How a National Telecom Provider Unified 40+ States Under One System in Months
Pavlov Media
Pavlov Media builds great networks that bring people together. Since 1990, the company has been wiring multi-dwelling unit (MDU) households, apartments, dormitories and fraternity houses. Today,Pavlov Media is the nation’s largest private provider of internet and video services to off-campus student housing, with a fiber-optic backbone connecting hundreds of communities in more than 40 states.
At a Glance
Industry
Telecommunications
Headquarters
Champaign, Illinois
Company Size
National provider, 40+ states
Previous System
Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft CRM, homegrown systems
New System
Odoo ERP + OpenFSM
Timeline
Phase 1: 4–6 months
Phases 2–3: 18–24 months
The Challenge
Explosive demand from an ever-growing customer base led to increasingly complex construction projects requiring tighter integration across departments and separate business entities. Pavlov Media needed to consolidate disparate systems into a single platform that could manage everything from sales through accounting.
Key Results
- End-to-end integration across all departments
- 20 FSM modules published to open source
- Multi-company operations unified under one ERP
- In-house Odoo development capability established
The Challenge
Business growth led to more construction projects, which required greater field service management(FSM) and tighter integration of business systems between departments and separate businessentities. Pavlov Media needed a replacement for their Microsoft Dynamics system.For a team managing operations across more than 40 states, the pain was felt daily — disconnectedsystems meant duplicated effort, delayed decisions, and a growing gap between what the organizationneeded and what its technology could deliver.“We needed to better manage field service operations,” explains Sarah Gossett, Vice President,Informatics and Logistics at Pavlov Media. “Additionally, the CEO’s vision is to have a single system thattakes you from the beginning of the sales process all the way to accounting.
The Approach
Pavlov Media reached out to Gray Matter Logic because of its interest in innovative, open source ERP solutions. They valued the flexibility and freedom to meet their unique business needs without being locked into large, rigid proprietary software.
Together, the two companies embarked on a phased approach: an initial phase simple in scope with the goal of demonstrating ROI in 4–6 months, followed by subsequent phases over the next 18–24 months. By bringing together representatives from many departments — including the CEO — a holistic discovery and planning process led to a comprehensive strategy.
Gray Matter Logic brings a unique combination of deep business process expertise and open source technical leadership to every engagement — with implementations spanning telecommunications, manufacturing, beverage distribution, regulated industries, and more across multiple countries.
OUR PROVEN FOUR-STEP INTEGRATION PROCESS
See what others miss.
1. Analyze
Brought together representatives from every department — including the CEO — for a holistic discovery process. Mapped existing systems, cross-departmental workflows, and the unique demands of multi-state field service operations.
Strip away what doesn't serve you.
2. Optimize
Identified process inefficiencies across separate business entities and departments. Designed a multi-company Odoo setup with Operating Units to streamline inter-entity sales, purchasing, and service delivery.
Let the system do the work.
3. Automate
Built and deployed 20 custom FSM modules — contributed to the open source community — to digitize field service scheduling, dispatch, inventory tracking, and route management across 40+ states.
Walk into the new world prepared.
4. Transition
Executed a phased rollout: Phase 1 delivered ROI in 4–6 months, with subsequent phases expanding integration across all departments over 18–24 months. Provided hands-on training and change management support.
The Results
Pavlov Media successfully completed its first phases of the Odoo implementation, driven by CEO vision, senior leadership, internal staff, and in-house technical expertise. The implementation provides end-to-end integration across departments including accounting, purchasing, logistics, billing, and customer response — enabling seamless visibility while improving multiple workflows.
The improved business processes yield time-savings through automation and streamlining of ordering, manufacturing, and inventory processes. Timely, accurate KPIs — such as on-time performance of service calls and parts usage — help decision makers ensure the organization performs well. And by publishing 20 FSM modules to the OCA, the open source community continues contributing and reducing upgrade costs.
