The Customer
Headquartered in Elgin, Moray Council is the eighth largest local authority area in Scotland, managing vital public services for a population of nearly 96,000 people.
The Challenge
Moray Council has embarked on a landmark project to upgrade its telephony systems across the 50 schools within the local authority’s catchment.
The work, which is taking place in eight secondary schools and 42 primary schools, will transform the software currently used to manage school telephone systems, replacing traditional analogue phone lines with virtual Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunks which operate using the internet.
Implementation
Exchange delivered a reliable and resilient cloud solution providing a host of benefits for Moray Council, its school staff plus families and caregivers of pupils who regularly call and is expected to be completed by August in time for the new academic year.
Without the need to maintain physical telephone lines, the system is more cost effective to operate, utilises simplified infrastructure, increases resiliency with SIP trunks automatically transferring to back-ups if one fails and additional SIP channels can easily be added to accommodate busy periods.
Key Results / Benefits
Exchange Communications successfully implemented the new connectivity which provides the following benefits.
- Better connectivity.
- Real-time call performance monitoring.
- Facilitates the capacity for future growth.
- Ongoing customisation.
- Unmatched Flexibility and Mobility.
Quotes
Tom Sime, CEO of Exchange Communications, said: “The work we’re undertaking for Moray Council will completely remove any reliance on physical phone lines, creating a system that is cheaper and easier to operate and maintain plus crucially for the staff, families and caregivers of the almost 12,000 pupils in the area, and any other key partners who need to keep in touch with the schools, the system is more reliable and can smoothly handle higher volumes of calls.
“With traditional ISDN and PSTN networks being phased out in the UK, businesses and organisations must migrate to IP-based telephony to ensure their communication systems remain operational.
“SIP channels can be added or removed instantly via a software dashboard to accommodate busy periods and can easily integrate with other communications tools such as video conferencing and instant messaging under one streamlined platform.
“We’ve worked with Moray Council for more than ten years and are delighted to continue to support and advise them on utilising the latest technology.”