Aastra Shining Stars Third Edition

www.aastra.com

Aastra Shining Stars Third Edition

Aastra®, Aastra BluStar™, BusinessPhone®, Clearspan®, IntelliGate®, MD110®, MX-ONE®, OpenCom®, SIP-DECT® and Solidus eCare® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Aastra or its subsidiaries. Cisco® is a registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the US and certain other countries. IBM® is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Microsoft® is a registered trademark of the Microsoft® group of companies in the United States and/or other countries. All service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks shown in this document are the property of their respective companies. Copyright © 2012. Aastra Technologies Limited. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents About Shining Stars Aerial Capital Group AGEA – Clarín Group andel’s Hotel Berlin Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreich ASSURALLIANCE Avis BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd Bolshoi Theater California State University, Fullerton Cambridge Assessment Centro Administrativo da Bahia Edmonton Public Schools Enköping Municipality Ericsson EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg FIRA – Banco de Mexico Georgia Military College Gorenje Austria Habitat 35 HEP Group-Hrvatska Elektroprivreda HI-Connect ILD Homair Infrax Jimm’s PC Store Konzerthaus Berlin La Citadelle Regional Hospital Leipzig University LU Kraft Foods Benelux Lycopodium Minerals Qld Pty Ltd Medical University of Warsaw MediKes Ministry of the Economy and Finance Monastery of Einsiedeln Nantes Habitat Nicols Park Cameras PD Elektrovojvodina d.o.o. Petra Engineering Industries Co. Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs Group Politecnico di Torino RCI Robinson Legal Rockefeller Group Technology Solutions Seguros Bolívar Seznam.cz Stäfa Municipality Schools Sveden Trä Tata Steel University of Tromsø Volksbank Mittelhessen Winchester City Council

Index by Country Index by Industry

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www.aastra.com

Editorial Aastra Shining Stars

Dear reader, Welcome to the third edition of “Aastra Shining Stars”. In spite of poor economies and political uncertainties cycling throughout the globe, we continue to expand our business around the world; more companies are putting their trust in Aastra to help them integrate communication solutions with their business processes.

Our focus is to help people communicate more effectively, collaborate efficiently, and optimize the total cost of ownership throughout the enterprise and around the world.  We are dedicated to supporting our customers through the development and implementation of the latest in open standard end points and communication servers, integrated mobility solutions, High Definition video communication and collaboration solutions, and advanced Unified Communication applications.

Yours truly,

Tony Shen Co-Chief Executive Officer President and Chief Operating Officer

Australia Services

Aerial Capital Group

Customer Profile Communication infrastructure provider to Canberra’s largest fleet of taxis and hire cars

Needs Fix problems that included 15,000 missed calls per month and customers being kept on hold for an inordinate amount of time to book a taxi Improve response time for callers, performance and customer service Contact center solution with automation and that can support high call volumes (400% increases during peak times) as well as lift performance and reduce costs

Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center

“Calls at Aerial are handled in 42 seconds, with the IVR handling 42% of all calls and only 4 agents now required in the call center at any one-time, creating annual budget savings of $1.2 million.” Mark Bramston Aerial MD

Aerial had to leapfrog existing taxi call center standards and deploy a solution able to better industry benchmarks. Aerial’s research included a review of large call center systems including solutions from Genesys and Aastra. Genesys was considered too expensive and providers could not deliver required levels of support. Following a formal tender process, Aerial selected an Aastra solution comprising of the MX-ONE and Solidus eCare with on-site maintenance and service in Canberra. The Aastra solution progressively rolledout over 12 months proved a watershed for Aerial providing great flexibility, automation opportunities for the call center to maximise its performance and reduce costs. The Aastra Solidus eCare contact center provides intelligent skills-based routing and can handle up to 40,000 calls per hour. It enables calls to be promptly transferred to the right people. Its features include multimedia support (voice, e-mail, SMS, internet collaboration, fax and web chat in a single virtual queue), mobility for agents, a virtual contact center for distributed sites and multi-tenancy. It also includes reporting in real-time display as well as and analytics report capabilities for management. “Solidus eCare automation captured 75% of all calls on the first day of installation. The flexibility of Aastra enabled Aerial to double the size of its database to include local idioms and common use language to adjust our IVR to accommodate ‘natural language’ for place names and locations. For example, Canberrans are in the habit of just saying “the House” for Parliament House. As a result, greatly improved call handling response times were achieved and significantly faster turnarounds across all call traffic periods.” says Bramston.



Key Benefits Annual savings of AUS $1.2 million Improved customer service Improved call handling with a response time of just

42 seconds Using only 4 agents instead of up to 60 with the IVR now handling 42% of all calls Openness and flexibility of Solidus eCare allowed the customer to develop an application for smart phones 2

Argentina Media and Entertainment

AGEA – Clarín Group

Customer Profile Arte Grafico Editorial Argentino (AGEA) is part of the Clarín multimedia Group The largest Newspaper & Media Company in Argentina Staff of more than 3,000 employees, including the most prominent journalists in Argentina

Needs Migrate its TDM-PBX to an IP communication server and provide SIP services

Implement an IP contact center for the majority of the Clarín group of companies Survivability at remote sites (branches) and integration with Unified Communications based on Microsoft® Lync & Exchange 2010 Provide a secure, remote IP connection for journalists

Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server including Software Assurance

EBN at remote sites for survivability reasons and use the same model of telephones than main sites

Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center with a three year Software Assurance plan Unified Communications Suite integrating Microsoft® Lync & Exchange 2010 “Implementing Aastra´s solution for our voice platform permitted us to reduce communication costs and increase security with reliable and modern solutions.”

AGEA is a subsidiary of the multimedia company Grupo Clarín SA, one of the largest and most important media groups in Argentina. AGEA has two main offices in Buenos Aries that are home to three of its companies; Tinta Fresca, Gestion Compartida and Estante, and, five smaller offices spread throughout the rest of Argentina. In total, AGEA has more than 3,000 employees and journalists working in its offices in Argentina, and on location throughout the world. Timely and cost effective communication amongst all of its employees is critical to the success of AGEA. The company needed to replace its existing TDM-PBX with a fully featured IP-based communications system to enable its employees to communicate and collaborate more efficiently. It also wanted to upgrade its call center capabilities and significantly reduce communication costs between each of the sites, and all of its journalists working remotely around the globe. And, the system needed to be fully secure and have remote survivability capabilities. After reviewing its options, AGEA chose Aastra to implement its new IP communications system. Quality of products, flexibility for integrating third-party solutions, and the security of Aastra’s SIP communications were all key factors that helped AGEA put their trust in Aastra. The final solution included the deployment of an MXONE Telephony Server supporting UC integration with Microsoft® Lync and Exchange 2010; Solidus eCare multimedia contact center with a complex IVR system and the capability of managing outbound campaigns, and, Extended Branch Nodes (EBN) at remote sites for survivability.

Julio Cesar Jimenez Chief of Telecomunications Department

Key Benefits Productivity increased and better control of voice communications for all sites and remote teleworkers Implementation of a secure communication environment for journalists & correspondents An integrated IP contact center increased the control and productivity for the business Development of Unified Communications with a reliable platform 3



Germany Hospitality and Leisure

andel’s Hotel Berlin

Customer Profile Part of the Vienna International hotel group Business hotel and conference facility with 557 rooms and suites

3,800m² flexible conference and events space Needs Set up a DECT/WLAN communication solution for 200 employees and up to 1,000 hotel guests

Solution OpenCom 1300 communication server 165 Aastra 142d series DECT handsets, 595 Aastra 1930 analogue telephones, 275 Aastra 6773 and Aastra 6775 IP telephones

Approx. 360 dual mode (DECT/WLAN) base stations Over 3,000 data ports

“All we can say is that the collaboration has been extremely fruitful. The solution allows us to transfer information directly to the relevant employee quickly, and at any time.”

The andel’s Hotel Berlin, situated near the famous Alexanderplatz square, is one of the leading conference and event hotels in the German capital. One of the most important requirements for business travellers, alongside excellent service, is readily available communication solutions. To ensure that such expectations are met, the hotel selected technology from Aastra and its system integrator subsidiary, DeTeWe Communications. Aastra delivered on all requirements with a scalable solution, superior performance, reliability and competitive pricing. Dual mode base stations (DECT and WLAN) ensure exceptional wireless data access for guests and staff members across all of the hotel facilities. Also thanks to the ability of DECT to offer excellent coverage for voice calls, especially in difficult environments (such as concrete wall structures), all staff members remain reachable at all times without any problems, even when their duties take them to remote areas such as the 5th floor of the underground car park. Text messages can also be sent to DECT handsets to discreetly notify members of staff. From the cleaning staff right through to the hotel manager, all employees can easily be reached to act promptly on guests’ requests or attend to situations that require their immediate attention.

Ralph Alsdorf General Manager, andel’s Hotel Berlin



Key Benefits Flexible communication solution Excellent in-house mobility with extensive DECT/ WLAN network coverage 4

Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreich

Customer Profile One of the largest non-profit organizations in Austria providing health care and social services 50,000 members and sponsors, as well as 5,000 staff members and volunteers Three new residential care homes for the elderly opened in 2011

Needs Reliable and easy to use telephone system In-house mobility for staff Alarming solution for patients Easy management of the telephony system with self-administration

Solution Aastra 470 communication server

In-house mobility with DECT and Aastra 620d DECT handsets

Third party alarm server with messaging

“I am really satisfied with the new webbased Management Tool of the Aastra 470. Self-explanatory and well-structured, it makes my task of administrating the communication servers a pleasure. Our residents feel safe as our staff are also easily reachable.” Markus Himmler Technical Manager for the Burgenland province at Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund

Austria Health Care

Samaritan Austria provides a vast range of services for health care and social services. Other services include transport for patients and people with disabilities, live-in health care and residential care homes. In the autumn of 2011, Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund expanded its offering by opening three new care homes in the Austrian province of Burgenland. Samaritan Austria is using Aastra communication servers on several sites throughout Austria. The headquarters in Vienna runs its communication via an Aastra MX-ONE and Aastra BusinessPhones are used in several existing residential care homes. Professionalism and reliability are attributes Samaritan Austria are known for, and these are expected from the communication infrastructure in use. After a competitive tender, Aastra 470 communication servers with their web-based management tool were chosen for all three new facilities. All care staff are now equipped with Aastra 620d DECT handsets providing the required in-house mobility. Additionally a third party alarm system is connected to the Aastra 470 to meet legal requirements. By pushing the alarm button, a resident can trigger the alarm server that sends a text message to the DECT handsets of the on duty care staff indicating the origin of the alert. The advantage provided by the solution is that the staff can carry out their jobs while always being reachable by the residents. It also allows the residents to live their lives undisturbed and in dignity, knowing that whenever help or support is needed, somebody is available for them. Solution implemented by Kapsch BusinessCom.



Key Benefits Staff can be reached more easily no matter where they are

Residents requiring urgent attention from care givers benefit from fast response times when activating the alarm

User-friendly self-administration of the Aastra communication servers 5

France Financial Services

ASSURALLIANCE

Customer Profile Agencies specializing in insurance, banking and savings

One of the most important AXA general agents at the national level

Manages 10,000 customers and 20,000 contracts Needs Standardise and centralise its communication infrastructure by networking all its sites in terms of IT, telephony and video

Make sure that experts can be contacted at all times by video conference to be able to advise customers in real time

Free up commercial agents from telephone constraints by separating front office and back office

Solution Aastra 5000 communication server at the company’s head office

IP terminals in the agencies Aastra BluStar™ 8000i Desktop Media Phones at the company head office and in each agency

“In the beginning we weren’t sure if video was relevant or helpful for our activities, but now we use it very frequently. It’s a tool which our customers like a lot. We’d have a lot of trouble doing without Aastra BluStar now.” Jean-Marie Ville AXA-AssurAlliance General Agent

AXA S.A. is a leading global insurance company that is headquartered in Paris, France. AssurAlliance is an independent agency group that offers financial services and insurance products under the AXA brand. With business experts situated in its different agencies, it was difficult for AssurAlliance customers to contact the right expert in a timely manner. Furthermore, AssurAlliance felt that it needed to optimize its communications infrastructure to separate and better manage its administrative and customer transactions. AssurAlliance opted for an innovative solution from Aastra to meet all of its communication needs. This included the installation of an Aastra 5000 communication server at the company’s head office, deployment of IP terminals in its agency offices, and the implementation of Aastra BluStar 8000i Desktop Media Phones across all its sites to deliver a multi-media video conferencing and collaboration solution. AssurAlliance has completely redesigned its customer relations and has optimised its structure by using Aastra video communication solutions. “With the Aastra solutions, we have found the perfect answer to our requirements without needing to spend huge amounts of money: as soon as you mention video communication today you usually need a large budget, for both network deployment and the hardware aspect,” specifies Vincent Fouque, Business market manager at AssurAlliance. He continues, “It’s very important to give customers the right answer very quickly. When a customer has a precise saving or insurance need, being able to provide them an immediate answer by contacting one of our experts by video conference is a real asset for us and helps to enhance AssurAlliance’s image.” A video communication system turned out to be the ideal solution for AssurAlliance.

Key Benefits Real time video communication between business experts and customers

Increased customer satisfaction with faster response



times

Reduction in employee travel More efficient handling of internal communications Video solution strengthens the company brand image and places it ahead of the competition 6

Sweden Retail and Wholesale

Avis

Customer Profile Global car rental company with approximatly 400 local offices in Scandinavia

Needs

Improve customer service by reducing waiting times and abandoned call rate

Achieve less than a 5 percentage of dropped call rate for calls, without hiring the estimated 300 contact center agents required

Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center with agents at the branch offices and as home workers

Aastra CMG attendant application including automated attendant and voice mail

“No one else could build a call center of this size as well as Aastra. The system is very user friendly in all aspects, for example, when it comes to building new groups, adding new agents and to achieve the constant changes that are needed.”

Until recently Avis had a central contact center in Gothenburg, Sweden, managing all rental car bookings for Scandinavia. Avis’ business has been growing rapidly over the last few years and the company wanted a new solution to improve its customer service by reducing waiting times and abandoned call rate. The plan was to take advantage of everyone in the organization with the right profile to handle customer enquiries and bookings. In order to do that, employees working in branches and other locations were to be included in the daily call center traffic and be able to handle a certain type of calls when needed. Renting a car is nothing customers take lightly. Customers have many questions and often prefer talking directly to an agent. The result was a comprehensive expansion of the existing Solidus eCare configuration together with an MX-ONE solution to create a virtual contact center across the Nordic region. Instead of only having agents in Gothenburg, staff members in branches can become agents of the contact center. The traffic is still controlled from Gothenburg, but now Scandinavia is converted to a single large virtual contact center, where everyone helps out. This is a huge network that extends from Hammerfest on the Arctic Ocean, down to the German border. Today, Solidus eCare is handling about 450 agents simultaneously and this figure is constantly rising.

