BHSFC Communications Investment Plan
John Paul Szkudlapski, IT & Technical Services Manager at Birkenhead Sixth Form College, was given the task of extending the college telephone infrastructure into two recently constructed buildings and a new college entrance. The existing system was at capacity and the college wanted to take advantage of new technology to improve communications.
John Paul began his research of the market place to find a trusted partner to supply BHSFC with a communications system to meet current and future requirements.
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“From the initial tender returns it was clear that they fully understood our requirements and what we were trying to achieve. The transition to the new Mitel system was seamless, with just under 15 minutes downtime. The project management and implementation of the system far exceeded our expectations – no stone was left unturned to make sure that everything was right from day one.”IT & Technical Services Manager
The solution design process began with a demonstration of the Mitel equipment. Which gave staff the opportunity to see the equipment and the benefits it would bring. They could also ask detailed questions about areas such as reducing communication costs, answering incoming calls effectively, messaging, and recording important calls.
Following the demonstration and further discussions, BHSFC identified the following areas as most important to them:
Voice over IP – handsets sit on the network and are easily be moved without new cabling to eliminate costs. New handsets are simply sent to site and connected to a net-work point, which eliminates further costs.
Hot-desking – to allow each member of staff to log into any handset, so that their incoming calls, voicemails and settings follow them around the building.
Auto Attendant – to answer and direct calls efficiently, with facility to change the message remotely during poor weather conditions and to reduce bottleneck at reception and quickly broadcast important messages to parents.
Voicemail – Configure voicemail for all staff, including lecturers, with messages delivered as an email attachment to reduce message taking at reception and ensure message delivery.
Call Recording – Ability to allow specific staff to record important calls and deliver them as an email attachment for easy storage and retrieval.
Wireless handsets – to increase security and presence of Premises Team (handsets sit seamlessly on college wifi network).
Charterhouse were chosen because of their experience and expertise, and their solution showed the highest level of benefits to the school.