Leading Cloud Communications Provider Jive Just Turned 10!
One of the true measures of a business’ success is their longevity in the industry. The ability of a business to survive and thrive no matter what shows that a business is managed well and is highly valued by its customers and clients. Business survival and longevity isn’t easy to achieve, though. With so many competitors and changing market needs, businesses can fail quickly within 18 months. But one company has shown that longevity isn’t difficult to come by as long as you work hard, commit, and enjoy a little bit of luck along the way. Jive, a Utah-based leader in cloud communications, has just turned a decade older! And that’s no easy feat in today’s competitive telecommunications industry.
Jive Communications started by having a couple of clients and six visionary founders with one common goal: “to change the world by offering better, less expensive business phone systems.” Ten years later, that mission is slowly turning into reality as Jive is now the leading business Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider trusted by hundreds of thousands of users, and a company that employs over 400 employees in seven states and four countries.
Ten years of creativity and hard work by people passionate about development has brought so much growth and success to the company. To appreciate the achievements of the company even more, let’s take a look at some of the biggest highlights of Jive’s ten-year reign in the cloud communications space.
The Humble Beginnings of Jive
- From a small basement to multiple locations around the globe. In 2006, Jive first housed its hosted PBX servers in a humble basement of the Agile Studios building in Orem, Utah. The space was decorated 70s style and featured a square office at the center of the floor, dubbed by pioneering Jive employees as “the Donut Hole.” A decade later, Jive has since moved from Agile Studios and into multiple offices across the globe. And its headquarters? No longer in a basement, but in a high rise off I-15 in Utah.
- The launch of the Dial Plan Editor. 2007 saw the launch of Jive’s Dial Plan Editor. It’s a tool that lets users control their call flow through simple drag-and-drop. You can customize where incoming calls will be directed using features like auto attendant, voicemail boxes, ring groups, and more.
- The Partner Program. Jive understands the importance of building relationships with resellers, telecom brokers, and managed service providers in reaching more potential customers. That is why in 2008, they introduced the partner program. The program provides industry-leading commission rates and income streams to partners that offer Jive solutions to their clients.
- Introduction of K12 Vertical. Not only does Jive bring value to businesses, they’ve also brought their efficiency to schools. In 2009, Jive offered their custom-built solutions for schools, which enabled more efficient communications for parents, teachers, and school administrators around many school districts.
The Unstoppable Growth
- The 100th employee. By 2010, Jive officially hit 100 employees. And their people in every department only continues to grow.
- Jive names John Pope as CEO. With growth comes the need for a strong, experienced, and creative leader that would steer the company to the right direction. And so John Pope, one of the original founders, was named CEO of the company in 2011.
- Jive shows appreciation to employees. Jive recognizes that the success of the company won’t be possible without its employees. To show their appreciation to their staff, Jive started annual employee retreats in 2012, inviting employees and their families to weekend retreats. The first retreat was held in Park City, Utah.
- North Bridge Private Equity Group supports Jive’s growth with Growth Funding. North Bridge invests in promising and rapidly-growing companies to help them turn their game-changing concepts into reality. Jive, committed to transforming business communications through reliable and affordable business VoIP solutions, was undeniably a solid choice for North Bridge’s growth funding in 2013.
- Frost & Sullivan recognizes Jive. In 2014, global research and consulting company Frost & Sullivan honored Jive with the Entrepreneurial Company of the Year due to its tremendous growth, innovative cloud solutions, and effective market strategies.
- Jive reveals its newest addition to the family, the Jive Jeep. In 2015, Jive turned a 2012 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited into a “4,000 lbs of pure green-coated awesome,” otherwise known as the Jive Jeep. It was custom built by West Coast Customs and outfitted with custom hardware from leading off-road brands.
- Jive car takes on NASCAR speedways. And this year, Jive proves that it’s not only their technology they’re racing ahead with, but now also NASCAR speedways with its Jive 05 car.