Mats Dani Commercial Services Manager at AVIS Scandinavia

Key Benefits Reduced abandoned calls by more than 95% without recruiting extra staff Existing skills and competence are used in the best way 15% revenue increase during prime season Fast and effective customer service with 90% of all issues solved immediately 7



BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd

Customer Profile

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Beijing High-tech enterprise specializing in the design and manufacturing of displays (notably TFT-LCD)

More than 17,000 employees and six production bases in mainland China

Needs

Centralized network management function Support for TDM, IP and mobile solutions and futureproof

Reliability, flexibility and scalability Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Deployed across 4 sites totalling 9,100 extensions Operator consoles and DECT handsets

China Industrial

BOE group is a manufacturing enterprise with offices and manufacturing facilities in Beijing, Chengdu, Hefei and a number of other locations throughout China. The company’s existing communication infrastructure mainly relied on equipment provided by local operators which resulted in high operational costs for each of the branches. Furthermore, as communication between the branches needed to rely on the equipment stability of the local operators, secure inter-branch communications could not always be guaranteed. To meet the growing needs of their business operations, and an increasing demand for interbranch communications, it became imperative for BOE to setup an internal voice network based on its own infrastructure. This would allow the company a convenient way to use its own LAN/WAN and benefit from the cost savings in doing so. To achieve this, IP trunks connect Aastra MX-ONE communication servers that have been located in each branch. This has greatly reduced BOE’s operating costs, and helped ensure secure and stable voice communication throughout the company. As a security backup, the existing operator trunk was also kept in place to handle voice communication if any network faults occurred. To lower BOE’s communication costs further, Aastra’s MX-ONE Mobile Extension was widely deployed to fully integrate mobile users into the network - which extended the advanced features of the system to their mobile phones.



Key Benefits Increased flexibility and efficiency for highly mobile members of staff

Communication network fully integrated between locations with centralized management

Great user experience with a feature rich communication server

Investment protection and ability to easily migrate to the next generation network 8

Russia Media and Entertainment

Bolshoi Theater

Customer Profile World famous Moscow theater Re-opened in 2011 after an extensive six year renovation project

Needs IP telephony Easy administration and management Distributed architecture Solution Aastra MX-ONE® communication server DNA application 5,000 extensions (digital, analogue and IP)

Home to the famous Bolshoi Ballet and Opera companies, the historic Bolshoi Theatre was built in 1824

Home to the famous Bolshoi Ballet and Opera companies, the historic Bolshoi Theatre located in Moscow, Russia was built on Theatre Square in 1824. Designed by architect Joseph Bove, it replaced the Petrovka Theatre which had been home to the company since 1780, but was destroyed by fire in 1805. The main building of the theatre, rebuilt and renovated several times during its history, is a landmark of Moscow and Russia. In October of 2011, the Bolshoi re-opened after an extensive six year renovation which included restoring acoustics to the original quality (which had been lost during the Soviet Era), as well as restoring the original Imperial decor of the Bolshoi. As a result of the renovation, the Bolshoi theater’s area doubled in size up to 80 thousand square meters; in addition, the number of the auxiliary premises (administrative, economic and technical) also increased. Prior to commencing the renovation, the theatre had an MD110 system with 2,000 extensions to handle its voice communications. Due to the significant expansion of its facilities, the Bolshoi needed to grow its communications system. Furthermore, the company wanted to update the system to add new features and functionality. As a result, the Bolshoi decided to upgrade and replace its MD110 system with an Aastra MX-ONE communication server, supporting new IP telephony features. In migrating to the new system, the Bolshoi was able to retain some of their existing communications investment, while implementing a new system that delivered increased functionality including a DNA application for directory search and a complete attendant suite. The MX-ONE server has allowed them to scale the system’s capacity up to 5,000 extensions providing communications to all new departments of the Bolshoi.

Key Benefits Modern system with additional features Convenient management system IP telephony Scalable solution that accommodated the expansion of communication network 9



California State University, Fullerton

Customer Profile Third largest institution in the state of California with 36,000 students and 2,000 full-time and parttime faculty 236-acre main campus is complemented by three satellite campuses Generates $1 billion in economic activity annually, sustains more than 8,700 jobs in the region and generates more than $65 billion per year in state tax revenue

Needs State-of-the-art technology with high quality audio and video

Increased productivity and collaboration Reduced travel expense and support for remote locations

Affordable desktop video solution without sacrificing quality

Solution Aastra BluStar™ 8000i Desktop Media Phones BluStar Application Server

“We have been delighted with our BluStar experience. Both the voice and video quality are superior, providing a total cost of ownership with excellent value.” Marci Payne, Project Management Officer, California State University

United States Education and Research

The CSU Fullerton Division of Information Technology supports not only the present needs of the campus, but also strives to position itself to serve the future needs of students, faculty and staff. Their global goals are to enhance teaching and learning by providing access to innovative technology, to facilitate business effectiveness and efficiency, and to enable information access anytime and anywhere. When developing the IT Strategic Plan for the next several years, Amir Dabirian, CIO at CSUF, used three criteria for evaluating all projects: they must be 1) sustainable, 2) collaborative and 3) visionary. Video conferencing technology met these criteria and the IT team evaluated video solutions from leading vendors, ultimately choosing Aastra’s BluStar video collaboration solution. The BluStar 8000i combines broadcast quality video and audio with advanced business collaboration features and applications to deliver a truly natural collaboration experience. CSUF has initially deployed 10 BluStar 8000i Desktop Media Phones across their campuses for the President, all Vice Presidents and senior IT/Telecom staff. The feedback has been great including comments like “innovative”, “superior quality for both voice and video”, and “excellent value”. Marci Payne, Project Management Officer added, “BluStar makes visual collaboration a daily reality with a desktop device as easy to use as a phone.” Dabirian envisions expanding the BluStar reach beyond just the Fullerton and Irvine campuses. All CIOs across the Cal State system have a monthly face-to-face meeting. Additionally, each participates in various committee meetings throughout the year. To explore expansion of the deployment, Dabarian wants to roll out BluStars to CIOs from a few other campuses in an effort to increase the productivity benefits across the region.



Key Benefits Presence indicator allows easy access to knowledge worker who can provide immediate resolution to a query Face-to-face interaction enhances communication providing nuances of non-verbal communication that are lost in voice-only calls Enhances efficiency and cost savings from reduced travel – both across campus and across town 10

United Kingdom Education and Research

Cambridge Assessment

Customer Profile Cambridge Assessment, a not-for-profit organisation, is the examinations arm of the world famous University of Cambridge The Cambridge Assessment Group incorporates three major exam boards within the UK

Needs Improve the quality of their in-house mobility communications

Reduce the use and cost by staff of mobile phones for internal calls Integrate the new SIP-DECT® technology with a third party phone system

Solution Aastra 430 IP communication server Aastra 630d DECT handsets

“User adoption was seamless, achieved simply via a series of 30 minute group sessions with an Aastra trainer. We sat down with Aastra’s product support and a couple of laptops, and by the end of the afternoon, it was working.” Chris Barron Group Telecoms Manager

Cambridge Assessment required an in-building mobile solution to replace a failing Wi-Fi VoIP solution from a third party vendor. 70 members of staff needed to be in contact around a 200,000 square feet production and storage facility. Faced with dropped calls and with usage falling to almost zero (most staff were using mobiles for internal calls), Cambridge Assessment sought a reliable alternative and selected Aastra. Cambridge Assessment selected a new Aastra 430 communication server and Aastra 630d SIP DECT handsets. The Aastra 630d handsets are ideal for warehouse environments and meet industrial standard IP65 for a high level of dust protection and water jet-resistance. After the roll-out the users fed back that calls were now uninterrupted and that the voice quality was superior even when moving between radio cell areas. New users are easily added. A new phone is shipped directly to the end user who can register it on the network with their user name and phone number. Battery life is also significantly improved. Aastra’s 630d has an integrated sensor alarm, messaging and locating feature that offers security for lone workers and this feature offered an unexpected bonus. Cambridge Assessment has achieved significant cost savings. The cost of deployment was around 25 per cent of the Wi-Fi solution. All mobiles have now been withdrawn for internal use which has also greatly reduced costs. Aastra 630d handsets were supplied to replace twenty five Cisco Wi-Fi phones. Since implementation of the Aastra solution, Cambridge Assessment has seen a four-fold increase in the volume of calls made, and as all internal calls are made free of charge over the network, this hasn’t resulted in additional costs. Efficiency has improved now that communication with workers can be maintained at all times.

Key Benefits No more dropped calls between internal users and

improved voice quality Withdrawal of mobile phones for internal calls with a significant reduction on their monthly costs The cost of deployment was around 25 per cent of the previous Wi-Fi solution Improved battery life for handsets for greater talk and standby time New alarm and location protection for lone workers in the facility A four-fold increase in the volume of internal calls without any increase in costs 11



Centro Administrativo da Bahia

Customer Profile

Central administrative departments of the government of the state of Bahia – Brazils’ 4th most populous state

15,000 employees, spread across 22 sites including a large central public building

Needs

Increase the number of extensions Modernize the entire telecommunication infrastructure Introduce advanced communications and mobility options to enable employees to be more responsive

New communication servers needed to support existing digital extensions and new IP extensions

Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server 8,648 analogue extensions, 2,615 digital extensions and 2,379 IP extensions

Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center for 3 sites

Brazil Government

At the beginning of 2012, the Centro Administrativo da Bahia (CAB) announced that they would modernize their telephone network by replacing their existing Aastra MD110 with Aastra MX-ONE providing their employees access to a wide range of new features. Whether at their desks, working remotely, hot desking or on the move, CAB employees will now be able to communicate more effectively together and be more productive, improving the service they offer to local residents. According to Robério Ronald, Communications Director and Secretary of Infrastructure, “The MX-ONE enables us to be technologically advanced, will make our operations more efficient and will truly enhance the service we offer. By upgrading our communications infrastructure we will also make significant cost savings. With our new Voice over IP (VoIP) network we will no longer be charged for calls between different government departments and, with 15,000 employees, that will have a big impact on our future costs.” CAB’s network administrators will also reap significant benefits from having a centralised solution with a consistent approach across all departments while being able to personalise options for each user. Each agency will have access to their specific call reports, as well as to their billing and management applications.

“The new platform will migrate Bahia Government telecommunication system to an extremely high technological level, adding state-of-the-art resources related to voice communication, data and video.” Robério Ronald Communications Director and Secretary of Infrastructure

Key Benefits



Easy access to communications thanks to softphones available on laptops

Integration of mobile phones Each agency to benefit from their own call reports, billing and management (including choice of carriers)

Cost reductions for calls placed between Bahia Government agencies via VoIP 12

Canada Education and Research

Edmonton Public Schools

Customer Profile Second largest school district in Alberta, Canada and the sixth largest in the country, with nearly 80,000 students and over 7500 employees

Administered by the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB), the district is comprised of 200 schools plus one location housing 700 administrative staff

Needs Ease of administration of telephony solution and standard, off-the-shelf components to fit into existing data centers Cost management – predictable and low total cost of ownership (TCO) Reliability, security, and redundancy Transparency to end user of system cut-over

Solution Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Aastra OneBox Unified Messaging Aastra Fax Server VMware ESX AudioCodes Mediant 1000 gateways Aastra Desk phones – 6700 Series SIP phones and 7400 Series IP phones

“Fault tolerance is a key component in our commitment of service excellence to our schools; the virtualized MX-ONE gives us confidence that we have high reliability. With the new system, the schools have seen no interruption in service or quality.” Kirk Davis, Senior Network Analyst, Edmonton Public Schools

Faced with an aging telecom hardware platform and high monthly service provider costs, the Board evaluated possible benefits of using VoIP. They found they were paying for 1,500 lines across the entire district, but only about 400 lines were in use at any time. EPSB realized they could build a business case for a new telecommunications system based on the ROI gained from line consolidation by removing local lines at each individual school and utilizing a centralized system for SIP session management. After a thorough evaluation, ESPB chose Aastra’s MX-ONE communication server. The system was installed in their main data center at the Centre for Education. The centralized PRIs are routed over a private fiber network to each school, which are equipped with AudioCodes gateways supporting a blend of T1, analog trunk and analog station interfaces. These units are used to frontend the existing legacy systems local to each school. Using this centralized approach, EPSB reduced their lines from 1,500 to 600, resulting in $300K cost savings per year which can be reinvested in network upgrades and other support areas. Given the requirement for high reliability, the entire solution was implemented running on VMware ESX. Multiple instances of the MX-ONE communication server were created and mirrored for ease-of-failover in case of an outage, maintenance upgrades or testing of new features. They were please to find that MX-ONE would run in a VMware environment as that is the standard in their data centers. They merged the telephone system into the standard technology support organization, gaining added efficiencies and cost savings. For enhanced functionality, EPSB has deployed Aastra OneBox for Unified Messaging and Aastra Fax Servers. Phase 2 provides a staged migration plan for the individual schools to also move to VoIP.

Key Benefits Over 50% reduction in lines Annual savings of $300K Standards-based off-the shelf components easily fit into existing data center environment

Highly reliable, redundant and easy-to-maintain Improved efficiency with productivity-enhancing applications like Unified Messaging 13



Sweden Public Sector

Enköping Municipality

Customer Profile

Local authority with 3,000 employees Enköping municipality consists of nearly forty original local government units

Needs

Increase service to local residents Lower telephony costs Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server with 1,400 extensions

Mobile Extensions for 80% of employees IP phones

“I can easily recommend this to other municipality’s that are interested. The truth is that I already have done that in several cases. When the supplier is this good, I want to tell others.” Stefan Hedlund Telephony Manager, Enköping

When looking to update its telephony infrastructure, Enköping municipality decided to focus on customer service and mobility. Now they have an Aastra MX-ONE communication server that is integrated with employees’ mobile phone numbers. Thanks to the Mobile Extension, employees now have access to a rich selection of features on their mobiles such as presence management, calendars, fax and text messaging to be more productive while on the move. Now employees can easily be reached on one single number. The municipality originally anticipated 50% fixed IP extensions and 50% mobile, but was able to mitigate the lack of capacity in its IP network by moving up to having 80% of employees on mobiles only. With the old system, all moves, adds and changes resulted in a high cost every year. With the new solution this cost is zero as the communication server can easily be updated by internal resources. The fact that everyone now only uses one phone has also significantly reduced operating costs. The municipality used to have 250 leased lines at a cost of 800,000 Swedish Krona per year. which have now been cancelled. All of the connections between locations have now been moved into the existing IP network at no extra cost. The municipality has replaced several hundred fax machines by a single fax server that delivers faxes as directly to the inbox as a PDF. The footprint of the solutions has also been greatly reduced: the MX-ONE server takes up almost no space in the data center and the new IP phones draw much less energy than the digital telephones they replaced. To handle redundancy, the municipality has three redundant servers. Finally, the communication server maintenance can now be performed by a single technician. The transition to MX-ONE was very smooth as it was implemented gradually instead of attempting to move all subscribers at once.

