Geckotech Answers the Call

Chicago Sun-Times, Sandra Guy - Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Geckotech, a company that sets up and runs high-tech phone systems for businesses, could easily be mistaken for GEICO, the insurance company whose green mascot with the British accent is instantly recognizable.

Any mixup has done nothing to hurt fast-growing Geckotech, where managing partner Josh Robbins decorates his West Loop loft offices with toy geckos.

"I've always liked the lizards, and the name hasn't caused a problem," said Robbins, 32, a Berkeley, Calif., native whose father, Judd Robbins, is the author of dozens of books on computer programs and languages.

Geckotech's business is Voice over Internet Protocol, the digital telephone and Internet-access service that eliminates long-distance charges. VoIP works on a different premise than the old-fashioned telephone system. Its switching system sends and receives information in digital packets only when needed, instead of in a constant stream, making it more efficient.

Geckotech -- unlike consumer VoIP companies such as Vonage, Skype and Ooma -- sells its services to businesses, and provides service on a secure private network rather than via the Internet.

The four-year-old Geckotech is using the way it packages its services to compete with a growing legion of rivals, ranging from its biggest opponent, Covad Communications of San Jose, Calif., to local provider DSL Internet Services, based in north suburban Lake in the Hills.

Geckotech offers businesses with 10 to 200 employees this deal: Pay a monthly fee of $50 to $85 per user, and Geckotech will guarantee quality service, run the system, and supply the phones, routers, switches and a high-speed data pipe.

The package includes Internet access, conference calling for up to 100 people, "find-me follow-me" call rollovers, voice mail pickup online, automated attendants and unlimited calls in the United States and to Canada and Europe, among other features.

"It's about packaging a phone and Internet system in a way that's easy to manage and easy to buy," Robbins said.

Geckotech picks up much of its business from companies moving from one location to another, and facing the daunting task of reconnecting its phone system.

Its revenues have doubled in the past year, to about $4 million this year from $2 million in 2006, and it has more than 150 business customers.

The company employs 15 in a former mattress factory that once housed MarchFirst, the Chicago-based, $1 billion Internet consultancy that was one of the bigger flameouts during the dot-com era. The factory's first tenants after the MarchFirst flameout became Geckotech's customers after Robbins offered to supply the phone and Internet service to the entire building. The building is co-owned by Marc Realty and J. Michael Drew and Daniel Lukas of Structures Development.

Pete Kadens, CEO of Evanston-based sales force outsourcer Acquirent, said his company can track and manage its own sales people's work with the VoIP system.

Acquirent also relies on the quick response that a local, small company like Geckotech can provide.

"When I have an issue, it will be turned around within 24 hours," Kadens said. "Geckotech's system is more pricey than an analog [telephone] system, but I'd rather pay more, and have an issue dealt with so I can run my business."

Craig Clausen, executive vice president of New Paradigm Research Group in Chicago, said Geckotech and the growing number of other VoIP providers must find other services to offer to separate themselves from the pack, and they must prove that VoIP service offers the same reliability and voice clarity as the old-fashioned telephone.

About Geckotech

Geckotech provides small to midsized businesses with the highest level of friendly and reliable customer service based in the U.S. on the most secure, business-grade VoIP platform. Geckotech’s uptime and reliability is consistently the highest in the industry and their customers continue to benefit from enhanced productivity, flexibility, scalability and reliability. Geckotech is part of an elite worldwide group of successful service providers that have been awarded the Cisco Powered Network designation. Cisco Systems is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Geckotech is a privately held company with corporate headquarters in Chicago, IL. For more information on Geckotech’s hosted VoIP services visit www.geckotechllc.com, call 312.948.2995 or email sales@geckotechllc.com.