shoretel case study
3
GOVERNMENT SUCCESS STORY San Luis Obispo accomplishes a mission in savings with ShoreTel CHALLENGE: • San Luis Obispo’s 10 year-old Centrex system was costly to maintain, complicated to use, and difficult to manage. The progressive city needed an agile phone system that met the needs of 480 city employees in diverse departments— from public safety to planning—and kept cost of ownership low. SOLUTION: • A ShoreTel ® IP Phone System with ShoreGear ® Voice Switches and more than 400 ShorePhone ® IP telephones in 32 city offices, fire stations and parks. BENEFITS: • Rapid return on investment due to ShoreTel’s simplicity and ease of management that reduces effort, and lets San Luis Obispo’s phone system be managed by internal IT staff. • San Luis Obispo can add and move extensions quickly and easily, saving valuable time and increasing city responsiveness to the needs of end users. • ShoreTel’s distributed architecture delivers exceptional reliability to help ensure every call is answered promptly and by the right person. • ShoreTel’s highly configurable call routing and handling eliminates phone tag, while pre-screening feature ensures better service for callers. Among California’s oldest and most influential communities, San Luis Obispo is proud of its two centuries of history, and continues to welcome visitors, students and new residents eager to explore the recreational, educational and cultural opportunities in California’s Central Coast hub. To support the superb quality of life in this scenic area, the city takes forward- looking strategy to providing modern services. These services are delivered on a modern technology infrastructure, which boasts a fiber optic network, installed jointly in an innovative partnership with Cal Poly. As part of that progressive strategy, San Luis Obispo city government relies on a ShoreTel IP phone system to keep city communications flowing smoothly. Prior to the ShoreTel deployment, city management was becoming increasingly frustrated with the city’s 10-year old Centrex/ISDN system. The system was complex to manage and use, required equipment that was difficult to repair or replace, and often dropped calls while transferring them. All in all, the system was reaching its end of life and not supporting latest initiatives for improving customer service, streamlining internal communications, increasing operational efficiency and reducing costs. Clearly San Luis Obispo needed a phone system that matched the city’s forward-looking agenda. A mission to improve communications Gartner conducted a study of communications in the city, and concluded that a voice over IP phone system would be the best way to improve customer service, streamline efficiency across the city, and reduce costs. “We needed a new system that could be configured for our established business processes and work flows,” explained Steve Schmidt, San Luis Obispo’s Information Technology Manager. “To change our processes and workflows simply to fit in with how a new phone system worked would be too costly and time consuming—we had to make the San Luis Obispo (www.slocity.org) is home to one of California’s historic missions and Cal Poly State University. While the Central California Coast city of 45,000 actively invests in historic preservation, San Luis Obispo is just as actively building a 21st century municipal infrastructure.
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Transcript of shoretel case study
Government SucceSS Story
San Luis Obispo accomplishes a mission in savings with ShoreTel
Challenge:
• SanLuisObispo’s10year-oldCentrexsystemwascostlytomaintain,complicatedtouse,anddifficulttomanage.Theprogressivecityneededanagilephonesystemthatmettheneedsof480cityemployeesindiversedepartments—frompublicsafetytoplanning—andkeptcostofownershiplow.
Solution:
• AShoreTel®IPPhoneSystemwithShoreGear®VoiceSwitchesandmorethan400ShorePhone®IPtelephonesin32cityoffices,firestationsandparks.
BenefitS:
• RapidreturnoninvestmentduetoShoreTel’ssimplicityandeaseofmanagementthatreduceseffort,andletsSanLuisObispo’sphonesystembemanagedbyinternalITstaff.
• SanLuisObispocanaddandmoveextensionsquicklyandeasily,savingvaluabletimeandincreasingcityresponsivenesstotheneedsofendusers.
• ShoreTel’sdistributedarchitecturedeliversexceptionalreliabilitytohelpensureeverycallisansweredpromptlyandbytherightperson.
• ShoreTel’shighlyconfigurablecallroutingandhandlingeliminatesphonetag,whilepre-screeningfeatureensuresbetterserviceforcallers.
AmongCalifornia’soldestandmostinfluentialcommunities,SanLuisObispoisproudofitstwocenturiesofhistory,andcontinuestowelcomevisitors,studentsandnewresidentseagertoexploretherecreational,educationalandculturalopportunitiesinCalifornia’sCentralCoasthub.Tosupportthesuperbqualityoflifeinthisscenicarea,thecitytakesforward-lookingstrategytoprovidingmodernservices.Theseservicesaredeliveredonamoderntechnologyinfrastructure,whichboastsafiberopticnetwork,installedjointlyinaninnovativepartnershipwithCalPoly.Aspartofthatprogressivestrategy,SanLuisObispocitygovernmentreliesonaShoreTelIPphonesystemtokeepcitycommunicationsflowingsmoothly.