Key Benefits



Better service networks, the local residents now only need one number to get in touch with a person

Response time has been drastically reduced and the attendant has full overview

Reduced number of phone units from 2.1 to 1 per employee

Reduced from 250 leased lines at a cost of 800,000 Swedish Krona to 0

From hundreds of faxes to only one fax server Scalability and ease of maintenance of the solution 14

Sweden Telecom

Ericsson

Customer Profile Global provider of telecommunications equipment and services to mobile and fixed network operators 24,000 employees in Sweden The first company in Sweden that gave all the employees a mobile phone for all occasions

Needs Tighter cost control and higher cost efficiency and cost savings Reduced energy consumption in line with environmental policy Consolidated and centralized solution that would be future-proofed One phone concept with a 010-digits numbering plan

Solution

Upgrade and consolidation of Aastra MX-ONE® communication server with Mobile Extensions

Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center Aastra OneBox Unified Messaging Voice Mail

“No other vendor on the market could match our requirements which made the choice of selecting Aastra as a provider easy.” Onat Atayer Head of Network and Voice Service Management

The consolidation and centralization of Ericsson’s infrastructure was one of the most extensive and complex telephony projects that has ever been conducted in Sweden introducing new ways of working and significant improvements. When Ericsson migrated from an MD110 to an Aastra MX-ONE communication server the solution was designed for optimal redundancy, 100% service reliability and load balancing. This change also helped to reduce the environmental impact of the company’s operations as the communication server now only requires a couple of 19” rack cabinets, draws 70-80% less energy and requires a negligible need for cooling. As deskphones were replaced by mobile phones, the energy consumption was also reduced beyond the boundaries of the data center. As part of this project, Ericsson’s 24,000 employees in Sweden were given a non-geographic number and a mobile phone fully integrated into the communication server thanks to the Mobile Extension. But all this brave new technology is worth nothing unless users can exploit it fully. Ericsson started an internal campaign called “Ways of working mobile” to create a better understanding of the benefits brought by the new technology. As a leading provider of telecommunications equipment and services, it was important for Ericsson to lead by example, be reliable and professional in all customer contacts and implementing for its own employees what the company believe in for a more connected and mobile world. When all employees were made aware of their own costs (by seeing their own phone bill) and through identifying users with expensive phone habits, Ericsson was able to reduce the end users cost by 15-20%. Users were convinced by websites, road shows, presentations and above all, easy and accurate information.

Key Benefits 10% of the original 30,000 extensions were removed 70-80% less energy consumption per year 60% fewer service requests 15



EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg

Customer Profile International airport operated jointly by two countries at the crossroads of three economically thriving regions 5 million passengers in 2011, up to 100 flights a day operated by 20 different airlines 200 companies and stores located on its premises

Needs Replace the old PBX Support the communications needs of all the different companies and stores located within the airport Integrate with third party applications Provide access to all three public networks (Switzerland, France and Germany)

Solution Two Aastra 5000 communication servers with geographical hot standby redundancy Transparent network for 3,330 extensions One NX500 hot standby redundancy as a media gateway to PSTN networks Two AXD redundant media gateways for the external locations with possibility of local autonomy Aastra Management 7450 network administration software

“Our requirements were high and multifaceted. Thus, this marked a huge challenge to the provider as well as to the systems integrators. Aastra has mastered this task superbly with its installation partner. We are very happy with our new system.” Patrick Sanchez Director Teleservices EuroAirport

Switzerland Transportation

Located on the border between Switzerland, France and Germany, EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg has a large catchment area for business and leisure travellers. When the board of EuroAirport decided to replace its outdated third party PBX, the new communication server had to be highly reliable and supported by a service contract with very short response time as communications are mission critical for an airport. It also had to offer a strong degree of openness for easy integration of 3rd party products and applications, and to be able to support both TDM and IP connecting to multiple carriers. After conducting a thorough and intensive evaluation, Aastra came out on top against several well-known competitors. The following features of the Aastra solution convinced the board of EuroAirport: its level of redundancy and reliability (critical for an airport where every minute of delayed operations is very costly); the open interfaces for integration to other solutions; the flexibility and modularity of the communication servers as well as the availability of all features over the entire EuroAirport zone; stability and international presence of Aastra, and last but not least, a very good price-performance ratio. Aastra was responsible for the overall project management, architecture and design, installation and commissioning of the new communication server that was delivered on time and on budget. All 200 companies migrated to the new infrastructure at the same time with a full access to all new features and are benefiting from a detailed and separate billing. The billing is fully integrated with the airport ERP system and adapted to meet the airport’s unique requirements (3 carriers from 3 different countries).



Key Benefits Absence of downtime and utmost operational availability

Connectivity to the three public networks The transparent redundant Aastra 5000 AXD media gateways allow access to the different locations of the campus 16

Mexico Government

FIRA – Banco de Mexico

Customer Profile Established in 1954 by Mexico’s federal government Second-tier development bank that offers credit and

guarantees, training, technical assistance and technology-transfer support to the agricultural, livestock, fishing, forestry and agribusiness sectors in Mexico Governed by a board of directors from Federal government, regulatory bodies and industry organizations

Needs Replace an obsolete PBX platform and reduce CAPEX Survivability at remote sites Integration with current Microsoft OCS platform Contact center capabilities Solution Aastra MX-ONE® Telephony Server (TSE) Enterprise Branch Nodes (EBNs) at remote sites for survivability

Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center Unified Communications Suite integrated with Microsoft® OCS

High density hardware to reduce space and lower power consumption 36 months managed services contract

“It was very important for us to find a partnership that allows us to focus on our job and rely on others to handle our communication needs.” Juan Manuel Peña Sub-director IT Infrastructure

FIRA has an extensive network of 143 offices throughout Mexico, more than 40% of which are based in communities with fewer than 50,000 residents. FIRA’s field offices and headquarters include a staff of more than 1,200 agricultural and Financial Services specialists with a deep knowledge of Mexico’s farming conditions and producer capabilities. Efficient communication between these 143 offices is crucial; FIRA ’s existing PBX equipment was becoming obsolete, and they had no technical support. Because no new capital investments in hardware were allowed by the government, FIRA considered hosted solutions to implement “state of the art” technology. They chose Aastra’s MX-ONE TSE solution delivered via a 3-year managed services contract. Aastra’s MX-ONE met all their communication needs in one system and provided additional benefits. MX-ONE’s high-density hardware reduced FIRA’s power consumption as well as the space needed for the PBX hardware. FIRA also needed to ensure voice service for all of its remote offices, even during a data network failure. FIRA added Enterprise Branch Nodes (EBNs) to provide survivability functionality. The Solidus eCare contact center is included within the solution as well as Unified Communications integration with Microsoft OCS. FIRA users are pleased with Aastra’s MX-ONE TSE and UC integration, as they have achieved an increase in productivity and better control of their voice communications using Outlook and OCS client interface, allowing them to use either their desk phones or OCS client.

Key Benefits Increased productivity through use of OCS presence

indicator allowing quicker access to available knowledge workers Reduction of power consumption and less space needed for PBX hardware at their IT sites Aastra’s Solidus eCare multimedia contact center and Unified Communications Suite to manage telecoms operations across the business Reduction in travel costs by using the central Management Provisioning tools for all 143 remote sites nationwide More control of their voice communications options through integration of MX-ONE and OCS 17



United States Education and Research

Georgia Military College

Customer Profile Founded in 1879 in Milledgeville, Georgia 2-year liberal arts junior college 5,700 students at nine locations and online Needs Flexible and scalable UC solution Affordable endpoints tightly integrated with UC solution Productivity tools such as presence, integrated calendar, call logs and click-to-dial Cost management – predictable and low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Solution Microsoft® Lync™ Server 2010 Aastra Lync phones

• 6725ip for knowledge workers • 6721ip for common areas VoIP Service from Broadbox SIP Gateway / SBC from AudioCodes

“The combination of Microsoft Lync & Aastra Lync phones enables us to take advantage of 100% of UC capabilities. We will continue to roll out the Aastra Lync phones to provide additional collaboration capabilities & improved employee productivity.” Drago Totev Associate Vice President, Telecommunications and Networking, Georgia Military College

Georgia Military College (GMC) was one of the first colleges in the US to operate in a 100% VoIP environment – completely eliminating PSTN lines. In 2009, GMC deployed Microsoft Office Communication Server R2 (OCS) for approximately 450 employees. At the time of initial deployment there were limited choices of endpoints that fully integrated with OCS and the ones that were available were quite expensive. As a result, GMC decided to deploy only a handful of high-end UC-capable executive phones and use entry-level SIP phones with basic calling features for mass deployment. “With the initial VoIP deployment, we realized cost savings from straightforward licensing and greatly simplified administration,” said Drago Totev, Associate Vice President, Telecommunications and Networking. “But only a handful of people were able to see the productivity gains from using Unified Communications. We needed an affordable desk phone with an embedded client to take full advantage of the UC capabilities.” When they upgraded to Microsoft Lync Server 2010, GMC found two such options – the Aastra 6721ip and 6725ip phones, both with the embedded Lync client. The Aastra 6721ip is an entry level model suitable for common areas such as meeting rooms and lobbies, as well as workers who do not require the full UC capabilities of the 6725ip, which is aimed at the knowledge worker. GMC found that the Aastra Lync phones with the embedded client enabled them to truly take advantage the efficiency and collaboration features of Unified Communications. As they grow, they will continue to roll out Aastra Lync phones to enhance employee productivity. The 6725ip and 6721ip phones will be the standard for all “greenfield” deployments as well as for all newly-hired employees and those most in need of additional collaboration capabilities.



Key Benefits Improved responsiveness through use of collaboration tools

Cost savings from ease of administration and simplified licensing

Flexible UC options provide individual productivity Scalable and cost-effective to support future growth 18

Austria Industrial

Gorenje Austria

Customer Profile Susidiary of Gorenje d.d. of Slovenia who is ranked among the leading European manufacturers of home appliances

High focus on customer satisfaction and after sales services as a local sales and service organization

About 60 employees including one fourth working in the contact center

Needs Future oriented communication server allowing to switch to pure IP at anytime and easily deploy Unified Communications Contact center to improve customer interaction Reduce international phone costs

Solution Aastra 470 communication server with IP terminals Remote IP extensions connected to the headquarters in Slovenia

Third party contact center solution with 16 agents

“Gorenje considers after-sales service as extremely important. With the new communication server we are now more efficient in the interaction with our customers. Also investment protection and future proof technology are important for us.”

The Gorenje Group is ranked among the leading European manufacturers of home appliances and looks back on a history of more than sixty years. The technologically perfected, superiorly designed and energy-efficient household appliances are sold under the brand name of Gorenje, amongst others, in seventy countries around the globe. Gorenje has been present in Austria since 1975 and undertakes continuous efforts to offer a more efficient and customer orientated service. As the maintenance contract for thier existing telephone system was drawing to a close, the customer was looking for a future-proof communication server able to support Unified Communications. The contact center team also needed a solution for faster and more efficient customer interaction. Gorenje selected an Aastra 470 communication server which was integrated with a third party contact center solution to meet all of their needs. The 470 enabled the company to deploy new IP phones for some of their teams, while saving costs by keeping their existing TDM extensions for others. Their 16 contact center agents are also connected to the third party contact center solution via IP extensions. In order to eliminate their costs for international calling completely, the IP extensions running off of the new communication server have been connected as remote extensions with Gorenje’s headquarters in Slovenia using the existing WAN data connection. Solution implemented by Kapsch BusinessCom.

Justo Aparicio Diaz, Manager Customer Service at Gorenje Austria



Key Benefits Gained flexibility by implementing a communication server which allows further IP migration whenever needed

Contact center making customer interaction more efficient and customer oriented

Cost savings on international calls by using IP technology and the existing WAN 19

France Public Sector

Habitat 35

Customer Profile Leader in the social housing sector in Ille et Vilaine, France Developer and landlord of over 16,000 dwellings

Needs Connect the head office and its 15 remote agencies to a single backbone, in a virtualized architecture Deploy a centralised IP communication solution for the head office Enable the implementation of a call center hub Access unified communication features including presence management and softphones

Solution Virtualized Aastra 5000 communication server ACP contact center with the SOPRA professional Ulis application

TWP (Telephony Web Portal) CTI application FMC with Aastra Mobile Client

“Even if the project is recent, the tangible gains were almost immediate... Virtualisation is now mature enough to carry telephony applications, which are very demanding in terms of performance. The voice does not tolerate latency!” Benoit Ridard Head of the IT project in Habitat 35

By rebuilding its WAN, upgrading and virtualizing its IP telephony system and deploying a new customer care platform, Habitat 35, a leading provider of social housing in western France, has taken its corporate communication system to a whole new level. To initiate the change, Habitat issued two tenders: the first was to connect its head office, along with its 15 remote agencies, to a single backbone; the second was to equip its head office with a solution based on centralised IP and to provide the other sites with basic telephony equipment. The solution needed to be scalable so that it could grow in the future while meeting the current needs of its 200 users. Furthermore, a call center component for its 9 agents was required, and the system should include unified communication features such as presence management and access to video conferencing. Lastly, the solution needed to be virtualized. Of the five tenders presented, Habitat 35 chose a virtualized solution from Aastra. “The tangible gains were almost immediate,” Benoit Ridard, Head of IT at Habitat 35 is delighted to say. “On the backbone, we saved nearly 80K Euros on a global budget of 200K Euros. For the communication server, it’s still a little early to measure the real ROI. But we are taking advantage of network pooling; we are reducing our maintenance costs and are more pro-active thanks to its centralised supervision capabilities.” The company has also improved its customer relations. Fewer calls are lost and the company can easily call up customer files to guarantee greater service quality to its tenants. “Another major gain is that we have started virtualising the system, integrating it in our VMware infrastructure. Space savings, reduced energy use and much more flexible administration are all elements that contribute to ROI,” adds Benoit.

