A hosted PBX solution from Spark Digital supports Strongline Buildings to increase flexibility, reduce costs and improve customer service.
Strongline Buildings collaborates with confidence using the cloud. Following strong growth in its commercial and industrial building business, Strongline Building decided to take the opportunity to become a tenant in one of its own new office builds. Previously based in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Tauranga, the new site provides Strongline with a brand new office featuring modern workspaces in a central location. Our new office is in Mt Maunganui, close to the airport, says Michelle Barnes, Business Manager at Strongline Buildings. It s much more accessible for our customers and staff and a wonderful showcase for our commercial building business. Telephony modernises The move to the new building also gave Strongline the opportunity to upgrade its telephone system. When I started to plan the logistics around the office move, I knew it was an opportunity to upgrade our phone system, explains Michelle. We had an old PBX with outdated functionality. It required lots of maintenance and was inflexible and costly to run. As Strongline s business expanded and more staff opted for mobile devices, Strongline needed the ability to streamline its calls across fixed landlines and mobiles. I initially just assumed that we d adapt our existing PBX however when I discussed the options with Spark Digital, I quickly realised that a new cloud-based PBX was the only way to go, says Michelle. Although cloud computing was a new concept for us, our Spark Digital Business Solution Specialist explained how it worked and how we would benefit now and in the future. Smooth cloud migration Spark Digital is a long-standing partner of Strongline, delivering voice, data and mobile services. Late in 2012, Strongline decided to move to Spark Digital s IP Centrex, a cloud PBX solution that provides voice access and calling control. The new system had to be up-and-running by early February. Spark Digital installed data access services, a Cisco router, switch and phones and a Plantronics Bluetooth headset for reception. Once Strongline had moved in, Spark Digital installed the IP Centrex Reception Console and Professional Toolbar onto the computers of some users, followed by training for all users. Transitioning to the new service was a pain-free process and completed right on schedule, Michelle says. Cutting-edge communications An immediate benefit of IP Centrex is the integration of mobile and fixed calling so that Strongline s people only have one number and one voicemail service for their landlines and mobile devices.
Our people can be easily contacted with a landline number which simultaneously rings on both their landline and mobile phones, explains Michelle. We have DDIs for the first time, which makes it even more convenient for customers to directly contact us she adds. With 16 staff working across Strongline and sister company Advance Investigation, which provides insurance investigation and assessment services, IP Centrex is tailored to fit individual user needs, with different profiles to accommodate different working styles. Our people get the functionality they need and we don t pay for more capability than we need, says Michelle. Strongline uses the Reception Console facility to receive and route calls. The receptionist can retrieve calls from any device and, with the system s Presence functionality, see who is already on the phone and provide the caller with the option to leave a voicemail or arrange a call back. It also provides inbound call transfer from the receptionist to employees mobile phones. Staff can now set up a call forwarding function when they are unavailable so that callers have the option to speak to our receptionist or another nominated person says Michelle. And call overflow capability allows nominated staff to pick up calls when the receptionist is busy or unavailable. Strongline uses IP Centrex s Auto Attendant capability for its after-hours service. Despite having two separate companies within the Group, we now have a single PBX solution and a shared receptionist. With caller ID functionality, the system identifies which telephone number the caller has dialed so we can answer the phone with the appropriate response and company name. All of these features mean we now have a seamless integration between our mobile and fixed landline communications, boosting our ability to collaborate, says Michelle. That makes us and our customers very happy. MICHELLE BARNES, BUSINESS MANAGER AT STRONGLINE BUILDINGS Our people get the functionality they need and we don t pay for more capability than we need. Business benefits Michelle says a major benefit of the new cloud solution has been is flexibility. Spark Digital s hosted service means that we can now easily add, alter or delete users and change their profiles. Unlike our old PBX, nothing is set in stone. That allows us to easily scale up quickly to meet extra demand, without the administration and expenses of the old on-premise equipment.
Another immediate benefit was the CAPEX saving. We didn t have to purchase a new PBX server so there was no initial cost outlay, explains Michelle. It s a more sustainable approach by reducing the environmental cost of PBX power and cooling. Although driving cost down wasn t the main driver of the project, it was an important consideration. IP Centrex is much more cost effective. By moving to a subscription-based payment model our operating costs have reduced, with no annual licensing and hardware maintenance fees. MICHELLE BARNES, BUSINESS MANAGER AT STRONGLINE BUILDINGS Spark Digital s hosted service means that we can now easily add, alter or delete users and change their profiles. Unlike our old PBX, nothing is set in stone. With free calling between desk and mobile phones we are reducing calling costs while also providing seamless integration between our landline and mobile devices. Strongline has also combined its voice and data connectivity, reducing from four access connections down to one circuit for additional cost savings and management efficiencies. The system also gives them confidence in their ability to manage business interruptions. With our voice services hosted in the Spark Digital cloud, we no longer have all our technology on-site and are in a much better position to withstand a crisis by re-routing calls if connections are interrupted, says Michelle. Our receptionist can route calls from a mobile phone or tablet to anyone in the company. Spark Digital can provide voice and data connectivity during a natural disaster via back-up lines, enabling the company to carry on working. We know that with Spark Digital hosting the voice system in local data centres, we have the best global technologies that are secure, accessible and managed 24x7. The system is adaptable and will easily scale for future growth so that we won t have to invest in expensive hardware upgrades in the future. Flexible future IP Centrex provides the ability for users to manage their call set-up and routing through an online portal, a desktop toolbar and a mobile phone client. They can adjust how their calls are handled, depending on who the calls are from and what time of day they are made.
While many of Strongline s staff are not using this functionality right now, Michelle says she expects more people to take advantage of this functionality as they become more confident using the system. We now have a platform for additional functionality, Michelle adds. I know from our conversations with Spark Digital that there are other capabilities we can add in the future, such as video conferencing and unified communications that integrate our voice and mobile calls with calendars, email, texts, instant messaging and social media. Our business has changed a lot over the years says Michelle. With Spark Digital and IP Centrex, I know that our voice system will adapt with us, helping us to collaborate, become more mobile and remain competitive. For further information please contact your Spark Digital Client Manager or call us on: 0800 694 364 IPVUC0814_4