EAST HERTS COUNCIL GETS JOINED-UP
EAST HERTS COUNCIL GETS JOINED UP WITH PHILIPS BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
East Hertfordshire Council switches to the latest technology this month as it moves to a state-of-the-art Voice over IP (VoIP) communications platform. The new system from Philips Business Communications (PBC) is part of the Council’s move towards ‘joined-up, accessible government’ and the implementation of a fully-integrated internet-based (IP) infrastructure.
East Herts chose to work with PBC as part of a review of its entire telephony requirements. The decision to implement the Philips SOPHO system was made after receiving reports from Councils using it as far afield as Durham and Somerset.
East Herts has invested in the region of £200,000 in the PBC system, which will service over 350 of the Council’s employees. Each of East Herts principal offices at Bishop Stortford and Hertford has been equipped with an IP-enabled SOPHO communications server and SOPHO systems management software. The systems are linked digitally and deploy the latest VoIP technology for the most cost-effective communications.
The East Herts system, which will handle more than 1500 calls per day, includes a fully integrated PC-based operators application, which enables quick and efficient call handling, and easy access to the central directory database, removing the need for paper-based directories. The entire network is managed by the systems management application, which operates as an integral element of the system. This application not only simplifies such tasks as moving, adding or changing user and extension details, but also provides comprehensive management reports of the call traffic and associated costs throughout the network.
Direct dial numbers for each extension, plus caller line identification features for incoming calls are provided as a standard part of the system. To further support the council in achieving their customer first targets, a voice mail application has also been implemented. Now, instead of calls being missed or not answered at all, callers can leave a message for the absent party or a request for information. Alternatively, the caller can also be given information in the form of an automated announcement, which could answer their enquiry without the need for any further interaction.
Rachel Stopard, Executive Director at East Herts Council, comments, “This Council is determined to provide its customers with more accessible and continuously improving service. The very first line of contact with our customers is the telephone, so it is vital that we have a telephony platform that will support us as we develop our working practices, like home-working and job-sharing, and will provide the level of sophistication and reliability, that is fundamental to a 21st Century Council.”
Head of IT, Stuart Todd, explains, “Support for the new PBC system will be less expensive and considerably easier. At present an external telephone engineer is required to make system changes, such as re-routing an extension if someone moves office. With our new system, the software means that I, or one of our receptionists, will be able to manage this without leaving our desks. It means that someone wanting to work temporarily from another part of the building, or even at home, will be able to re-route his or her calls automatically.”
Todd concludes, “In this new system from PBC we have much more flexibility and with it the opportunity to make the phone system work to support our changing and developing working practices. This will be invaluable as we continue to improve our service to customers.”