Key Benefits



Pooling of the network Reduction in maintenance costs Improved customer relations with a greater service quality to tenants

Space savings, reduced energy use and much more flexible administration thanks to the virtualized architecture 20

HEP Group-Hrvatska Elektroprivreda

Customer Profile

National electricity company of Croatia More than 14,000 employees 2.3 million electricity customers and/or meters Needs

Efficient communication infrastructure Networking sites via IP Choice of phones including DECT Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server for 38 sites with more than 10,000 extensions

Aastra BusinessPhone for 10 sites Aastra DECT handsets

Croatia Utilities

Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP Group) is a national electricity company which has been engaged in electricity production, transmission and distribution for more than a century, and with heat supply and gas distribution for the past few decades. Within HEP holdings there are 25 hydro power plants and eight thermal power plants fired by oil, natural gas or coal. The telecommunications network that serves HEP covers the whole of Croatia. Aastra MX-ONE communication servers have now been deployed all over Croatia and are connected via IP networking in order to act as one large system, and provide the same phone features to all HEP employees regardless of their location. At the same time, the company has been able to reduce their communication costs while benefiting from a robust and reliable architecture. The entire network can now be managed from a central site. The choice of phones available ensured that all users could have the most appropriate model according to their needs. It was also possible to retain some of their existing analog and digital desk phones which helped protect the existing investment, while remote locations were easily connected to the rest of the network using IP phones. Some sites, like power plants have been equipped with DECT handsets to provide the required in-house mobility. DECT base stations suited for outdoor use have been deployed to extend the coverage beyond buildings. Solution implemented by Ericsson Nikola Tesla d.d.



Key Benefits Efficient use of internal infrastructure for voice requirements Investment protection and lower communication costs Centralized network management Reliable communication 21

Egypt Health Care

HI-Connect

Customer Profile Third party provider of customer care services in the health care sector

Expertise in providing outsourced contact center, information technology and medical technology services

Needs A system that would integrate with several proprietary as well as standards based applications

Integrate their contact center with various IT solution providers active in the health care sector Reliable technology with easy to use tools that measures call center performance

Solution Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Solidus eCare multimedia contact center HP Application servers and backbone network access switches IP CCTV surveillance Time attendance based on finger print access

“We have chosen Aastra as our technology supplier with its new contact center – after going through extensive technical studies among the competition. Aastra and UNITEL deliver top notch technology as well as the best after sales support.” Saad Gad General Manager

22

Medical service providers such as hospitals, labs and medical insurance companies all have varied IT infrastructures in place that support their ongoing communication needs. In an effort to provide better customer service, they are constantly looking at how they can improve and simplify the ways that they communicate with their clients and beneficiaries. Ideally it is with a solution that is capable of integrating with their existing, or in some cases new IT systems. For this reason, outsourcing their customer care service to a third party can sometimes be the perfect answer, especially when it can be tightly integrated with existing IT infrastructures. HI-Connect is one such third party company who works closely with IT solution providers that are active in the healthcare market sector to integrate its customer care contact center with their IT solutions to meet end customers requirements. With a 156 seat multimedia contact center that is powered by an Aastra MX-ONE communication server, and Aastra’s Solidus eCare multimedia contact center solution, HI-Connect can scale up to 40,000 calls per hour making it well positioned to meet the needs of its clients. In addition, the Aastra solution is based on open standards, which means that it is flexible enough for IT solution providers to integrate it with their solutions to meet their customers varied proprietary and standards based application needs. Being in the customer care business, it is important that the solution HI-Connect uses is reliable and user friendly so that their contact center agents can easily deliver high quality service to their customers. Furthermore, the solution needed to have the ability to easily extract reports allowing efficient tracking of the contact centers performance. Aastra met all of these needs and more. Solution implemented by UNITEL Egypt.

Key Benefits Capable of offering differentiated services including: telephony, email, fax, chat and SMS to multiple customers Open Standard interfaces and APIs (like ODBC, DDE/ COM) allow easy server and client-based integration with databases & IT systems Aastra Script Manager’s drag-n-drop capabilities allows administrators to program and modify the call flow easily and on-the-fly Highly scalable solution to accommodate higher call loads or additional agents

France Hospitality and Leisure

ILD Homair

Customer Profile Leading French operator for mobile home vacation accommodations

8,000 mobile homes across 135 sites in France, Spain, Italy, Croatia and Portugal

Needs No lost reservations Personalized greeting of callers depending on their mother tongue Security and scalability of the solution Administration and supervision of all activities using statistical tools

Solution Duplicated Aastra 5000 communication server (Aastra XD) 25 agent ACP contact center ACD (Automatic Call Distribution system) IVR (Interactive Voice Response)

“Customer relations are a pivotal and fundamental feature of our activities. We were therefore seeking to professionalise our central reservation system, in order to increase capacity whilst significantly improving our quality of service.” Olivier Pecchia Head of Homair Vacances’ central reservation

ILD Homair, the leading mobile-home holiday accommodation provider in France, was looking to completely transform and modernize its central reservation system with the goal of providing its agents the necessary tools to professionally handle client enquiries and sales by phone. To fulfill its needs, ILD Homair was not only looking for a partner that had the know-how, but someone who had a proven track record and would be there in the future for support. “We were also determined to obtain detailed statistics for calls,” added Olivier Pecchia, Head of Homair Vacances central reservations. After reviewing its options, ILD Homair selected an Aastra solution which consisted of an on-site duplicated Aastra 5000 communication server and a 25 agent ACP contact center which included an IVR and ACD system with a display for monitoring all active agents. “This display provides us with an extensive overview of operations. We can see the number of calls waiting, on-line contacts, average waiting times and number of lost calls, all in real-time,” O. Pecchia explained. He adds “with this system we can also access recorded statistics. It’s really useful! We therefore ensure that we can actually maintain a ‘lean’ operating system, balancing our workforce depending on peaks in call volumes, and if necessary supplement full-time workers using part time resources.” Furthermore, “for training purposes, and to improve service levels, we are able to listen to the exchanges between our employees and clients at any time,” explained Oliver. And the results are convincing: with the Aastra system deployed, the rate of answered calls has increased from 75% to 95%; these results have had a direct impact on sales. As a result, the call center has experienced an increase of 16% in bookings compared to the previous year, reaching 27,000 transactions.

Key Benefits Rate of connected calls increased from 70 to 95% Increase of 16 % in reservations Improved customers satisfaction levels Real-time access to key call statistics 23



Belgium Utilities

Infrax

Customer Profile The largest distribution network operator in the Flanders region, licensed to distribute electricity, gas and cable TV Operations across 116 municipalities with 1,400 employees and more than 1.8 million customers Turnover of €590m in 2011

Needs Modernize and standardize the communications systems throughout all offices Reduce communication costs New contact center solution with advanced features (web based, reporting tools, centralized management) Name dialing

Solution

Aastra 5000 communication server 1,200 IP phones (Aastra 5380ip phones with alphanumeric keyboard)

Aastra Communication Portal (ACP) contact center Replacement of previous third party voicemail applications

“IT and communication are essential to Infrax. The meter readings can easily be given by phone and our communication server integrates business applications for a better service.”

Infrax was born as a result of the merger of three regional operators. Each of the head offices had a different PBX system and applications, such as their voice mail systems, were from a variety of different vendors. To add to the complexity of the situation, almost every one of their other locations also had its own PBX system and some of the elements of that diverse infrastructure were not compatible making it virtually impossible to create a single network that would bring it all together. The objective was to standardize the communication network, connect all the locations together and provide the same deskphone model to all 1,200 users. Aastra was selected to provide Infrax with a complete modern communications platform making teamwork easier and improving staff performance. The solution that was implemented creates a transparent network based on IP technology, allowing Infrax to centralise incoming calls, reduce its maintenance costs and give its customer relations a more professional and user friendly touch. For example, customers can simply give their meter readings by phone thanks to the IVR feature of the contact center and without the assistance of an agent. All the company’s locations are now in a single communication network leveraging Infrax’s own broadband infrastructure. The communication server and associated applications are all virtualised reducing energy use and helping to create a more sustainable solution. As a result, Infrax made significant savings while improving its internal and external communication.

Key Benefits

Eddy Garsbeke IT Manager, Infrax

With VoIP, small offices do not need a communica-



50% reduction in maintenance costs Integration with business applications such as Active

tion server

Directory (via Aastra Management 7450)

Standardization of the communication network Smooth deployment while keeping operational services such as the emergency number for failures or gas leaks The alphanumeric keyboard on the deskphone enables easy directory search 24

Finland Retail and Wholesale

Jimm’s PC Store

Customer Profile Online store for consumer electronics Needs

Clear telephone queues and provide better and more flexible customer service

Improve the entire customer service chain and management of personnel resources

Solution Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center

E-commerce has grown rapidly in recent years and that growth is also reflected in the number of customer contacts by email or phone. Although customers can contact Jimm’s in a number of ways, Managing Director Antti Järvinen considers a smoothly functioning call center the cornerstone of customer service for it’s online store. “Just a few years ago, many people were sure traditional phone systems would gradually become obsolete. This has not been the case, and we have also experienced it the hard way. Ultimately, for many people the phone is the easiest and fastest way to contact us for further information,” Järvinen says. Jimm’s became truly aware of the problems when its phone service based on mobile centrex proved insufficient. Calls were backing up and there was no method for analyzing and predicting peak volumes. Another problem was the occasional loss of mobile service. The solution to the problems was Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center sold as a Contact Center as a Service (CaaS) with Aastra’s partner Elisa. Aastra Solidus eCare now directs hundreds of customer calls per day to available customer service representatives even during the busiest periods, such as Christmas.

“A smooth-running customer service is a key aspect in e-commerce as well. The phone continues to be the easiest and fastest way for many people to contact us for further information.” Antti Järvinen Managing Director

Jimm’s will also leverage the multimedia capabilities of Solidus eCare to include e-mails, to analyze volumes and identify peak times, and evaluate response speed. The solution has also proved itself in improving customer service. For example, in an independent customer satisfaction survey, Jimm’s scores for customer service had increased from 70 % to 83 %. The main reason for this positive result was the improved availability and response time thanks to the detailed reporting of peak call volumes and customer service resources.



Key Benefits Anticipating peak call volumes to allocate customer service resources accordingly

Shorter response times Better and more flexible customer service achieving significant customer satisfaction rating increase

Improved internal efficiency with a better use of existing resources

Cost savings Real-time reporting and information 25

Germany Media and Entertainment

Konzerthaus Berlin

Customer Profile Berlin concert hall Inaugurated on 26th May, 1821 as the “royal concert hall”

Reopened in 1984 after extensive renovation Needs Replace the existing communication system by an efficient communication server

Option to switch to IP telephony Ease of administration and operation Advanced and user-friendly features Solution Aastra IntelliGate 2065 communication server 300 extensions Aastra 5370 and 5380 deskphones Contact center

The concert hall, situated in Gendarmenmarkt Square in the central district of Berlin, vibrates with cultural life offering visitors over 600 concert events each year. Each and every concert involves a significant amount of coordination making efficient communications essential to ensure the operations run smoothly. A faultless operation of the communication system is paramount. “The old third party PBX was no longer able to guarantee this,” emphasizes Peter-Maria Laduch. “The system had simply become outdated. What’s more, the Technical Director was dissatisfied with the service offered for the previous system. What struck us most about our previous supplier’s service were the long latency times.” Aastra was able to meet the customer requirements by providing them a communication server that can leverage parts of their existing communications infrastructure while offering the option to move to IP when needed. The installation time for the new communication server was short and had to be completed during a time when there were no concerts scheduled so it didn’t interfere with the Konzerthaus’ operations. The new Aastra communication server also includes a contact center to manage external enquiries efficiently.



Key Benefits Modern telephone solution Seamless migration to the new system Sufficient scope for expansions and migration to IP 26

La Citadelle Regional Hospital

Customer Profile One of the largest hospitals in the Wallonia region 1,036 beds over 5 locations, 3,450 employees and over 400 physicians

More than 10,000 patients and 700,000 calls per year Needs Reduce inpatient and outpatient missed appointments Improve appointment booking efficiency Ensure that the contact center could handle increased calls volume with the same number of agents

Reduce wait time for callers and improve services provided to patients and medical staff

Solution Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center Aastra OneBox Unified Messaging Integration of an appointment manager application (DxCare Planning from Medasys)

More than 1,300 DECT handset

“Aastra developed a user-friendly solution that makes call handling and appointments more transparent. It’s crucial to reduce as much as possible the threshold of access to medical care. In this perspective Aastra technology help us.” Nathalie Duliba Supervision Manager

Belgium Health Care

Defining itself as a hospital of excellence, La Citadelle set satisfaction of its medical staff and patients as a top priority. As a result, the focus was on improved customer interaction thanks to Aastra solutions. This Belgian hospital concentrated on key initiatives to improve the management of all internal and external calls as well as the processes in place. The new contact center brings together 5 different locations in a single virtual team to handle all calls. The ACD and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) functionality are combined into one, easy-to-use interface to ensure that patients can be connected to the right department and improve first time call resolution. When no contact center agents are available, patients can request an automatic call-back after leaving their preferred contact number. Despite incoming calls increasing by 30% over the last 4 years to reach more than 700,000 calls per year, this hospital achieved an important increase in the performance of the call center while keeping the same number of agents. Patients can now also book appointments on-line and this is proving popular with new customers. Missed appointments were previously a major issue the hospital had to face. Up to 20% of the inpatient and outpatients appointments were missed wasting valuable time and resources. A simple and innovative service using text messages was implemented by Aastra to remind patients of their forthcoming appointments. Once a text is received, the patient can either confirm or postpone the appointment. This initiative lead to a dramatic decrease of missed appointments.