PriortotheShoreTeldeployment,citymanagementwasbecomingincreasinglyfrustratedwiththecity’s10-yearoldCentrex/ISDNsystem.Thesystemwascomplextomanageanduse,requiredequipmentthatwasdifficulttorepairorreplace,andoftendroppedcallswhiletransferringthem.Allinall,thesystem
wasreachingitsendoflifeandnotsupportinglatestinitiativesforimprovingcustomerservice,streamlininginternalcommunications,increasingoperationalefficiencyandreducingcosts.ClearlySanLuisObisponeededaphonesystemthatmatchedthecity’sforward-lookingagenda.
a mission to improve communications
Gartnerconductedastudyofcommunicationsinthecity,andconcludedthatavoiceoverIPphonesystemwouldbethebestwaytoimprovecustomerservice,streamlineefficiencyacrossthecity,andreducecosts.
“Weneededanewsystemthatcouldbeconfiguredforourestablishedbusinessprocessesandworkflows,”explainedSteveSchmidt,SanLuisObispo’sInformationTechnologyManager.“Tochangeourprocessesandworkflowssimplytofitinwithhowanewphonesystemworkedwouldbetoocostlyandtimeconsuming—wehadtomakethe
SanLuisObispo(www.slocity.org)ishometooneofCalifornia’shistoricmissionsandCalPolyStateUniversity.WhiletheCentralCaliforniaCoastcityof45,000activelyinvestsinhistoricpreservation,SanLuisObispoisjustasactivelybuildinga21stcenturymunicipalinfrastructure.
ShoreTel and the City of San Luis Obispo PAGE 2
transitionaseasyandtransparenttocallersaspossible.”ThenewsystemalsohadtoletSanLuisObispokeepthesamephonenumbersandeasilyinteroperatewiththecity’sExtremenetwork.
SanLuisObispoevaluatedsystemsfromalonglistofbothtraditionalandIPPBXsuppliers,andreducedthelisttoShoreTelandMitel.Thecity’snetworkvendor,Extreme,isaShoreTelpartnerandhadalreadysuccessfullyimplementedanetworkingsolution.“ShoreTel’sinteroperabilitywithExtremewasahugeadvantagebecausewecouldbeconfidentthatbothsolutionsworkedwelltogether,”Mr.Schmidtsaid.“WealsolikedthefactthatShoreTelswitchesaresolidstatewithnomovingpartsotherthenthefan,whichmakesthesystemhighlyreliable,”hecontinued.
Aftertalkingwithseveralcustomerreferencesandattendingademonstration,Mr.SchmidtrecommendedShoreTeltocitymanagement,andthedecisionwasfinalized.“ItwaseasytoseethattheShoreTelUnifiedCommunications(UC)systemwassimpletosupportandhadalowcostofownership,”headded.“Thesystemmetallourrequirementsandthepricewasverycompetitive.ThebottomlinewasthatShoreTelofferedthemostvalueforthemoney.”
Toensurethecitycouldkeepallphonenumbers,cityofficeshadtocutovertothenewsystematthesametime.Theinstallationwentverysmoothly,”Mr.Schmidtreported.“WecarriedoutthecutoveronaFridayandonMondayweweredoingbusiness.Thechangewascompletelytransparenttobothcallersandstaff.”
Brilliant simplicity boosts city productivity
ShoreTel’seaseofadministrationhashelpedSanLuisObispo’sITstaffbemoreproductive.NotonlycanthesystembemanagedbythesmallITgroupwithoutdrawingonexternalresources,butitalsoreducedtheoverallmaintenanceburdenandopeneduptimeforadvancingstrategicITinitiatives.
“Weusedtospendfiveorsixhoursaweekmaintainingtheoldphonesystem,”
Mr.Schmidtexplained.“SowhenwediscoveredthatShoreTelmaintenancetooklessthan15minutes,wewereastonished.Inthepastwehadtoplaceaservicecalljusttoaddanewextension,andendusershadtowaitseveraldays.NowwecanmakethesechangesourselveswithastandardWebbrowser—anytimeandfromanylocation.”
FromflexiblevoicemailoptionstointegrationwithMicrosoftOutlookcalendar,ShoreWare®CallManagerhelpscitystaffworkmoreefficientlyandeffectively.
Police stay mobile and connected
Unifiedmessagingprovidesoneofthesystem’smostvaluablebenefits,especiallyforSanLuisObispo’spoliceofficers.WithShoreTel,officersnowhaveindividualvoicemailboxesandcanpickupmessagesfromanyphoneaswellasthroughe-mail.AndShoreTel’sFindMefeatureletscallersreachofficerssimplybycallingthemainnumber,eliminatingtheneedtogiveoutDIDandcellphonenumbers.‘Theycanstayincommunicationregardlessoflocation,andnolongerhavetotaketimefromotherresponsibilitiestocheckmessages,”explainedMr.Schmidt.“Andtheycanreturnimportantcallsimmediatelywithoutrevealingtheircellphoneordirectnumbers.”
