Customer Case Study: The Golf Club at Black Rock

Reliable Hosted Voice Transforms Communication for a Premier Private Club

Customer: The Golf Club at Black Rock
Industry: Hospitality
Location: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Services: Hosted Voice

Overview

The Golf Club at Black Rock is a luxury private community in the Inland Northwest, offering world-class recreation, dining, property management, a full-service marina, and member experiences across two clubhouses and three neighborhoods. With operations spread across dozens of acres, Black Rock depends on seamless communication to deliver exceptional service.

When their previous phone provider left them without outbound calling — including 911 — for two months, Intermax stepped in to restore reliability, reduce costs, and support their growing multi-facility operation.

About The Golf Club at Black Rock

The Golf Club at Black Rock is a full-service private club and community hub in the Inland Northwest. Spanning two clubhouses, a full-service marina, Shooters Bar & Grill, and three nearby residential neighborhoods, the club manages hundreds of homes alongside pools, tennis and pickleball courts, kids’ camps, virtual golf, and event spaces.

As Director of Property Management, Kris Berg put it, “It’s a big place. Yes.”

To keep all these moving pieces running smoothly, Black Rock relies on fast, clear, and consistent communication across its entire property.

Peak-Season Communication Needs

During the busy season, communication is critical. Phones are constantly ringing to schedule shuttles, coordinate marina pickups, handle dining reservations, and respond to homeowner requests.

“These phones have to be on and they have to run all the time,” says Kris. “If somebody shows up and nobody can answer the phone… that’s a huge issue.”

The Challenge

Two Months With No Outbound Calls — Including No 911

Before working with Intermax, Black Rock’s previous phone provider repeatedly failed to resolve a critical outage.

“For a solid two months we had no availability to call outside of internal BlackRock. No 911 service, no nothing.”

Internal extensions worked, but anything beyond the property failed. For a hospitality-driven organization coordinating shuttles, boat pickups, dining reservations, and member services, this was a major operational crisis.

On top of that, the club was paying thousands of dollars per month for a system that wasn’t functioning.

Kris, who holds an IT degree and previously interned at Intermax, knew something needed to change.

The Solution

A Complete Hosted Voice System Upgrade

Kris contacted the Intermax Business team. Shane reviewed the bills and immediately identified major cost issues.

“We're spending a lot of money per month, thousands of dollars. And then even when Shane looked it over. He's like, Oh my gosh, we got to get you guys off this… we went from thousands of dollars to a few $100 a month.”

Intermax deployed a modern hosted voice system, removed the outdated NEC hardware, and later upgraded all handsets to Yealink phones. The improvements were immediate and dramatic.

“Since we've upgraded the Yealink phones, we are solid like no issues. Huge cost savings on the phone bill and if there's an issue calling you guys, instantaneous response and very professional service.”

Connectivity Across Multiple Facilities

Black Rock’s two clubhouses are far apart and cannot be physically interconnected. Intermax solved that with cloud-hosted voice, enabling extension dialing across all locations.

“We’re able to interconnect the phones so you can dial an extension from front desk to front desk. That’s huge.”

Intermax also handled installation, training, mobile app setup, and ongoing support — all with a fast local response.

“Just you guys go above and beyond to make sure we're comfortable and we're well trained on the phones and know what we're doing.”

The Results

Reliable Communication Across the Entire Property

Today, Black Rock runs more than 35 phones across:

Both clubhouses
Shooters Bar & Grill
The marina
Adjacent properties

During peak season, those phones support:

Shuttle coordination
Marina pickups
Dining reservations
Golf services
Member home requests

“These phones have to be on and they have to run all the time,” Kris explained. “If somebody shows up and nobody can answer the phone… that’s a huge issue.”

With Intermax, reliability is no longer a concern.

Massive Cost Savings

The Golf Club at Black Rock reduced its monthly phone costs from several thousand dollars to just a few hundred, while gaining a far more modern and stable system.

Exceptional Local Support

“Shane is amazing… he usually 9 out of 10 times picks right up. And the billing I would say is amazing. I've never had one issue with Intermax's billing.”

Intermax’s responsiveness made a lasting impression, especially compared to the previous provider.

Confidence in a Long-Term Partnership

Kris feels fully supported, both now and looking ahead.

“I couldn't imagine changing for any reason just because everything works, the customer service is great… that cost savings I just couldn't believe. It blew my mind.”

Why It Matters

For a luxury private club where member experience is everything, communication must work — every time. Intermax delivered:

Reliable hosted voice
Seamless inter-facility connectivity
Fast, local support
Substantial cost savings
A scalable solution for future growth

Black Rock now has a communication system they can depend on, backed by a local partner they trust.

Recommendation and Trust

When asked about Intermax’s support and whether he would recommend them to other businesses, Kris said:

“Absolutely I do and all the time... Anybody who asks, I send them your guys way.”

Find Connection with Intermax  

Locally owned and operated since 2001, we’re proud to offer high-speed wireless internet, fiber, voice services, and more to thousands of residential and commercial customers.   

Headquartered in Coeur d’Alene with offices in Spokane, Seattle, Sandpoint, and St. Maries, Intermax is the local’s choice for reliable service in hard-to-reach places.   

Our friendly support team is here to answer any questions you may have. Visit Intermax, or call us at (208) 568-7979, today! 