Key Benefits Dramatic decrease of missed appointments and com-

plaints about the call center are now a thing of the past Enhancement of services to callers with reduced wait time and new services such as call-back and SMS alerts Cost containment: despite incoming calls up 30%, enquiries are handled more efficiently with the same number of agents Reach new customers thanks to appointment booking easily accessible on-line Improvement of the internal organization thanks to the reporting and presence management Solution easy to manage 27



Germany Education and Research

Leipzig University

Customer Profile University and University Hospital of Leipzig Established in 1409, it is the second oldest university in Germany and one of the oldest universities in the world

Needs Set up a communications solution that would support approximately 10,000 extensions

Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server 900 DECT base stations

“For years now, the Aastra MX-ONE has proved to be a flexible and extremely dependable communications solution. The long-term compatibility of the system components also offers us immense investment security.” Dipl.-Ing. Bettina Müller Engineer Group Leader, University Hospital of Leipzig

What do German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Olympic medallist Kristin Otto and the successful writer Juli Zeh have in common? They all studied at the University of Leipzig. Leibniz, Goethe, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the physicist Edward Teller also had first-hand experience of the “Alma mater Lipsiensis”. With over 600 years of uninterrupted teaching, this traditional university has seen and will continue to produce numerous prominent graduates. Yet the university does not survive on account of its rich history alone; it also achieves top results in research. Following the reunification of Germany in 1989, the whole of East Germany was ready for extensive modernisation. This included the entire communications system at Leipzig’s university and hospitals. It seems inconceivable now but in the early 1990s, callers were still forwarded manually as a matter of course. This higher education establishment has been using Aastra technology ever since it was completely modernised in 1994. All system components that have been upgraded over the years are compatible with each other. Today, over 900 DECT base stations on the medical campus guarantee high quality coverage and ensure a smooth roaming handover. About 10,000 subscribers currently use its communication server that is about 80 percent digital and has 1,500 DECT endpoints. Aastra’s MX-ONE has proved to be a wise decision for the University of Leipzig. The flexibility and openness of the communication server ensures that it can continue to be enhanced and scale to meet the needs of the university providing them with a solid futureproof solution. The next step will be the introduction of IP telephony within the university.



Key Benefits Highly reliable communication server Flexible upgrades Extremely fail-safe High level of investment protection 28

Belgium Retail and Wholesale

LU Kraft Foods Benelux

Customer Profile

Local subsidiary of Kraft Foods, the world’s second largest food company with annual revenues of $54.4 billion

Iconic brands include: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Philadelphia, and Trident

Needs

Multi-site networking for 1,200 lines Enable homeworking and flexible working Modernizing and standardizing the communications systems

Mobility with IP DECT Solution

Redundant Aastra 5000 communication server 1,200 IP phones 470 DECT handsets (Aastra 630d and 620d) and 130 IP DECT base stations

270 TWP Caller application (250 users work in softphone mode and 70 users in CTI)

Aastra UCP for fax server and voice mail

“With VoIP, LU Kraft Foods realizes significant savings. Aastra communications solution facilitates teleworking and opens the path to flexi working which will provide a better balance between work and private life.” Lode Schrauwen Area IS Manager Kraft Foods Benelux

In 2007, Kraft Foods acquired the LU business. Now its five sites in Belgium and the Netherlands form part of one of the largest food companys’ in the world. The sites in Herentals, Hal and Namur respectively produce biscuits, chocolate and cheese. New offices are located in Mechelen and sales and marketing functions are centralized in Oosterhout (Netherlands). Aastra implemented a full IP and redundant Aastra 5000 communication server for its 1,200 users and leveraged the networking strengths of this communication server to bring the 5 locations into a single communications network with a uniform numbering plan. Premise based mobility was also a key requirement for LU Kraft Foods Benelux, especially to support communications and safety of staff working at one of the production sites. Aastra base stations are easily deployed and simply connected to the IP network while DECT handsets offers a high level of reliability, voice clarity and superior battery life for a professional use. Moreover, the Aastra 630d DECT handsets have been designed for industrial environments: they offer a high level of dust protection, an ambient noise filter for noisy surroundings and an emergency key on the handset which connected to an alarm server. Kraft Foods places great emphasis on healthy living and balance between work and private life with telework and flexi work. After an initial trial phase, LU Kraft Foods decided to order 270 UC Caller applications and softphones to enable its employees to work from any location with access to the same tools used at the office for a professional handling of calls.

Key Benefits Uniform numbering plan within the network (Belgium and The Netherlands)

Highly reliable DECT solutions suited for industrial environments

Full redundancy Significant cost savings Communications solutions enabling homeworking and flexi working 29



Lycopodium Minerals Qld Pty Ltd

Customer Profile

Engineering consulting subsidiary of the listed Lycopodium (ASX:LYL), an Australian headquartered engineering and project management consultancy which provides a complete range of services for the evaluation, development, implementation and optimisation of projects across a broad range of industries

Needs

Roll out additional telephony to accommodate a more than doubling of its staff from 45 to 100

Cost effective solution Switch from an old analogue/digital telephony system to an IP telephony that could improve productivity and reduce costs

Solution

Aastra 700 communication server 80 Aastra 7433ip telephones with intuitive user interface

20 Aastra 7434ip telephones with tiltable display and eight programmable function keys

“We liked the way Aastra works as a complete solution. Its open architecture UC are able to accommodate new technologies whenever you need them making their solutions future proof.” Duane Marshall Manager, Systems and Resources Integration and Training, Lycopodium Minerals Qld

Australia Services

The continuing demand for its services has led Lycopodium Minerals Qld to a major expansion at its Brisbane head office. To accommodate its growth, the customer needed to add a floor and 60-users to its network. Working with communication specialists TTGroup Communications, Lycopodium assessed that its existing analogue system could be expanded by extending its voice and data networks and adding handsets. However, upgrading an aging phone system is rarely viable. While there may be some short term cost benefits, businesses miss out on the productivity gains generated from UC. These benefits are delivered through a single network, offering anywhere anytime mobility, softphone, voice, presence, text, collaboration and video integration. Working with TTGroup, Lycopodium reviewed IP telephony offerings from Mitel and Aastra. While the Mitel system supported IP technologies, following internal reviews and consultation with its group CIO there was a preference for a pure open IP solution from Aastra. Aastra’s advanced communications technologies and applications provide for legacy analogue, digital DECT, and CAS/MFC-RC with MFU components to be integrated into the solution. This feature is particularly important for medium and large organizations that want to retain as much serviceable technology as possible and maximise their telephony investments. For Lycopodium, Aastra provided better compatibility with its existing network and systems. All-in-one Aastra 700 supports standard communications protocols like SIP. It is based on open architecture promoting easy integration. The flexibility and integration offered by Aastra and its many advanced in-built cost saving benefits designed to reduce costs and improve workplace productivity provided a strong business case.

Key Benefits Saving in call costs, monthly line charges, inbound



mobile and text use costs

A fully featured IP communication server with a complete suite of applications

Providing productivity enhancing resources such as unified messaging and integrated mobility

Easy to manage – from a central, web-based interface Highly integrated and flexible solution enabling scalability whilst keeping the original investment in infrastructure and licenses 30

Medical University of Warsaw

Customer Profile

The largest medical school in Poland 1,352 academic teachers and more than 5,000 students

Needs

Enhance the efficiency of communications within the campus and externally as well

Modern and future-proof communications solution enabling a gradual migration to IP telephony

Provide rich functionality and an innovative solution to cater for its needs

Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Aastra IP telephones

“Aastra MX-ONE provides the Medical University of Warsaw with the expected flexibility in terms of time and technology in the migration process with a maximum of investment protection.”

Poland Education and Research

The Medical University of Warsaw (MUW ) is the largest medical school in Poland. More than ten years ago, a new faculty, the Faculty of Health Sciences was established with three divisions – Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition, and the Faculty of Postgraduate Education. The MUW has over 5,000 students and a staff of 1,352 academic teachers, including 146 professors and 581 lecturers. The University offers degree courses in nine principal subject areas and in four specialities. Additionally, it provides post-graduate education (specialty training and refresher courses). MUW wanted to enhance the efficienc y of communications within the campus and externally as well as have a communications solution with high quality, rich functionality to cater to its needs. These requirements were met by an Aastra MX-ONE communication server. The hybrid solution enables the University to connect various existing telephones to provide investment protection as well as support IP telephony. The implementation of IP telephony offers more flexibility for all the frequent changes (additional extensions or moves) that often arise in a university campus environment. Such updates can easily be managed by the University’s own IT department. The new IP-based solution also makes it possible to easily connect small or larger branch offices while delivering cost effective communications. Solution implemented by DAMOVO POLSKA SP. Z.O.O.

MSc Radoslaw Plewinski Head of the Information Infrastructure Maintenance

Key Benefits The hybrid solution gives the customer the freedom and flexibility to decide when and how to migrate to IP telephony

Flexibility to decide when and how to allocate costs by reusing existing infrastructure and telephones

IP telephony simplifies any changes, additions or moves 31



Finland Health Care

MediKes

Customer Profile Information and communication technology services provider specializing in the social services and health care market

One of its largest customers is the Central Finland Hospital district

Needs

To meet the new requirements for shorter response times

Improved customer service Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center Aastra CMG Contact Management suite

“Over 270,000 people located all over the province benefit from voice services produced by MediKes.” Veli-Pekka Leppänen Technology Expert, MediKes Oy

By implementing an Aastra Solidus eCare multimedia contact center solution, MediKes has been able to improve customer service, increase patient satisfaction and save money. The customer service for health care in central Finland relies on Aastra technology. Solidus eCare has proved to be the right choice and adding new regional units to the solution has been easy and seamless. “A single contact center platform handles all the health care customer service calls for the City of Jyväskylä and the Central Finland Hospital District. New regional units can be added to the same solution as required,” Leppänen says. “We are making economies of scale by increasing the number of customers that can be handled by our existing infrastructure and all 700 agents benefited from excellent support and training. As a result, customers calling the health care centers and hospitals are happy to find that queuing times are no longer a source of frustration as their calls are now handled faster and more efficiently. Such improvements in customer service have been supported by the good results achieved in customer satisfaction surveys conducted by TNS.” Intelligent reporting enables MediKes to focus its attention in any areas that need extra support and plan changes to their processes and further improvements accordingly. For example, new web based services are being introduced as well as an IM feature for hearing impaired patients. Thanks to callback, contact center agents can deal with enquiries during off peak hours. MediKes has also integrated the Aastra CMG Contact Management suite with calendaring information so calls can be routed in the best way according to employees’ availabilities.



Key Benefits Shorter response time Efficient appointment reservation for the entire Hospital district More flexible work planning through reporting Better service during peak hours More efficient operation Cost savings 32

Ministry of the Economy and Finance

Customer Profile Italy’s Ministero dell’Economia e delle Finanze (MEF) Executive body responsible for economic, financial public expenditure and verifying its trends, revenue policies and tax system

Operates the State’s public land and heritage, land register and customs

Needs

Optimize the existing communication network consisting of Aastra MD110s to protect investment

Ensure continuity of ser vice during the implementation of the entire migration project

Have a native IP solution offering a high level of reliability, safety and open standards support

Offer an advance integration of mobility Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Aastra CMG attendant console

“Our aim is to achieve a full integration between voice and data, save part of past investments, as well as reduce administrative costs and energy consumption.” Mr. Mario Monteleone IT Manager

Italy Government

Italy’s Ministry of the Economy and Finance (MEF) awarded a contract for the maintenance, management and implementation of the Information and Communications technology system of Public Administrations. The objective of the contract, which will run for 4 years from November 2011, is to evolve the existing infrastructure into a modern and more streamlined communication solution. This mandate will be realized through the migration of its existing telephony system to cutting-edge IP technology which will enable the implementation of new value added features and functionality such as Unified Communications. Aastra, partnering with Fastweb, designed, developed and deployed the win-win elements of this solution which will see the MEF migrate from their existing MD110 telphone system to a state-of-the-art MX-ONE communication server. This migration will enable the Ministry to maintain and use most of their existing MD110 infrastructure (analog and digital phones, DECT infrastructure, messaging applications etc.) while making the MD110 evolve to a fully featured IP platform thanks to the core system replacement. Such an evolution not only allows the convergence of data and voice infrastructures but also fixed mobile convergence and guarantees a considerable return on initial investment. Aastra won this important contract thanks to its ability to demonstrate that there would be a smooth migration path available from their existing MD110 to the MX-ONE and its complete suite of Unified Communications applications. Furthermore, the Ministry was impressed with the offer of a ready and professional consultancy service and innovative efficient cost-saving solutions.



Key Benefits Smooth migration and investment protection CMG attendant console for a more efficient call handling Survivability 33

Switzerland Hospitality and Leisure

Monastery of Einsiedeln

Customer Profile One of the most important baroque cultural heritage sites north of the Alps Important regional employer A high school, theological school, pilgrimage office, workshops and sports facilities also form part of the monastery

Needs Improved handling of enquiries reaching the busy pilgrimage office Notification solution for medical alerts Integrated mobility Guest room billing

Solution Aastra OpenCom 1300 communication server with IP, digital and analog deskphones Aastra OpenCount for call charge management Aastra 620d DECT handsets Aastra Mobile Client for fixed mobile convergence Aastra Open Messaging Server integrated with a paging system and used as an alarm server

“The development of a plan of this size can only be realized through a close cooperation with the supplier. For us, the intensive and fruitful cooperation with Aastra was the nuts and bolts of this project. Hats off! Our needs were fully covered!”

The monastery of Einsiedeln is one of the most important Baroque Cultural Heritage sites north of the Alps. It is also a very important regional employer. The diversity of activities at the monastery of Einsiedeln put a high level of very specialised requirements in their tender for a new communication server. Aastra was able to meet all these imperatives. An Aastra OpenCom 1300 communication server is now supporting all of the monastery communications with more than 300 extensions and choice of analogue, digital and IP deskphones. All the different locations now form part of a single communications network for easier and cheaper internal calls. For highly mobile members of staff like nurses, Aastra DECT handsets provide all the required in-house mobility and an alarm server integrated with pagers has also been installed to ensure that all urgent situations are dealt with promptly. Mobile phone users are now fully integrated into the communication server and can easily be reached on a single number. Aastra Mobile Client gives them access to advance telephony features while on the move. The monastery has a busy pilgrimage office receiving calls from 150,000 to 200,000 pilgrims annually. To help manage this volume of enquiries, different recorded messages are available according to the time. Accommodations for visitors is also available at the monastery and the new call charge management application helps to easily and accurately charge guests for calls made from their rooms.

