IP Telephony Case Study - Page 2

IP Telephony solution for Euler Hermes spanning three major sites

Implementation

The project was divided into two distinct phases. Phase one was involved with the complete upgrade and overhaul of the existing network ready for the deployment of IP Telephony and phase two involved deployment of IP handsets and IP Communication applications to enable the new telephony infrastructure.

In phase one 900 access layer ports were upgraded across the three sites to provide in-line power and key communications links delivered for phase two of the project. The main obstacles were time, service provider management and ensuring a successful user migration.

The luxury of running the new telephony system alongside the old one was not available because Euler Hermes did not want to invest any more money in their ageing PBX infrastructure. A big bang cut-over was the only option for the new phone system. Euler Hermes existing telecoms circuits needed migration from DASS2 to Q931, with cut-over of 10 DDI ranges. Additionally all three contact centers had to be functional from day one of the migration.

Handsets were deployed two to three weeks before cut-over to allow users to get used to the look and feel of their new phones and a weeks worth of training provided before migration. It was physically impossible to train every user within the time scales available so a "train the trainer" approach was taken with sessions of users being trained and then going and training their peers. Contact centre training was critical and all agents were trained in sessions prior to cut over. After cut over Cisilion deployed a support team for the week of the cut over to deal with any issues that arose.

The Benefits

Reduced costs for telecoms and datacoms infrastructure, with substantial cost savings over five years on rental and maintenance charges. Euler is likely to save an additional £20K per annum on inter-site calls.

Enhanced Productivity. Analogue handsets were replaced with digital handsets, showing caller name and caller ID. Missed Calls, Received Calls, Placed Calls and Corporate Directory are all available from the handset.

Extension Mobility. The Extension Mobility feature allows users to configure any Cisco IP Phone as their own, on a temporary basis, by logging in to that phone. Once a user logs in, the phone adopts the user individual user default device profile information, including line numbers, speed dials, services links, and other user-specific properties of a phone.

Network Upgrade. Euler Hermes had a full LAN & WAN upgrade. WAN links were upgraded as part of the project, improving response time across the WAN from remote sites. This should future proof their network over the next five years. For instance allowing the deployment of other 802.1af in-line power devices such as wireless access points.

Application Development. Going forward Euler is in a position to deploy xml applications to the handsets, with easy integration of their contact centre with existing back-end systems through an open API architecture.

Customer Comment

"The go live in Canary Wharf for over 500 users has not only replaced every telephone with a new IP Phone, but 3 Call Centres, 2 Switchboards, implemented Unity and NICE Call Recording. Everything could not have gone more smoothly, its been absolutely excellent. I’d like to thank everyone involved for the enthusiasm and determination to ensure this project went in perfectly, everybody worked so hard, that it was the first time that an IT project and deployment was not only installed on time but also within budget."

Server/Networks Team Leader, Euler Hermes UK PLC

Previous section: IP Telephony case study - Challenge and Solution

Page 1 | Page 2

Back to IP Telephony case studies

Back to case studies