Webex team. Any time they have a question or a unique challenge, the Webex team is there. There was no initial cost to get set up, and clients and contractors without technical experience were able to get up and running quickly and easily.

Cost savings with Webex

There are several ways that Gurste measures its ROI from Webex. One aspect relates directly to the company’s bottom line.

“The cost saving is significant: £20 per user per month.” Gurney said. “Previously, we might have had to send somebody a significant distance, only to find out it could have been handled with a video conference. Webex means that now we are not deploying resources unnecessarily. We also have gained increased capabilities around security, which we didn’t have before.”

Gurste has also seen great ROI in terms of client satisfaction. Gurste needed a reliable solution that could help them communicate smoothly with clients and deliver excellent customer experiences. Having that face-to-face interaction on Webex really makes a difference.

“When our clients call, it is most likely because they are having one of the worst days of their lives. Being able to interact with somebody who is not as emotional, who can calm them down, and who can begin to provide solutions is important,” Gurney said.

Webex drives critical learning and growth

Because no two incidents are ever exactly alike, the Gurste team also uses Webex as an important source of knowledge to help them learn and do better each time.

“Webex Meetings and Webex Calling enable us to have recorded and auditable conversations while responding to an incident,” Gurney said. “This is crucial as it means we can review decisions as they were made in real time and harness the knowledge that may otherwise be lost, which allows us to learn vital lessons, which may well save lives in the future.”

Additionally, as Gurste grows and expands, it is looking into how it might leverage additional Webex solutions, such as incorporating Webex Events for webinars and other educational sessions. To try out Webex, download the app or contact our sales team to learn more.