Erich Fässler Head of Electrical Department in Einsiedeln Monastery

Key Benefits



Offer a comprehensive solution covering all needs Better handling of telephone enquiries Improved safety for patients with alarm server Improved reachability with integrated mobility Easy management of guests’ call expenses 34

France Public Sector

Nantes Habitat

Customer Profile Public authority for affordable housing Builds and renovates between 350 and 400 additional homes every year and is the leading social landlord in western France Houses 46,000 people with over 24,000 homes

Needs Replace an ageing communication solution Improve the working conditions for Nantes Habitat employees

Rationalise communication costs Implement a virtualized architecture Solution 1 duplicated Aastra 5000 communication server and 2 Aastra XL gateways 340 Aastra 6739i SIP phones 1 DECT IP mobility solution with 8 Aastra 620d DECT handsets CTI TWP application and UCP unified messaging ACP Web Attendant operator workstation for incoming calls Aastra Management 7450 network administration solution “We chose virtualization for its ease of integration but also for security reasons. All communication applications have been charged to the virtual server.” Christophe Chapet Director of Nantes Habitat Information Systems

Spread over 10 different locations, including 7 agencies, Nantes Habitat, a public authority for affordable housing in France, felt the need to update and standardise its telephony solutions so that their 650 employees could communicate easily and more effectively. The Nantes Habitat Director of Information Services, who managed the project, wanted to implement a cost-effective technologically rich communication solution. Their main objectives included; replacement of an ageing infrastructure; improvement of working conditions with new communication applications; optimising communication costs, and, implementation of a virtualized architecture. After reviewing the options, they chose Aastra for its recognized expertise in IP communications and for the innovative nature and adaptability of the solutions proposed by Aastra. An Aastra multi-site infrastructure composed of a duplicated Aastra 5000 communication server and two Aastra X Series gateways was deployed. This was enhanced with a comprehensive software suite, web attendant consoles, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), a DECT IP mobility solution as well as a software management system for the network’s administration. In addition, a fully virtualised HP infrastructure has allowed the company to save money by reducing the number of servers required while ensuring high system security. Standardising each workstation, no matter what the employee’s profile is, has contributed to creating a feeling of equality within the company and helped develop a certain closeness between employees. Economically, Aastra solutions have helped reduce communication costs by 70 to 75%. “Thanks to Aastra’s VoIP, internal calls are now free and we anticipate amortising the solution over two years.” concluded Christophe Chapet, Director of Nantes Habitat Information Systems.

Key Benefits Standardised communication infrastructure Lasting and secure architecture Improved employee satisfaction A 70 to 75% reduction in communication costs 35



France Industrial

Nicols

Customer Profile Key European player in the production and distribution of household cleaning products since 1947

More than 600 staff and over 2,500 products Annual turnover of €90m Needs Working with the business’ management and process centralisation strategy Rationalizing long distance communication costs Maximizing staff mobility Implementation of a multi-site network across 3 countries (France, Belgium and Poland)

Solution 3 Aastra 5000 communication servers 365 terminals including: 114 DECT handsets, 81 IP phones, 84 GSM Wi-Fi terminals with Fixed Mobile Convergence Aastra Management 7450 network administration solution

“For the first time, each staff member has the means of communicating with other colleagues. We now feel, more than ever, that we are part of a group thanks to our telephone network. It makes our day to day lives easier.” Fabrice Denoual Group IT System Manager at Nicols

Nicols has been consolidating its business activities for a number of years now with a focus on standardising processes and making its business units more uniform on an international level. From a communications technology perspective, the company wanted a solution that would work across the group and deliver a reduction in international call charges. In the end, Nicols chose an Aastra solution. The new communications infrastructure had to meet several requirements including two key ones; the ability to implement it across a tri-national network, and, it had to support mobility both within each site, and between the different sites of the company. This would help the company cope with the fact that many of its employees move around within each site, and from site to site. Fabrice Denoual, Group IT Systems Manager at Nicols points out: “Aastra drew our interest on a number of levels. Firstly, it has a network of third parties that ensures multi-site implementation of the infrastructure across various countries. From a technology point of view, the Fixed Mobile Convergence solution meets our needs exactly. Aastra’s large range of fixed mobile terminals was also a major advantage,” Fabrice adds “face-to-face contact is important to us. As such, our employees move around. It is key for us that our network allows such movement.” The multi-site network consisted of: Aastra 5000 communication servers, DECT IP and Fixed Mobile Convergence solutions for the GSM requirements. This new infrastructure met two needs: firstly that of a homogenous centralised network across the group, but also that of mobility. Once the solution had been rolled out, Nicols quickly saw the results and changes it was hoping for. One year was all it took to see a 34% reduction in communication costs, a saving made largely thanks to Fixed Mobile Convergence.



Key Benefits Greater mobility thanks to DECT technology and Fixed Mobile Convergence

34% reduction in phone bill costs Improved day-to-day communication amongst teams

Standardized communication system across all sites 36

United Kingdom Retail and Wholesale

Park Cameras

Customer Profile Independent supplier of photographic equipment, offering customers competitive prices, a great choice and excellent service Thriving online and mail order business Large showroom in Burgess Hill, Sussex, UK

Needs Support expanding telesales business Enhance the customer experience Deliver valuable call reporting information Support future expansion Solution Aastra 470 IP communication server Aastra 5370ip phones ACD web interface wallboard

“The advanced reporting makes for easy administration and management of the contact center operation. This has helped in terms of managing staff and resources and improving customer service levels.” Monique Oliver Customer Operations Manager

Park Cameras was established in 1971 and for over forty years have forged a reputation across the photographic industry as one of the top independent photographic retailers in the UK. Park need to upgrade its communication infrastructure to support its expanding telesales business improve their ability to manage incoming calls. Nomis Connections recommended the Aastra 470 communication server with contact center functionality. This solution is flexible, scalable and future-proof. With a strong focus on open standards, the Aastra 470 works seamlessly with the ACD (Automatic Call Distributor) web interface wallboard for its contact center. Wallboards are a cost-effective and efficient method of communicating real-time information to a business displaying information such as the number of calls waiting, time taken to answer, number of agents available, etc. Up to a dozen contact center agents work full time at any one time, but the Aastra 470 also enables other staff in hunt groups to join the contact center to take calls at times of maximum demand using their Aastra 5370ip deskphones. This has delivered with increased flexibility and the reassurance that the contact center cannot get overloaded. The hot desking supported by the Aastra 470 means that agents can log in at any deskphone and get their own set-up. In addition, the Aastra Office Suite allows full onscreen call management and gives the agent the caller’s incoming number (CLI). It also provides presence information for all Park Camera staff, not just the contact center team. Nomis Connections is an independent supplier of telecoms solutions to UK businesses, serving a wide range of customers with varying requirements.

Key Benefits Supports hot desking Customised reporting enabling management staff to review performance

Easy administration saving time and aiding effective management Ability to monitor calls to maximise the efficiency of the staff resources during peaks and troughs times Improved staff efficiency A flexible and future-proof solution 37



Serbia Utilities

PD Elektrovojvodina d.o.o.

Customer Profile Generates and distributes electrical power in the territory of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina

2,500 employees and part of the “Electric Power Industry of Serbia”

Servers around 1,000,000 consumers in approximately 825,000 households

Needs Move to VoIP and create a private communication network Open platform ready for integration with a number of third party applications and communication equipment Distributed and centralized solution in parallel Highly reliable solution

Solution Aastra MX-ONE® communication server with Aastra CMG application suite More than 1,300 Aastra 6700 Series SIP telephones Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center In-house mobility IP DECT solution with more than 20 DECT base stations and 30 DT390 DECT handsets Aastra OneBox voice mail Aastra Manager Availability, System Surveillance

“The highly customized Aastra MX-ONE solution satisfies us, as service quality, equipment reliability, services continuity, call transferability and call trace recording are of utmost importance to our dispatching department and services.” Miodrag Pašćan Telecommunication Department Manager

38

PD “Elektrovojvodina” d.o.o receives and makes a high number of calls on daily basis and therefore needs a reliable and high quality communication solution, which also can be tailored to Elektrovojvodina‘s own requirements. This is essential in order to respond to the challenges and needs of the power production and distribution business. The solution chosen by Elektrovojvodina was the Aastra MX-ONE communication server with a distributed and centralized architecture in four cities with nine distributed IP communication servers including network and server redundancy. The total number of extensions deployed was in excess of 1,500 SIP and 300 analogue lines. IP DECT was also installed to provide in-house mobility. The solution is connected via several ISDN PRA trunks to Telekom Serbia, but offers a future integration and connectivity to alternative operators for SIP trunking. A direct connection to the national mobile operator “MTS” helps to decrease mobile communications costs. A wide range of applications including: Aastra OneBox voice mail for 200 users; Solidus eCare multimedia contact center for 10 agents; MX-ONE Provisioning; MX-ONE Manager Availability for system monitoring; Netwise CMG with corporate directory; operator positions and business users were also deployed. Aastra’s MX-ONE support for open standards allows an easy integration with third party applications such as the billing application that monitors all incoming, outgoing and mobile calls. Furthermore, a complex integration of Elektrovojvodina’s own radio, business and intercom networks was achieved by using third party IP dispatching consoles registered as SIP extensions on the Aastra MX-ONE communication server. Solution implemented by TeleGroup d.o.o.

Key Benefits Improved productivity and flexibility for the corporate users of telephone services Enabled integration with existing private two-way radio communication systems and voice recording systems Open standards for third party integration Highly reliable IP communication server with focus on hardware, connection, trunk and network redundancy Very high overall connection and communication services availability

Petra Engineering Industries Co.

Customer Profile A market leading designer & manufacturer of HVAC equipment Exports to 50 countries Employs more than 1,500 people and owns a 300,000m² production facility

Needs Survivability of PSTN communications by having alternative routes towards the PSTN from various locations Reduction of international call costs by using SIP trunks Re-using existing terminals and hardware as much as possible to install full IP solution Integration with Microsoft® Lync™

Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server 552 extensions

“We need Unified Communications that enables and enhances our environments for more effective communications and collaboration across our business processes including Lync integration to allow communication and conference anywhere.” Mohammad Awad IT Manager

Jordan Industrial

Petra Engineering Industries Co. is a market leader in the design and manufacturing of sophisticated, high quality commercial and industrial HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) equipment. The company has grown significantly and today has a facility that is over 300,000m² with more than 1,500 highly competent technical and managerial employees. To cope with the increasing demands for Petra’s products worldwide, Petra has embarked on an expansion program to build a 200,000m² production facility at Mafraq, Jordan and a 30,000m² facility in Saudi Arabia. Looking at modernizing their existing TDM-based Aastra MD110 system they approached all IP telephony vendors for a solution which fits their needs in a resilient distributed architecture, giving them spatial redundancy for maintaining the availability of IP endpoints as well as PRI trunk geographical resiliency. Jordan is pioneering in the Middle East in deregulating VoIP and has several VoIP providers offering competitive international rates, so SIP trucking was a major requirement as well. Furthermore the new system should tightly integrate with Microsoft Lync, which is already deployed in Petra Engineering’s offices. The project was won by Aastra’s certified system integrator UNITEL in Jordan who implemented a distributed multi-gateway solution consisting of five MX-ONE communication servers and four media gateways with server redundancy, HLR redundancy and SIP trunks to service provider and Microsoft Lync. In case of WAN failure each site survives autonomously with no loss of functionality and if a PRI at a site fails, then an alternate route over the WAN to another site’s PRI is established.



Key Benefits Savings of 70% in communication costs using SIP trunking

High availability of end-point and trunks throughout the IP network

Remote site survivability Interoperability between Aastra MX-ONE communication server and Microsoft Lync

Maximum investment protection by re-using legacy phones and parts of their existing MD110 infrastructure

39

Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs Group

Customer Profile Leader in local tourism in Europe, the company manages a network of more than 51,000 apartments and homes The group includes internationally recognized brands like Center Parcs

Needs Multi-site networking with managed services for all Center Parcs across several European countries

Modernize and standardize the communications infrastructure Reduce communications costs and provide full redundancy

Solution Redundant network with 25 Aastra IntelliGate® communication servers Managed services 2 contact centers for 40 agents 1380 IP phones, 250 SIP phones and 500 analogue phones

“Integration of UC applications will allow staff to work more efficiently using their familiar applications. Besides that, SIP trunking will allow us to reduce expenses and simplify the integration of various network services into a unified system.” John Broekhuizen Project & Process Manager

Belgium Hospitality and Leisure

For an easier management of its communication infrastructure and lower operational costs, Center Parcs Group decided to replace its various old voice PBXs and standardize with the Aastra IntelliGate communication server now used as the single solution for all voice communications, including the integration with mobile phones. The collaboration with Aastra was strengthened and extended as a result of the product openness and partner expertise in international networking. Aastra deployed 25 IntelliGate communication servers to 26 resorts across Belgium, Germany, Luxemburg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom with a fully redundant solution, a uniform numbering plan and transparent network. With its managed services contract, Center Parcs Group now has a single point of contact and can concentrate on its core business. A contact center supports efficient management and customer calls and enquiries while employees benefit from an improved experience, they can easily customize how and when they can be reached, irrespective of their equipment and location. A CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) application helps employees to manage calls with features like click-todial. As a result, the availability of services as well as the accessibility of staff has now improved dramatically. This solution has enabled a sharp decrease of the communication costs in Europe thanks to the SIP trunking and integration of fixed-mobile solution.

Key Benefits



Uniform numbering plan within the network all over Europe

Significant cost savings All internal calls between the different sites are done via the data network (SIP trunking)

Full redundancy 40

Italy Education and Research

Politecnico di Torino

Customer Profile Leading engineering university founded in 1862 30,000 students, 120 courses and 1,800 employees Two large campuses in Turin, 5 across the Piedmont region and a new “Polis Campus”

Needs Create a converged data and communications solution that optimizes technologies in uses such as the HP data infrastructure Offer support for open standards Cost-efficient and superior solution for IP communications

Solution Aastra MX-ONE® communication server deployed on 3 HP zl modules with 14 media gateways 3,700 extensions and Aastra Manager Provisioning Full IP infrastructure compatible with open standards

“One of our key objectives was the full integration between voice and data as well as saving parts of past investment. We achieved it as well as reducing administrative costs thanks to a centralised management.”

The university’s former voice network was based on Aastra MD110 technology distributed over 5 sites, 14 LIM and 3,600 users. The requirement was to implement a full IP solution that would be integrated into an HP infrastructure. After reviewing its options, the university selected Aastra based on its technological expertise and ability to offer an innovative and cost-efficient solution that could be fully integrated into the customer’s data network. The migration to a fully featured IP communication system was achieved with the installation of an Aastra MX-ONE communication server deployed on HP zl modules, with 14 gateways to support 3,700 users (with a mix of existing TDM phones and new IP phones including the Aastra 7433ip). Applications deployed include Aastra OneBox for Unified Messaging and Aastra Manager Provisioning for centralized management of the communication server. A strong high level partnership was established between HP developers and Aastra engineers that allowed the project to be implemented smoothly and successfully. This team supported all stages of the deployment, from installation, managing the customer-facing relationship and training of the customer’s technical staff. Aastra was successful in delivering a cost efficient converged solution between data and voice network with a reduced footprint. Furthermore, the university was able to reuse some of its existing hardware and communication infrastructure providing a further cost savings.

