Iwatsu Voice Networks congratulates Granite Communications of North Haven, Connecticut on a creative solution they recently configured, using Iwatsu’s Enterprise Communications Server.

 

The Whitney Center of Hamden, CT is a retirement community that features a continuum of care ranging from independent living through skilled nursing. The center had been running its business office on a competitors system, but wanted a solution that would also be able to handle all 175 residential apartments. Formerly, all residents had been responsible for their own phone service, contacting AT&T (News - Alert) to have a line installed. Any voicemail or extra features were negotiated on an individual basis. 

 

The Whitney Center recognized the mess of service providers and independent contracts their customers were facing and decided to simplify the process. After investigating details, the Whitney Center recognized that by installing an Enterprise-CS, they could not only streamline the network but run the operation as a profit center. Long distance was purchased in bulk from CTC and resold at a mark-up, billing residents their recurring monthly expenses, and providing internet access. 

 

Even after making a profit on the centralized telephony services, the Whitney Center is saving their residents an average of 30 percent on their monthly phone bill. To make the transition easier, the center is porting over all of the resident’s old phone numbers and using direct dial, so numbers don’t need to be changed. 

 

Granite Communications also installed a call accounting system that integrates with the facility’s property management solution. This allows the bottom line of a resident’s communications costs to be brought over to the Whitney Center’s in-house billing system. From here one comprehensive bill is generated and processed. The call accounting system is also used to deliver a detailed call report so any perceived discrepancies can be verified. 

 

The Enterprise-CS was also an ideal choice for the Whitney Center because of the retirement community’s expansion plans. Within the next two years, Whitney Center expects to build a new complex. As part of the expansion, communications systems at the new facility will be connected to the existing location. A distributed network over fiber proved too expensive for competing vendors to provide, making the ECS the clear choice. 

 

The residents of the Whitney Center are excited about the change. Along with the convenience and reduced cost, many are looking forward to new features like caller ID. Congratulations to Granite Communications for their encompassing solution to the Whitney Center’s unique proposition.

Iwatsu Voice Networks is a provider of business telecommunications systems. The company focuses on reliability and flexibility to provide solutions capable of adapting to and growing with the unique businesses that deploy them.