Replace or maintain? Managing your PBX system could be the most effective answer. Our 5 stage process will show you how.

Transcription

1 Replace or maintain? Managing your PBX system could be the most effective answer. Our 5 stage process will show you how. Richard Cairns Solution Specialist, ø

2 Is your PBX system too old to cope? A lot of businesses depend on PBX systems that are coming to the end of their working life. So does this mean it s time to bite the bullet and invest big? Thanks to Millennium Bug worries, many companies replaced their PBXs at the turn of the last century. And while the year 2000 came and went without a hitch, it means there are a lot of PBX systems out there that are coming to the end of their life. So is it the end of the line for them? We don t think so. We believe with the right maintenance plan in place, there can still be plenty of life left in them. 2

3 PBX maintenance can often be the most cost-effective answer. ø believe that businesses can see real value from maintaining their PBX systems. But what kind of benefits can they expect to see? Save costs By avoiding a time-consuming tender process and major migration, plus all the extra management time that comes with it, you can concentrate on more pressing things. More time to plan What s the rush? Maintaining your PBX system gives you breathing space. You choose when you want to change your system, at the pace you want to do it. So how can you make PBX maintenance part of your wider communication plan? Knowing what you need to do, and when, is the key to success. Our step-by-step approach will help put everything in place. But there s an art in getting the best out of them. You can t do bits in isolation. To be successful, all the bits need to be joined up. Our 5 step approach can help you get the best from what you have today, and make plans for the future. Well maintained, a ten, twelve or fifteen year old PBX can easily handle all the voice services you need. Save money In today s economic climate, every penny counts. So by not having to invest in new technology, money can be saved or better used elsewhere. 3

4 Step 1. Identify Finding out what communication infrastructure you ve got is the first and most important step. Knowing exactly what you re dealing with is everything. And the key to successful management. So it s odd that so few businesses audit their entire communications infrastructure. Mergers and acquisitions, and even business expansion can often mean that there s a wide range of communication technology within a business. Some old, some new, and all with different maintenance contracts. The first step is to plug these gaps in your knowledge and find out what you ve got. What s useful and what s not. Gathering all the information you need to see the big picture is quite a task. You could always use your own people, or get a little help from someone one that is experienced in PBX audits. The DIY approach keeps costs down, and on the surface, could be easier to manage, but it does have a few drawbacks: Do you have the time? Doing it right isn t quick, especially if you ve got a number of sites across the country. Making sense of it all Ideally you need to know: m ake, model and age of all PBX equipment spares that you have available l ength of maintenance contract and provider D o you have the right people? And do they have the free time to carry out the review when you need them to? a dditional services e.g. contact centre, voic , CTI integration A re you confident the results give you everything you need to put a plan in place? If not, the whole thing could be a waste of time. r oadmaps for future upgrades / migrations. available capacity on all systems And capture it all in one place, ideally in an audit report. 4

5 Step 2. Enhance Now you know what you ve got. How do you make it better? Finding out all about your PBX estate, and unravelling all its complexities and quirks, is just the start. An audit report will help show you the best way to support and maintain your system. If you have multiple suppliers, the first step is to move to one supplier. Why? Because having multiple maintenance agreements is a pain to manage. On the other hand, one contract with one trusted supplier is a breeze. It makes life easier, can save you money and saves time too. We recommend you look for a partner that understands your business goals. One that s responsive. And one that can develop a roadmap and give you all the support you need to transform your PBX systems in the future. The one supplier approach really works ø has worked with BAE Systems, the multi-national defence, security and aerospace company, to streamline their PBX maintenance. Since we got involved we ve saved them nearly 30% off their bill. 5

6 Step 3. Align Wouldn t it be good if even your PBX system worked towards your business goals too? With a little alignment, it can. Steps one and two will keep your PBX estate up and running. The next step is to make sure your PBX maintenance plan is perfectly in tune with the direction your business is taking. With everything aligned, your business will be in good shape for every eventuality. Office closures, changing staff numbers, equipment failure, even the rise in flexible working can be taken in your stride. To help you align your PBX estate with your business, it s worth having answers to the following questions: How old is the PBX? How long is the maintenance agreement? Are parts readily available? Do failures occur frequently? This will help build a decision tree, which can be used to understand your estate better, allowing you to make more informed decisions. Scenario planning Knowing how PBX affects a range of scenarios helps you build strong risk mitigation plans. It will help you integrate PBX maintenance into the overall communications plan, and you ll have a much clearer idea how new technologies will impact the business. Plus if there s a PBX failure or a site closure, you ll have a readymade migration plan to fall back on. How much time is left on the maintenance agreement? 6

7 Step 4. Migrate Ready for the future in PBX technology? Why wait for something to happen before you think of upgrading? The latest IP Telephony offers businesses huge benefits. It ll give you all the voice services you need, just like your current PBX. But unlike the old systems, today s allow you to work in ever more joined up ways. Bringing your office and mobile communications together, and giving you extra peace of mind with improved disaster recovery options. You can move to IP Telephony at a pace that suits your business. And once up and running with the new technology you ll have the peace of mind that your business is protected from future failures. Not to mention the long list of new functions and services. 7

8 Step 5. Develop Just think how the latest IP Telephony will improve the way you do business. Excited? You should be. What makes IP Telephony so exciting is how it can be developed to help you work in new and more productive ways. Improving collaboration and making flexible working a reality. With real-time services such as instant messaging, presence information, video conferencing and data sharing integrated into your IP Telephony system, you ll be amazed at what you can do. Add on features like integrated voic , , SMS and fax to work even smarter. Upgrading your PBX to the latest technology could change the way your business communicates. Giving your people more ways to talk and share information. Ultimately making your business more effective. 8

9 Ready for the next step? Our approach is to Manage, Optimise, Transform your communications. It will tell you lot about how you manage your existing system, rather than replacing. It will also help you find out what kind of benefits you can expect if you managing your existing PBX system. Our range of consultancy and audit services will allow you to plan for the future. So leave it to us. We ll deliver a full audit report that covers everything you have in your telephony estate. OCT WR!GHTS And as we work with a range of vendors such as Cisco, Mitel, Avaya, Microsoft, Siemens, Aspect and Genesys, we can work closely with you to develop the right long-term solution for you. Manage We investigate and audit your existing systems and talk to you about the way you work. This gives us the picture we need to start building a roadmap to transformation. Optimise We look at what you need and what you don t need, including redundant lines and services. Optimisation means making the most of what you already have and establishing a strong foundation for the next step. Transform Then we get on with doing the work that leads to simplified, unified networks. This is the move to an agile communications infrastructure aligned with your business objectives. Transformation covers design, implementation, support and management of converged networks. Telefónica UK Limited. Registered in England no Registered Office: 260 Bath Road, Slough, SL1 4DX. To find out more, speak to your Account Manager or call us on