Brookfield Tractor FA L L 2 0 2 3 VOLUME 3 • I SSUE 4 BUSINESS connections I NS I DE CONT ENT S When to Email, When to Chat and When to Call 3 Business Spotlight: Quincy Tractor, LLC 4 4 Ways Fiber Internet Helps Farmers 6 Why Choose a Local Internet Service Provider? 7 Quincy Tractor, LLC is a Family Business with a Family of Stores
Chariton Valley www.cvalley.net Enterprise Sales: Ryan Petre rpetre@charitonvalley.com 660.415.9911 Kaylie Teter kteter@charitonvalley.com 660.412.3024 Calvin Wilson cwilson@charitonvalley.com 660.415.9377 Corporate Office: 1213 E Briggs Dr Macon, MO 63552 660.395.9000 Publication Information: Business Connections is a publication of Chariton Valley. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form—electronic, photocopying, recording, mechanical or otherwise— without the prior written permission of Chariton Valley. All rights are reserved. Editorial and Circulation Contact: Marsha Hargus mhargus@charitonvalley.com 660.395.9663 Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this publication are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Additional Issues: Extra issues are available to business customers on a limited basis while supplies last. Contact Marsha Hargus at mhargus@ charitonvalley.com or at 660.395.9663. Postmaster Send Changes to: Darin Eleazarraraz Chariton Valley 1213 E Briggs Dr Macon, MO 63552 Copyright © 2023 by Chariton Valley and Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc. 2 F A L L 2 0 2 3 It’s important to use the right tool for the job. Not doing so can lead to lower quality work, reduced productivity and (in some cases) even injury. The toolbox is full in this fall 2023 issue of Business Connections. It begins on page 3 with guidance on When to Email, When to Chat and When to Call. Each of these communications tools has its unique advantages for different business situations, and you can save time and hassles by understanding the differences. In the Business Spotlight onQuincy Tractor, LLC on pages 4 and 5, you’ll learn about the Chariton Valley tools used to keep this agricultural equipment company connected and working efficiently—SHOELACE® Business Communications Solutions and fiber internet. Zachary Carlson, part of the fourth generation of this family business, shares his thoughts on having Chariton Valley as their technology partner. Fiber internet is one of the most valuable tools in agriculture today, and on page 6, you’ll find 4 Ways Fiber Internet Helps Farmers. Then on page 7, we provide answers to the question, Why Choose a Local Internet Service Provider? Chariton Valley is proud to be a local ISP and honored to provide your business with the tools it needs. If it’s time for you to add to your communications toolbox, contact us. Sincerely, Ryan Johnson President and Chief Executive Officer Chariton Valley BUSINESS connections
F A L L 2 0 2 3 3 BUSINESS connections It can be challenging to know which form of communication to use for any given business conversation. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and if you pick the wrong one, it can lead to wasted time or miscommunication. Here’s a quick guide to help you decide: Email to Create Documentation Email is the most popular form of business communication, and reviewing and replying to these messages takes up a sizable portion of many people’s workdays. You’ll probably choose email for most of your messages since it creates a “paper trail” if you later need documentation of the details exchanged. Email has its downsides, however. Tone can be easily misinterpreted in written messages. Email is also a time-consuming and inefficient way to have an extended conversation. Hours or even days may transpire between sending and receiving messages. Chat for Quick Exchanges and Clarifications Many businesses now use business messaging apps, such as Microsoft Teams, for internal chats, especially if they have team members working remotely. Chat works well when you need to have a real-time exchange or get a quick answer to a question. You’re likely to get a faster response with chat than you will with email. Of course, if a chat exchange goes on so long that your fingers get tired, you can always switch to a call. Call toHave an Immediate and Important Conversation There are times when you’re better off picking up the phone rather than sending an email or chat message. These situations include when you anticipate many questions, need to explain something complicated, want to apologize, must discuss something personal and if the message is truly urgent. What’s more, since talking is faster and easier than composing written messages, conversations that take place over the phone tend to generate more comprehensive exchanges and are better for brainstorming ideas. Calls also give participants the benefit of hearing vocal inflection and tone. CharitonValley is here tohelp you communicatemore effectively with business internet and voice solutions. Visit www.cvalley.net to learn more. When to Email, When to Chat and When to Call Voicemail Speech to Text is the newest feature to be added to SHOELACE® Business Communications Solutions, Chariton Valley’s advanced HPBX system. Speech to Text transcribes voicemails into text that SHOELACE subscribers, for an additional fee, can easily access from the SHOELACE portal or email. The email preference also provides the option to receive an attachment of the voicemail as a WAV file. Why subscribe to Speech to Text? • Convenience - Easily verify if messages need instant attention. • Efficiency - Quickly access messages without traversing voicemail prompts and listening to complete audios. • Management - Transcribed messages can be easily maintained and accessed when needed. • Easily Shareable - Voicemails are more difficult to share. • Clear Communication - Reading messages is easier than listening to voicemails that can be challenging to hear. Call 660.395.9400 to learn more about SHOELACE or add Speech to Text to your SHOELACE subscription. ® Voicemail Speech to Text
