JSE-listed UCS Group, a world-class application software solutions provider, has implemented Cisco's Unified Communications Manager 7.0 solution to streamline its customer services.
The flexibility of the Cisco solution is helping UCS staff to work more efficiently and is saving the company money. Local converged network provider KSS Technologies implemented the solution.
Cisco's Unified Communications solution enhances business productivity and facilitates agility by creating a unified workspace encompassing every combination of applications, devices, networks and operating systems. This scalable, distributable, and highly available enterprise-class system delivers voice, video, mobility, and presence services to IP phones, media processing devices, VOIP gateways, mobile devices, and multimedia applications.
UCS Solutions' Shaun Houghton says the Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.0 solution replaced an outdated PABX system in UCS's 40-seat contact centre. “The advantages of a low cost maintenance solution are enormous, it certainly made this an attractive option. All administration is done in-house, no external skills are required. We plan to roll out the solution to our Durban and Cape Town offices shortly.”
He says a lot of UCS's business relies on staff being mobile, with the ability to meet customers and work either on site or from home. “Simple, yet effective features like extension mobility enable staff to move around an office, between different offices and remain available wherever they are located.”
Deploying the Cisco Unified Communications system to other offices is quick, because there is very little more required than the setting up the core network that would be deployed anyway. There is no need to have a separate PBX for each new location, a huge saving for UCS.
The Cisco Unified Communications System also provides greater call management flexibility. UCS can now choose to receive all calls into a central point and route them out to various departments or route calls directly to a specific location. This is particularly useful in case of any failures because calls can be re-routed via a different location using the Cisco network. Previously, creating this kind of flexible redundancy would have meant building a series of complex and alternative connections.
KSS Technologies senior account manager Corn'e Sassenberg says today's workspace has changed dramatically over the past five years. “Today's global economy and geographically dispersed workforce has created a need for 24-hour collaboration solutions. Transparent communication has the potential to accelerate productivity and help organisations achieve higher customer satisfaction rates, faster cycle times, improved product quality, and greater corporate agility.”
Some of the additional features of the Cisco Unified Communications system include the ability to integrate it with desktop calendar, contact and e-mail systems so that users can simply click on a contact name and the handset automatically starts to dial the number. UCS expects this to start to deliver improved productivity as communications between staff and customers becomes more efficient.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager allows integration of unified communications and network services with other business applications that can deliver benefits such as increased sales, reduced costs, improved customer satisfaction, and improved employee productivity.
“KSS is extremely professional in its approach and its staff has an in-depth knowledge of the product. More importantly, KSS has provided UCS with a solution whereby we can save up to 30% on our telephone bill,” concludes Houghton.
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