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teleFoehn IP Communications Means Big Savings for Boston Borough Council

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teleFoehn IP Communications Means Big Savings for Boston Borough Council

 
February 13, 2015

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  By Steve Anderson, Contributing TMCnet Writer
 


One of the biggest selling points of a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) or similar IP-based communications system is usually the cost savings. While there are commonly several generalized examples that can come into play, sometimes nothing sells quite like a concrete example. Foehn, meanwhile, offered up just such an example recently when it brought IP communications to the Boston Borough Council, a move that generated major savings and provided a serious impetus to other firms looking to make a similar switch.


Just from the move to IP, the Boston Borough Council has reportedly save over 40 percent of its annual telephony costs. That alone is selling point for a great many operations—it's tough to turn down a sales pitch that starts with “I can save you almost half your annual phone bill”—but that wasn't the only point in Foehn's favor. With the new IP system in place, the Council not only realized better efficiencies, but also a better ability to measure call center performance with an eye toward improving same, and even the ability to bring in flexible working systems to improve overall operations.

The Council, which serves the borough of Boston in southeast Lincolnshire in the U.K., had been spending around $435,820 every five years on fixed telephony systems, and as such, began to look into replacing its onsite legacy systems. That was when the Council hit on the idea of using hosted IP telephony instead, discovering that significant cost savings could be had while at the same time not sacrificing services. Even better, there was a distinct plus to disaster recovery; when Boston almost got hit with the East Coast flooding of December 2013 it became clear that an ability to operate offsite would be valuable. With the new IP telephony, users would be able to access systems from anywhere with a working Internet connection.

Foehn, meanwhile, offered up its IP telephony system, based around the Open Source Asterisk (News - Alert) platform, and managed to bring in a system sufficient to handle over 200 users with three virtual contact centers, and all without the need to bring in extra infrastructure. The only change needed, at last report, was the use of Power over Ethernet units in a bid to drive the handsets required for such a system. The system could be offered up on a pay-as-you-go basis, according to reports, and as such fit the Council's plans nicely as it could be scaled to meet future needs, and not locked into current figures. The system started with a pilot system at a small depot just to make sure the system would work adequately, and after successful completion of the pilot, the wider system went into place.

It's always better when benefits can be clearly spelled out. It's one thing to say that a VoIP system can save money, but it's entirely another to say “it reduced spending by nearly 40 percent for the Boston Borough Council.” Naturally, there will be some who look at that and say, yes, but we're not the Boston Borough Council, but this rebuttal is inherently weaker than many that could be faced. Sure, not everyone will save 40 percent; some will save less. Some, however, will save more as well, and when it comes to savings, even less is more. Does anyone want to turn down a chance, even a slim one, to save such an amount over current spending?

While Foehn may not be able to use this example to make sales easier everywhere, it's a safe bet that some will find it a noteworthy proposition. It's hard to pass up savings, and the Boston Borough Council's savings will likely prove an attractive notion to some looking to make the jump to an IP communications system.




Edited by Maurice Nagle
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