Fingal County Council has deployed a unified communications (UC) and collaboration system from Alcatel-Lucent and technology partner NextiraOne Ireland.
Serving 270,000 residents with some 1,200 staff across 22 sites, from libraries to depots and offices, the council improved communications with the new systems, enabling it to better inform and support residents during emergencies, while enabling future mobility needs and employee collaboration. The council was able to reduce communications cost by 25% compared to five years ago by changing how it communicates internally and externally, and the OpenTouch system will facilitate further cost savings in part by internalising calls between sites and through the adoption of SIP trunking.
The new systems allow for the set-up of a ‘call centre on the fly’ spread across several locations at very short notice to service emergency requirements and significantly improve resident care initiatives. The implementation process is the conclusion of a four year review of communication methodology for the council.
The OpenTouch solution, which features a native multimedia communication engine, will incorporate unified communications, collaboration and presence capabilities, as well as softphone capabilities, to support 16 touchscreen My IC Phone users, 600 standard Alcatel-Lucent 8 series IP handsets and 240 employees with full mobility features creating a mobile desktop. The approach, which will allow employees to use their mobile handsets as though they are desk phones, is suited to the versatile nature of Fingal County Council’s workforce and will enhance the productivity of employees wherever they are. The My IC Phone users also has the added advantage of embedded video on their device, further enhancing the choice of communication channel, a key attribute of the OpenTouch platform.
“Fingal is pleased to have selected Alcatel-Lucent technology as its partner in the final phase of a four year project to replace technology that was both end of life and outdated,” said Stephen Peppard, Fingal County Council. “The completeness of the solution offered and its compatibility with the services being provided by the Imagine Group and Vodafone means that the project can be implemented from within current resources with a medium term return on capital investment.”
Eamon Connaughton, Country Manager, Ireland, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, recognised the potential benefits of improved communication and collaboration for such a diverse organisation as the council. “We recognise that agility, cost and time efficient communication between departments is key to helping local authorities operate more successfully,” said Connaughton.
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