RAIL OPERATOR OPTS FOR PHILIPS SYSTEM

SERCO DOCKLANDS (DLR) switches opts for state-of-the-art telephony system to improve customer service and communications throughout rail network

Serco Docklands Limited, franchisee of the Docklands Light Railway system, is this week switching to a fully integrated, state-of-the-art Voice Communications system in a strategic move to improve the efficiency of call management and customer service throughout the rail network, and to meet future needs of the organisation.

Serco Docklands Limited (SDL) has invested in the region of £200,000 with Philips Business Communications (PBC) for the implementation and technical support of the Philips SOPHO system, which will service up to 400 line extensions throughout the organisation and rail network – including internal direct lines, station platform handsets and tunnel telephones – as well as provide vital call routing to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) Control Centre.

The PBC telephony system architecture comprises one SOPHO iS3070 Private Branch Exchange (PBX) serving the DLR Operations and Maintenance Centre and Control Centre at the headquarters in Poplar, and two SOPHO iS3030 PBX Remote Peripheral Modules (RPM), one based at the maintenance depot in Beckton and the other at Bank station, providing support for emergency tunnel lines to the Control Centre.

The system embraces both Private Network and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) configurations to accommodate different requirements across the three sites, and comprises part analogue and part digital lines.

The system, which will handle up to 500 calls per day, is controlled via Philips’ SOPHO systems management software, including the SuperVisor 60E operator console and VoiceManager 560 product, and will manage a central database of all extensions and call handling, enabling more effective management of incoming customer calls and platform enquiries; Control Centre liaison with tunnel telephones; and emergency response times via platform alarms.

Direct dial lines and incoming call line identification are a standard part of the system, together with intercom features, user-friendly voicemail, user-group call diversions, call re-routing and auto-dialling from certain handsets to the Control Centre.

Carl Weber, Project Manager at SDL responsible for the selection and implementation of the new telephony system, comments, “SDL is a pro-active organisation, pioneering the way in rail network systems and we are keen to implement new technology to improve our services throughout the DLR franchise where we can. The new SOPHO system will improve management of all internal and external calls, while providing more accessible information to customers in addition to enabling us to better support emergency procedures.”

SDL is also taking advantage of PBC’s Management@Net Accounting package, which is a web-enabled management tool that analyses all calls routed through the system enabling the rail operator to maintain control over telecommunication costs. Weber adds, “This integrated management tool will provide us with more accurate billing information, which can be categorised into different user groups, plus a day-time/night-time service, which restricts dialling rights at certain times of day. We will be able to review where our telephony expenses lie and evaluate the performance of each department rather than the overall business. Moreover, this will help us to identify non-work related calls and any employee abuse of the telephone system which may be taking place.”

SDL’s current system is outdated, offering few of the modern features it now sees as business-critical, and it has also reached full capacity. Philips’ integrated and scaleable iSPBX system will facilitate future expansion, and the flexible nature of the software platform will allow other applications to be added when required.

Commenting on the decision to award the business to PBC, Weber concludes, “PBC is a well established, professional organisation within the communications technology market. They were by far the most impressive supplier in terms of matching the requirements we had for the new system and they offered great value for money. More importantly, when considering the size of investment me have made, PBC are delivering against their promises within the timescales agreed at the outset.”