4 F A L L 2 0 2 3 There have been changes in the lines of agricultural equipment, number of dealerships and members of the Carlson family on the leadership team. Today, Quincy Tractor, LLC is owned by Roger’s son Lance Carlson and Lance’s son Zachary Carlson. It has six stores: • Missouri locations of Bowling Green Tractor, Hannibal Tractor and Brookfield Tractor • Illinois locations of Havana Tractor, Quincy Tractor andMidwest Tractor Sales Jerseyville (which is a partnership betweenQuincy Tractor, LLC and Midwest Tractor Sales, Inc.) Quincy Tractor, LLC supplies new and used agricultural equipment from manufacturing partners, such as Agco, Massey Ferguson, Gleaner, New Holland Agriculture, Versatile, Kinze, MacDon and Landoll, as well as parts and service. Improving Communications To stay connected, Quincy Tractor, LLC uses Chariton Valley’s SHOELACE® Business Communications Solutions at five of their locations: Brookfield, Hannibal, BowlingGreen, Quincy andHavana. SHOELACE ties all the company’s communications into one easyto-use, affordable system. The Brookfield and Hannibal locations also have Chariton Valley’s fiber internet. (It’s important to note that even businesses outside of Chariton Valley’s fiber internet territory can use SHOELACE Business Communications Solutions.) Zachary Carlson, Operations Manager, said, “Quincy Tractor, LLC has grown quite a bit in the last 10 years, and we needed a phone service to streamline our operations. As we were acquiring dealerships, each one had a separate phone system. We knew we wanted to go VoIP and provide a one-touch platformbetween our locations for the transfer of calls and in-office dialing. SHOELACE Business Communications Solutions has helped our dealerships maintain better internal communication. It also enables us to provide the best possible service to our customers. We’ve been very happy with the new phones from Chariton Valley.” Chariton Valley’s Speed and Reliability What impact has Chariton Valley’s fiber internet had at the Brookfield and Hannibal locations? Carlson replied, “We bought Green BUSINESS spotlight The roots of Quincy Tractor, LLC run deep—all the way back to 1962. In March of that year, Everett and Elva Carlson purchased a Minneapolis Moline dealership in Dow, Illinois. Their son Roger Carlson joined the business six months later. In the ensuing decades, the company grew and changed. Quincy Tractor, LLC This family business owns six dealerships in its family of stores Shawn Bartholomew, Brookfield Tractor Parts Department
F A L L 2 0 2 3 5 BUSINESS connections Hills Ag in 2016 and rebranded it Brookfield Tractor. It was using an outdated dial-up internet service that was unreliable and frequently had outages. We immediately sourced a fiber internet solution fromChariton Valley, whichwas the best investment we made in terms of keeping our business running. Every platformwe have is web based nowadays, and fiber has increased our speed, connectivity and productivity! Hannibal’s internet was in even worse shape than Green Hills Ag, and once Chariton Valley told us they were expanding their fiber efforts east, we jumped at the opportunity to install it there as well. Fiber internet fromChariton Valley has been a reliable source of internet for us.” Carlson also appreciates the reliability of Chariton Valley’s customer service and noted, “When an issue arises, Chariton Valley really steps up to the plate. They know how critical phone and internet services are to keeping our dealerships running. We could not operate without a trusted technology partner like Chariton Valley,” he said. More Growth in 2023 What’s ahead for Quincy Tractor, LLC? The remainder of 2023 will include the expansion and renovation of Brookfield Tractor. “After completing a shop addition at Brookfield Tractor, we’re now adding 8,000 square feet of new showroom and offices. We’re proud to invest back into the dealership and provide a positive working environment and shopping experience to the Brookfield and north central Missouri customer base. We hope to be moved in by Christmas,” Carlson said. Meet Our Enterprise Sales Team CharitonValley offers a variety of advanced business solutions to help your business stay connected and move forward. Our Enterprise Sales Team is ready to discuss your needs and recommend the right combination of services to increase your efficiency and productivity. Contact Chariton Valley TODAY! 660.395.9400 Kaylie Teter 660.412.3024 kteter@charitonvalley.com Calvin Wilson 660.415.9377 cwilson@charitonvalley.com Ryan Petre 660.415.9911 rpetre@charitonvalley.com ® help your business stay connected and move forward. We could not operate without a trusted technology partner like Chariton Valley.” — ZACHARY CARLSON, OWNER AND OPERATIONS MANAGER, QUINCY TRACTOR, LLC The extensive Parts Department at Brookfield Tractor Brookfield Tractor is being renovated with areas currently under construction.