Ing. Marcello Maggiora IT Manager

Key Benefits Data & voice network integration Cost efficiency with communication server integrated in HP zl modules

Smooth migration from TDM to IP providing investment protection to the customer 41

Ireland Hospitality and Leisure

RCI

Customer Profile Worldwide leader in vacation exchange Global community of more than three million timeshare owners

Vacation experiences at more than 3,700 resorts in 101 countries

Aastra’s Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT ) handsets have delivered greater flexibility for RCI staff at its European call center at Cork in Ireland enabling them to remain in touch at all times even when moving around the building. The existing telephones were not compatible with the new VoIP system and in addition, RCI required a mobility solution. Managers and Technical Support staff were often away from their desks, yet still needed to be available to make and receive calls, so RCI approached Aastra to recommend a solution.

Needs Modernise the infrastructure Increase flexibility Reduce costs Provide a mobility solution

Aastra recommended the Aastra 620d SIP-DECT handsets and base stations to provide a solution for mobility within RCI’s building. The Aastra 620d has a large illuminated 2” graphic colour display and eight programmable keys which provide quick access to the most used or favourite functions, is equipped with a Bluetooth interface for cordless headsets and comes with an option for a higher capacity battery.

Solution

Aastra 620d SIP-DECT® handsets

The Aastra 620d DECT handsets were easily and seamlessly integrated into their existing VoIP platform.

“Aastra’s recommended solution was extremely cost effective and the fact it fully supported SIP and would work with our existing cloud-based back-end solution was a key benefit.”

The technology from Aastra forms part of their disaster recovery plan which includes the ability to make internal calls to offices worldwide over the network at no cost by allowing calls to be transferred from one location to another, should the need arise.

Roger Jones Network Engineer Information systems, RCI Group

Key Benefits Maintaining phone contact for Managers and Technical Support staff when away from their desks An effective in-house mobility solution Part of a disaster recovery plan Seamless integration with third party technology 42

Australia Services

Robinson Legal

Customer Profile Sydney based law firm specialising in commercial law, property and commercial litigation

Needs Replacing an existing system as the rental agreement was going to expire Rental, line and call charges were costing more than AUS $36,000 annually yet the phones were only being used to take, make and transfer calls. There were also a growing of ‘hidden’ call costs from mobile devices used by staff, which incurred high carrier charges. These mobile devices were not integrated with the firm’s office phones

Solution Aastra 470 communication server 30 Aastra 6739i SIP telephones Voice mail 8 mobile extensions 8 Aastra Mobile Clients 14 Outlook Connectors

“Aastra is different. It understands the needs of the smaller firm whose communications dollar has to work hard now and over the longer term. Its representatives provided us with a demonstration of the Aastra 400 and its capabilities which impressedthem making their solutions future proof.” Dominique Robinson Managing Partner

Robinson Legal needed a communications system that could promote collaboration and ensure its office resources were available inside or outside the office. The law firm reviewed various systems to replace its analogue phones. Offerings from the larger providers were found to be highly expensive for smaller size firms, while carriers simply forwarded brochures without any follow through. The business case for the Aastra 400 was compelling. It offered an all-in-one unified communications and collaboration (UCC) solution that seamlessly integrated communication servers, terminals, software and mobility solutions and applications. The changeover was completed over a weekend. Aastra’s flexibility enabled the solution to be tailored to integrate with an existing SoftLog billing and mobile phones using just one number. The deployment included 30 highly intuitive Aastra 6739i 9-line SIP telephones featuring color touch screen display and softkeys, HD sound, dedicated LED indicators and built-in Bluetooth. The 6739i also features multiple headset connection options, and extensive call management capabilities. The embedded UCC applications in the Aastra 400 proved a key benefit. They include integrated Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and email notification of voicemail messages that promote strong customer and colleague responsiveness. Least cost routing available with the Aastra Mobile Client application greatly reduces telephone charges, particularly with overseas and interstate calls – an important feature for the firm whose managing partner and senior consultant spend up to four months per year working away. With Aastra 400, remote workers’ calls are routed over the company’s IP network for further savings, while benefiting from the same level of efficiency and functionality as those who are office-based.



Key Benefits Significant savings in call costs, monthly line charges,

mobile and text use costs with significant room for growth ROI of around 6 months Strong networking capabilities allowing senior partners to work from 2 other sites Single office today with senior partners using SIP telephones from two remote locations 43

Rockefeller Group Technology Solutions

Customer Profile Established in 1984 as a managed services group providing communications services to Rockefeller Center tenants Currently delivering technology solutions to more than 500 clients across the United States Early provider of voice mail, high-speed Internet, and IP-based phone services to their customers

Needs Advanced Unified Communications features Multi-tenant capabilities Ease-of-integration with third-party applications Total solution including IP-PBX, endpoints and implementation

Solution Clearspan® SIP-to-the-core softswitch with customizable toolbars, click-to-dial functionality, Outlook integration, and one-number accessibility Aastra SIP phones – 6757i full-featured phones and 6739i executive color touch-screen phones Turnkey implementation and support from Aastra 2 IBM® BladeCenter® S Chassis

“We’re very pleased to launch our new ROCKVoice platform with Clearspan from Aastra. We’re very confident of its immediate benefits and of the advantages it will provide in the years ahead for our clients and for our service operations.” John Tarduno President and CEO, RGTS

United States Services

Rockefeller Group Technology Services (RGTS) saw a demand in the marketplace for more flexible, costeffective solutions. In response, they decided to augment their proprietary IP phone system with an open standard SIP-based solution that was less constrained and could take advantage of XML standards and cost-effective integration to 3rd-party applications. RGTS selected Clearspan® to power a new service offering they call ROCKVoice. Clearspan improvements over the legacy system include: integration with desktop applications, better support for remote workers, 4-digit dialing across multiple locations, and customized GUI for each customer. Another important factor in the selection process was that Aastra was able to provide a turnkey solution – hardware, software, endpoints and implementation. This enabled RGTS to deploy the pilot solution and begin rollout much more quickly. RGTS operates two data centers to ensure business continuity for its customers. Since the Clearspan solution runs on off-the-shelf hardware, if fit seamlessly into their network infrastructure. Clearspan provides a complete set of Unified Communications applications including centralized voicemail, conferencing, contact center, fixed mobile convergence (FMC) and presence integration. And because the applications are built-in, not bolted on, up to 100,000 users can be supported on a single IBM BladeCenter and can be scaled to support millions of users. Among their plans for the future, RGTS is developing a Channel Program to enable partners to resell its services. They expect to see significant growth from the channel and believe the ability to offer the ROCKVoice VoIP service will be a key enabler in attracting both channel partners and end customers.

Key Benefits



Lower total cost of ownership (TCO) Abundant unified communications productivity tools Native multi-tenancy provides greater flexibility in service offerings for customers Open standards XML support ongoing innovation Self-provisioning capabilities resulting in less administrative effort 44

Colombia Services

Seguros Bolívar

Customer Profile 70 year old company dedicated to offering insurance for families and businesses Subsidiary of Sociedades Bolívar SA, a Colombia based company involved in the financial sector

Needs A highly reliable contact center infrastructure that can handle emergency calls

A strong communication system to ensure high quality services with VIP customer handling Upgrade the current PBX to a solution that can grow with business expansion CTI Integration (Computer Telephony Integration)

Solution Aastra MX-ONE® communication server with 200 users Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center with 105 agents with multimedia support, email, chat, voice and SMS Dialog 4222 deskphones

“Solidus eCare is the gate to provide our customers a unique contact experience by reaching us through calls, chat, SMS and emails, giving us the possibility to offer them a high quality service.” Rafael Buitrago G. Coordinador Gerencia Contact Center

Seguros Bolívar S.A. is a leading insurance company in the Latin American market with offices located throughout Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica and in the United States. The company has won many awards in the insurance sector including “Best Customer Experience” in Colombia and Latin America in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Seguros Bolívar is also an International Standards Certified Company having achieved ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 certifications. To continue offering a unique and superior customer experience, the company felt they needed to make improvements to their communications systems that would upgrade their contact center and VIP customer care operations, while providing more efficient communication solutions for their 230 employees that support the company operation. After evaluating their options, Seguros Bolívar chose Aastra and deployed an MX-ONE communication server, as well as Aastra’s Solidus eCare multimedia contact center solution. Flexibility, ease of integration with third party products and the ability to handle future growth were all contributing factors that made the decision to go with Aastra an easy one for Seguros Bolívar. The company’s 105 multimedia agents are now handling approximately 5,500 inbound calls per day. The tight integration between Aastra Solidus eCare and third party products allow the agents to identify the incoming customer prolife automatically so that they can provide the appropriate VIP customer treatment. Solidus eCare is also being used to handle outbound calling campaigns to reach out to new customers and to remind customers about due dates. In addition, customers can now reach the contact center via email, live chat or SMS which all has contributed to even higher satisfaction levels amongst Seguros Bolívar customers.

Key Benefits With Aastra Solidus eCare, Seguros Bolívar gives

its customers many ways of contacting them in emergencies Interpretability with 3rd party IVR and CRM (Siebel) A reliable communication server that supports business operations and growth Significant cost saving in future expansions, providing further investment protection Real time reports to increase quality of service for VIP customers 45



The Czech Republic Media and Entertainment

Seznam.cz

Customer Profile The most popular Internet portal in the Czech Republic visited by 2.5 million users daily Thanks to Seznam.cz, the Czech Republic is among the 5 countries worldwide where Google is not #1 in terms of audience Listed as one of the most successful Czech companies and top 5 most valuable Czech trademarks

Needs Better support for outbound calls to communicate business proposals

Effective monitoring and higher productivity of contact center agents Better processes through reporting, call recording and assessment Open standard support to ensure interoperability with third party hardware and software applications

Solution Aastra 5000 communication server 263 IP extensions and 61 contact center agents Call management and routing, automated IVR systems and reporting tools

Aastra certified third party solutions for database and CRM application integration

“We have been working with Aastra 5000 for three years with absolute reliability. We were able to use the new contact center at 100% from the very first day without any disruption of our business activities.” Michal Bittner Technical support and Facilities Manager Seznam.cz

46

Seznam.cz supports its business through a wide range of information and communications solutions, including a contact center whose agents mainly rely on outbound calls to communicate business proposals as well as process incoming calls. Contact center activities are focused on the quality of customer interaction rather than speed. Seznam.cz used to operate a third-party digital PBX for its contact center without any outbound campaign capability. The legacy system became unable to manage the increasing contact center requirements, especially with the fast growing number of customer interactions and enhanced productivity of its contact center agents. The company decided to adopt a modern solution, that would meet its requirements for improved quality processes and monitoring (with reporting, call recording and agent assessment) and advanced incoming and outgoing call management. Finally, Seznam.cz needed to gather more information about agents’ performance to have clear overview on the overall contact center performance. Seznam.cz selected an Aastra 5000 communication server, which not only met functional requirements, but also demands for openness, flexibility and future-proofing. The implementation included the communication server and phones for all agents. The system is currently used by 263 users on IP extensions and 61 contact center agents responsible for all inbound calls and outbound campaigns. Seznam.cz most frequently used features include call management and routing, automated IVR and reporting tools. Solution implemented by atlantis telecom.

Key Benefits Ability to monitor contact center agents productivity and detect any potential efficiency gain Increased volume of customer contacts with the same number of contact center agents Higher services and faster response for Seznam. cz’s customers thanks to skill based routing and call management features Data easily available for evaluation and changes of processes according to the company strategy Easy management and service enabling to service the system internally through its own trained staff

Switzerland Education and Research

Stäfa Municipality Schools

Customer Profile Located on the Lake Zürich shoreline, Stäfa municipality has 7 buildings dedicated to primary education and 13 to kindergartens

Needs Simple but efficient alerting solution available in every class room “Silent” alert or by ringtones, simple to use, not requiring pagers Alarm server integrated into an existing VoIP network

Solution Aastra IntelliGate® 2065 communication server with a total of 215 extensions 3 Satellite Aastra IntelliGate® 2045 at the school office, 4 further school buildings and 13 kindergartens Alarm server Beralarm B600 Choice of phones adapted to the various needs including: Aastra 5370 IP deskphones, Aastra 610d, 620d and 630d DECT handsets

“With this solution, we literally had our cake and ate it too, namely the telephony and alarming. The very good and precise project management impressed us, too. The company Bernauer has implemented the concept extremely quick and accurately.”

To be in a position where they could react quickly to any emergency situation, Stäfa municipality schools wanted to benefit from an alerting solution. A Beralarm server, a solution certified as part of Aastra A2P2 programme (Aastra Application Partner Program), was integrated in the Aastra IntelliGate 2065 communication server and its VoIP network. All the school facilities in Stäfa now benefit from the safety provided by the alarm server that is readily accessible from any phone, including those available in all classrooms. As the solution is scalable, extra extensions or locations can easily be added at any time. In case of an emergency, any staff member can trigger different alert messages (like “evacuate”) by dialing a specific code from a phone or even a DECT handset. In order to avoid any errors, two keys must be pressed simultaneously (e.g. “7” and then “alarm”) to send the alert to the server that will relay it to all the phones across the network. Depending on the alarm type that is triggered, a different ring tone will sound on the phones to alert all the other members of staff. With more phones available, including DECT handsets for premised based mobility, the reachability of teaching staff has been improved and all communications within the network are free thanks to VoIP. Solution deployed by Bernauer AG.

Jürg Meili President of the Stäfa School Commune

Key Benefits Tight integration of the third party alarm server with the Aastra communication server

User-friendly and efficient alarming solution Improved reachability of staff members thanks to DECT and GSM integration

Free of charge voice calls within the network thanks to VoIP 47

Sweden Industrial

Sveden Trä

Customer Profile Wood processing operations with comprehensive concept from forest services to finished, customized consumer goods 125 employees Sales of more than 400 million Swedish Krona and customers located in Sweden, Europe, Asia and North Africa

Needs Improve communication between the company’s locations Better customer service IP telephony

Solution

Aastra 700 communication server with Mobile Extension

Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center Aastra One Box for Unified Messaging and CMG for contact management

“We can really recommend Aastra’s solution because we have got exactly what we wanted.” Mattias Olsson IT Manager, Sveden Trä AB

Sveden Trä (Swedish Wood) has three plants as well as a retail arm with five construction and hardware stores located across in Sweden. The Aastra 700 met all Sveden Trä’s requirements and objectives for better customer service as it could not only offer all the telephony features required but also a contact center, contact management and a comprehensive voicemail in the same compact server. The communication server was very well received by the staff with all the added value offered by the new applications. For example, some of the company’s offices didn’t have any switchboard support and now the whole company benefits from a central attendant function to handle the calls professionally and swiftly. Thanks to the Mobile Extension, everybody is available on a single number even when travelling. If they are not available, the advanced voicemail will take care of messages in the best way. Aastra CMG contact management makes it easy to keep track of the colleagues’ presence. Ultimately, better customer service means better business when, for example, a customer calling the hardware store is more likely to place an order when connected to the right person straight away. When it comes to the communication server management, there are large improvements. Now moves, adds and changes can be done by just one technician, who also gets comprehensive statistics. The hardware takes very little space and the power consumption of the IP phones is much lower than on the old digital phones. The cost has been significantly reduced, not just because internal calls are free of charge, but also because the communication server supports a more modern and flexible way of working.

Key Benefits



Central attendant function that serves the entire organization

With Mobile extension staff are always available, whether in the office or on the go CMG Contact Management with presence helps to easily share availability One voice mail – no matter what phone is used One number plan even though the company is spread over four different area codes 48

Netherlands Industrial

Tata Steel

Customer Profile International industrial company part of Tata Steel Group Sixth largest steel company worldwide 11,000 employees in the Netherlands

Needs Improve customer service and introduce self-service capability

Reduce travel expenses with video conferencing Offer private cloud communication solutions to other Tata Steel divisions in Europe (for IP telephony, contact center, UC)

Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center Aastra OneBox for Unified Messaging DECT Aastra professional services

“Aastra is very experienced in contact centers. That created a very good vision on the set-up of the call center and knowledge of the practical and functional design. A multi-tenant solution like ours is very complex and made the experience essential.”

Tata Steel’s main European steelmaking operations are in the UK and the Netherlands. In The Netherlands, Tata Steel employs 11,000 people and the site covers over 18,000 acres. After being an Aastra customer for more then ten years, Tata Steel recently extended their service contract as part of their move to IP telephony and Unified Communications. Tata Steel also selected Aastra Solidus eCare to improve the service provided by its IT, HR and pension fund help desks. This multitenant contact center support more than 100 agents based in different locations. Self service helps to deal efficiently with many requests leaving more time for agents to concentrate on the more complex ones. The IVR feature ensures that enquiries whether by phone, email or IM can quickly be routed to the most relevant agent – all contributing to a a quick response time and improved customer service. The detailed reporting provides Tata Steel management with a clear overview of the requests and resources needed. Over 300 reporting templates have been created: for example, at the HR Help Desk, sickness notes and return to work notices are integrated into the system and the management team is automatically notified. After this successful roll out in the Netherlands, the objective is to leverage Solidus eCare multi-tenancy capability to support other similar internal requirements in the UK as a private cloud offering. Tata Steel also uses Aastra InAttend for its switchboard, DECT to provide premise-based mobility and is currently testing Aastra BluStar 8000i Desktop Media Phones as a way to reduce travel costs and improve team collaboration.

Frans de Vilder Service Delivery Manager Voice



Key Benefits Improved functionality for service desks by restructuring the contact center call flows and the introduction of self service Simplified roll out across markets as a ‘Private Cloud’ (SaaS) solution enabling multimedia communication service offerings to other Tata Steel offices abroad 49

Norway Education and Research

University of Tromsø

Customer Profile The northernmost university in the world and one of Norway’s largest campuses

9,000 students and 2,500 staff study and work at the University of Tromsø

Needs

Reduce communication operating costs Meet high quality levels for product and service Highly reliable solution Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server supporting 4,000 extensions

Aastra CMG Contact Management Aastra Solidus eCare® multimedia contact center

“We have worked with Aastra since 1987, and in 25 years we have never experienced a full stop at the facility. The reliability is very good and service impeccable.” Bjørnar Nicolaysen Senior Engineer at the University of Tromsø

After investing in a virtual server solution (in a VMware environment), the University of Tromsø achieved a reduction in its server costs of several hundred thousand dollars. In addition, advanced load sharing and redundancy features were easily implemented, and the management costs were also greatly reduced. For its communications, the University of Tromsø used to have “stand alone servers” in each of its locations involving travel for the university engineers. Now the Aastra MX-ONE communication server is virtualized and all 4,000 extensions and associated applications like Solidus eCare and CMG are managed from a single location. “In addition to the reduced operating costs, the reliability has improved. Aastra proved its ability to renew itself in line with new technologies such as virtualization. Aastra has services and products that meet the high demands of the world’s northernmost university”, said Bjørnar Nicolaysen, senior engineer at the University of Tromsø. When the university decided to upgrade their telephone system, virtualization was the way forward. Leveraging the existing virtualized environment for voice communications was a cost effective move and resulted in a highly reliable solution. Communications are critical for an organisation like University of Tromsø. Any disruption can have serious consequences for the operation and thus go beyond the important functions such as sales and customer service. “We backup everything we do on a remote server providing a complete redundancy if something unforeseen should happen in our server park.” adds Bjørnar.



Key Benefits Advanced easily implemented load sharing and redundancy features Reduced the number of physical servers required from 21 to 1 Very secure and reliable solution with High Availability Simplified operations, upgrade and security 50

Germany Financial Services

Volksbank Mittelhessen

Customer Profile Third-largest co-operative bank in Germany with 100 branches, 1,500 employees and total assets of almost €6 billion Important partner for financing local businesses and benefactor for the whole region Strong organic growth and mergers

Needs ICT infrastructure needed harmonization Transparency in costs and simplified administration Modern UCC functions such as video conferencing, document sharing, multimedia conferences Full mobility solution

Solution Geographic redundant Aastra 5000 communication server on HP Service ONE zl module 1,300 Aastra 5300ip IP telephones 1,250 Telephony Web Portal (TWP) UC clients 150 Aastra Mobile Client (AMC) and virtualized Aastra Mobile Client Controller 200 SIP-DECT® base stations and 200 Aastra 600d DECT handsets Aastra Communication Portal (ACP) for 40 contact center agents

“Although pressed for time, our collaboration with DeTeWe Communications worked smoothly from day one. We are very pleased with the result.” Markus Wiche IT-Service Volksbank Mittelhessen, Gießen

With assets of almost 6 billion euros, the Volksbank Mittelhessen is one of the largest co-operative banks in Germany. Its 1,500 employees serve approximately 350,000 clients in more than 100 branches. Following a period of strong organic growth and numerous mergers, it became necessary to harmonize the co-operative’s ICT infrastructure. Consultants recommended a fully scalable Voice-over-IP solution. The bank wanted more transparency in its costs and easier administration. It also wanted a communications solution with functions such as telephone and video conferencing as well as the possibility to conduct multimedia conferences to enable employees from different branches to work together on documents such as PowerPoint presentations. DeTeWe Communications, a subsidiary of Aastra, won the contract with its open standards-based Aastra 5000 communication server against stiff competition. The Aastra 5000 has geographic redundancy and is integrated in a HP Networking Services zl module as network component. The Telephony Web Portal (TWP) application offers comprehensive unified communication and collaboration functions. Aastra 5370ip telephones equip 1,300 desks and 200 employees have DECT handsets. The aim is to integrate the new technology smoothly with Lotus Notes. Mobile phones will be integrated into the solution with the Aastra Mobile Client. Thanks to the new solution, the staff of the Volksbank are now easier to reach. The integrated UCC functions further ensure greater efficiency, and collaboration between teams has improved. The workload on the bank’s internal IT service department has dropped and service costs have been lowered.

Key Benefits Bank staff are easier to reach for clients Higher productivity through UCC functions Improved collaboration between staff in different locations

Less work for internal IT service department Lower service costs Optimum redundancy concept 51



United Kingdom Public Sector

Winchester City Council

Customer Profile Provides services for 112,000 residents, hundreds of businesses and up to four million visitors per year The Council is the first port of call for individuals and local businesses and currently handles over 14,000 calls per month

Needs Increase features and functionality Add value in the customer service center Enhance the customer experience Support future expansion Solution

Aastra MX-ONE® communication server Aastra Solidus eCare® Lite contact center Aastra OneBox unified messaging Software Assurance

“We selected Aastra Solidus eCare Lite because of its advanced feature set, in particular the ability to route calls to agents far more efficiently, on-hook queuing and the in-built call back system.” Paul Wood Head of Customer Service, Winchester City Council

Aastra upgraded Winchester City Council from an MD110 system to an Aastra MX-ONE communication server and, as part of this upgrade, the Council wanted to add value in the customer service center by improving the delivery and quality of service for an enhanced customer experience. The Council was looking for a new, innovative and feature-rich solution to enable them to handle calls in a more efficient and streamlined fashion. The new technology needed to offer the scope and flexibility to enable operators to respond to calls in a timely fashion and therefore to improve customer service levels. It was important that the new solution could be installed within the existing infrastructure as the council did not want to install more communications servers. It also needed to be compatible with thin clients and it was essential that the system could support the council’s current requirements and number of users, as well as being future-proof and capable of scaling to accommodate change and expansion in the future. The solution was Aastra Solidus eCare. The Lite solution includes voice agent functionality for up to 50 agents and, to support future expansion, it allows for seamless migration to the Solidus eCare Multimedia Contact Center using a straightforward license upgrade process that takes a matter of minutes to complete. Other key features include Desktop Manager, which provides call control capabilities to agent desktops and the ability to extend the interactive capability between staff and within an organisation. The Aastra OneBox solution is providing Unified Messaging as well as presence and availability control for the users. This is important as the Council is spread across several buildings.



Key Benefits An IVR platform to improve the customer experience and routing of calls

Advanced reporting aiding management of call periods and staff resources

A seamless call back system to improve communications

Instant access to real-time management information to improve performance

Flexibility to expand the customer service to handle incoming calls from other agencies

52

Index by Country

Argentina

Egypt

Norway

AGEA – Clarín Group 3

HI-Connect 22

University of Tromsø 50

Australia

Finland

Poland

Aerial Capital Group 2

Jimm’s PC Store 25

Medical University of Warsaw 31

Lycopodium Minerals Qld Pty Ltd 30

MediKes 32

Robinson Legal 43

Russia France

Austria

ASSURALLIANCE 6

Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreich 5

Habitat 35 20

Gorenje Austria 19

ILD Homair 23 Nantes Habitat 35

Belgium

PD Elektrovojvodina d.o.o. 38

Sweden

La Citadelle Regional Hospital 27

Germany

LU Kraft Foods Benelux 29

andel’s Hotel Berlin 4

Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs Group 40

Konzerthaus Berlin 26 Leipzig University 28

Avis 7 Enköping Municipality 14 Ericsson 15 Sveden Trä 48

Volksbank Mittelhessen 51

Switzerland

Centro Administrativo da Bahia 12

Ireland Canada

Serbia

Nicols 36

Infrax 24

Brazil

Bolshoi Theater 9

RCI 42

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg 16 Monastery of Einsiedeln 34 Stäfa Municipality Schools 47

Edmonton Public Schools 13

Italy China BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd 8

Colombia Seguros Bolívar 45

Ministry of the Economy and Finance 33 Politecnico di Torino 41

Jordan Petra Engineering Industries Co. 39

The Czech Republic Seznam.cz 46

United Kingdom Cambridge Assessment 11 Park Cameras 37 Winchester City Council 52

Croatia HEP Group-Hrvatska Elektroprivreda 21

Mexico FIRA – Banco de Mexico 17

United States California State University, Fullerton 10

54

Netherlands

Georgia Military College 18

Tata Steel 49

Rockefeller Group Technology Solutions 44

Index by Industry

Education and Research

Hospitality and Leisure

Retail and Wholesale

California State University, Fullerton 10

andel’s Hotel Berlin 4

Avis 7

Cambridge Assessment 11

ILD Homair 23

Jimm’s PC Store 25

Edmonton Public Schools 13

Monastery of Einsiedeln 34

LU Kraft Foods Benelux 29

Georgia Military College 18

Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs Group 40

Park Cameras 37

Leipzig University 28

RCI 42

Medical University of Warsaw 31 Politecnico di Torino 41 Stäfa Municipality Schools 47 University of Tromsø 50

Services Industrial

Aerial Capital Group 2

BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd 8

Lycopodium Minerals Qld Pty Ltd 30

Gorenje Austria 19

Robinson Legal 43

Nicols 36

Financial Services

Petra Engineering Industries Co. 39

Rockefeller Group Technology Solutions 44

ASSURALLIANCE 6

Sveden Trä 48

Seguros Bolívar 45

Volksbank Mittelhessen 51

Tata Steel 49

Telecom Government

Media and Entertainment

Centro Administrativo da Bahia 12

AGEA – Clarín Group 3

FIRA – Banco de Mexico 17

Bolshoi Theater 9

Ministry of the Economy and Finance 33

Konzerthaus Berlin 26 Seznam.cz 46

Ericsson 15

Transportation EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg 16

Health Care Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreich 5

Public Sector

HI-Connect 22

Enköping Municipality 14

La Citadelle Regional Hospital 27

Habitat 35 20

MediKes 32

Nantes Habitat 35 Winchester City Council 52

Utilities HEP Group-Hrvatska Elektroprivreda 21 Infrax 24 PD Elektrovojvodina d.o.o. 38

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About Aastra Aastra Technologies Limited (TSX: “AAH”), is a leading company at the forefront of the enterprise communication market. Headquartered in Concord, Ontario, Canada, Aastra develops and delivers innovative communications products and applications for businesses. Aastra’s operations are truly global with more than 50 million installed lines around the world and a direct and indirect presence in more than 100 countries. Aastra is entirely dedicated to enterprise communi-

cations and offers one of the most complete portfolios of unified communications solutions individually tailored to satisfy its customers’ requirements. These range from feature-rich communication servers for small and medium businesses and highly scalable ones for large enterprises, integrated mobility, call centers solutions to a wide selection of terminals. With a strong focus on open standards, Aastra enables enterprises to communicate and collaborate more efficiently.

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For additional information on Aastra, visit our website at: www.aastra.com

Aastra Technologies 155 Snow Blvd. Concord, ON L4K 4N9 – Canada T 1 905 760 4200 F 1 905 760 4233 www.aastra.com

www.aastra.com