6 F A L L 2 0 2 3 This technology enables efficiency to grow 4 Ways Fiber Internet Helps Farmers Farmers, like most business owners, are becoming increasingly more reliant on fiber internet’s high-speed, dependable connection to be competitive and successful. Here are just four examples of how fiber internet helps farmers with business operations. Information in Real Time Fiber is the fastest and most reliable internet available, helping farmers manage one of their most precious resources—time. From detailed weather updates to current commodity prices and trading indicators, fiber internet delivers up-to-the-minute information as it happens. Dependable Video Conferencing Farmers raising livestock know every minute counts in an animal health emergency. Fiber internet supports advanced, high-quality video conferencing, which provides farmers with the ability to contact a veterinarian immediately, have a visual consultation and receive treatment advice quickly. Plus, dependable video conferencing is often helpful for less-acute animal health care and wellness needs. Faster Communication Fiber provides farmers with a quick connection to governmental and regulatory agencies, insurance companies and information about alternative growing and irrigation methods. In short, fiber improves and speeds up overall communications between farmers and the organizations essential to their business. Smart Agriculture A Wi-Fi network can be deployed to effectively disperse the fiber internet signal to support these activities: • Operation of precision agriculture tools and techniques, such as soil mapping and guidance systems • Transmission of data quickly and effectively from one farming location to another • U se of smart technology in machinery • U se of software systems essential to farming • Wireless use of alarms Farmers using fiber internet to power smart technology and applications may benefit from improved efficiency, better time management, increased productivity, reduced expenses, increased profits and the elimination of outdated and underperforming services. To learnmoreabout howCharitonValley’sfiber internet* can help your farm do business more efficiently, call 660.395.9400. *Not available in all areas. Contact us for complete details.
F A L L 2 0 2 3 7 BUSINESS connections Because local connections are so important Living and working in the same community as your internet provider may be even more beneficial than you realize. A local internet service provider (ISP) can offer many advantages over national competitors including these: Knows the Community A local ISP is deeply rooted in the community and has the connections, relationships and local knowledge other nationally owned companies simply do not have. It knows how the community operates, what it needs and how to get things done efficiently. It’s also invested in the success of its residents and fellow businesses. A local ISP will be the first to advocate for your needs and the last to put profits before customer satisfaction. Lends a Hand When People Need It Because a local ISP is such an integral part of the community, it recognizes when a helping hand is needed. When the community is facing challenges, themanagement and employees of a local ISP jump in and help people move forward. For example, it may use community partnerships, grant funding and its own investments to ramp up fiber installation in rural areas to foster economic growth. Provides Personal Customer Service A national ISP might have a fleet of technicians, but if they’re subcontractors managed through a cumbersome bureaucracy, you could wait a long time to get service. By contrast, a local ISP will have local technicians and other local employees who can provide responsive customer service and faster turnaround on installations andmaintenance. The staffat a local ISP is alsomore likely todevelop an ongoing relationship with your business, which means you’ll spend less time explaining things before your problemgets solved. Creates Flexible Solutions A local ISP isn’t limited by the red tape and restrictions often found at a large corporation. This means a local ISP has the flexibility to spend whatever time is required to fully understand your needs and develop the best solutions to meet them. Cares About Your Success To a local ISP, you’re not just a customer. You’re also a neighbor and someone its employees will run into at the grocery store or at community events. As a result, a local ISPwill genuinely care about you, your satisfaction and your success. Chariton Valley is proud to be a local ISP and honored to serve you. To learn more about our community involvement, follow us on Facebook or visit www.cvalley.net. Why Choose a Local Internet Service Provider?
® CALL OR EMAIL FOR SAME DAY QUOTE. 660.395.9400 • sales@charitonvalley.com SECURE OFFSITE DATA CENTER 660.395.9400 www.shoelacecv.com Tyingall your communications together MoveYourBusiness IntoTheFuture AdvancedHPBXsystemintegratedwithyour network andstaff providingsuperiorHDcall quality, videoconferencingandmobilephoneapplications that tieyour businesswithcustomers. Feature-Rich Solutions LowUp-Front Costs Seamless Platform GrowYour Business
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