ShoreTelalsohelpscityemployeesreachthepeopletheyneed,whentheyneedthem,reducingtheamountoftimewastedintelephonetag.“ConferencecallsareverysimpletosetupontheflyandShoreTel’spresencefeaturealsomakesiteasyandfasttoseeifpeopleareavailable,”Mr.Schmidtsaid.“Withtheoldsystem,receptionistshadtolookata50buttonconsoletodetermineifsomeonebeingcalledwasonthephone.Now,theycaneasilyseeifpeopleareavailable,onthephone,outoftheofficeorinameeting.Notonlycantheydirectcallersappropriately,customerserviceisbetterbecausewecangetanswersfaster.”
CustomerservicealsogainsfromShoreTel’sworkgroupsandsophisticatedrules-basedcallrouting;ensuringthateverycallisnotonlyanswered,buthandledproperlyas
“The system met all our
requirements and the
price was very competitive.
The bottom line was that
ShoreTel offered the most
value for the money.”
Steve SchmidtInformationTechnologyManagerSanLuisObispo
960 Stewart Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94085, shoretel.com
+1 (800) 425-9385 Toll Free. +1 (408) 331-3300 Tel. +1 (408) 331-3333 Fax.
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Copyright © 2010 ShoreTel. All rights reserved. The ShoreTel logo and ShoreTel are registered trademarks of ShoreTel, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other copyrights and trademarks herein are the property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice.
about Shoretel
ShoreTelistheproviderofbrilliantlysimpleUnifiedCommunication(UC)solutionsbasedonitsaward-winningIPbusinessphonesystem.Weofferorganizationsofallsizesintegrated,voice,video,data,andmobilecommunicationsonanopen,distributedIParchitecturethathelpssignificantlyreducethecomplexityandcoststypicallyassociatedwithothersolutions.Thefeature-richShoreTelUCsystemoffersthelowesttotalcostofownership(TCO)andthehighestcustomersatisfactionintheindustry,inpartbecauseitiseasytodeploy,manage,scaleanduse.Increasingly,companiesaroundtheworldarefindingacompetitiveedgebyreplacingbusiness-as-usualwithnewthinking,andchoosingShoreTeltohandletheirintegratedbusinesscommunication.ShoreTelisbasedinSunnyvale,California,andhasregionalofficesandpartnersworldwide.Formoreinformation,visitshoretel.com.
well.SanLuisObispocreated26separateShoreTelworkgroups—oneforeachofthecity’smaintelephonelines,suchasutilitybilling,garbagecollection,andbuildingpermits.Notonlydoesthisletsupervisorsmanagequeuesforoptimalservice;workgroupreportinggivestheminsightforbetterplanningandstaffing.
Built-in reliability keeps calls connected
PhonesystemdowntimeisnolongeraworryforMr.Schmidtandhisteam,thankstoShoreTel’sdistributedarchitectureandflexibleconfigurationoptions.UsingreportssuppliedbyShoreWare®Director,theITteamwereabletopinpointtheT1capacityneededtobuildredundancyintothenetwork.Withtheoptimalcapacityinplace,theShoreTelsystemhandlesoutagesandswitchoversautomatically,withoutmissingabeat.“WeconfiguredourT1linesusingShoreTel’shuntgroups,whichautomaticallyroutescallstoanotherTIlineincaseofaproblem,”Mr.Schmidtexplained.“IfaT1linegoesdown,usersnevernotice.Theycanstillmakeandreceivecalls.”
RoutinechangessuchasaddingandmovingextensionshavealsodisappearedfromMr.Schmidt’slistofdailychallenges.“Wealwayshavealotofpeoplemovingaroundasaresultofdepartmentre-organizations,”heexplained.“Inthepast,wehadtoissueaserviceordertothecarriertomakechanges,andmoves
seldomwentsmoothly.WithShoreTel,moveshaven’tcausedasinglephoneproblem.Whenyoumovethenetwork,thephonesimplygoeswithit.Peoplecaneasilyre-assigntheirphonenumberstoanewlocationwithShoreTelandit’sveryeasytoaddpeopletoaworkgroup.”
accelerated Roi paves the way for expanded deployment
Eveninthebesteconomictimes,municipalbudgetsarealwaysunderamicroscope.SoitwaswelcomenewstoMr.SchmidtandhisteamthatSanLuisObispo’sShoreTelsystemdeliveredevenbetterreturnoninvestmentthanexpected.“WhenwefirstproposedtheShoreTelsystem,weprojectedaboutafour-yearROI,”reportedMr.Schmidt.“However,we’resavingsomuchonourphonebill,theROIisevenbetterthanweanticipated—currentfiguresindicateaboutthreeyears.”
FeelingconfidentaboutthereliabilityandscalabilityoftheinitialShoreTelimplementation,thecityisontracktodeploythesysteminitsnewdispatchcenter.Mr.SchmidtanticipatesthatthisShoreTeldeploymentwillbeassmoothandtrouble-freeastheinitialone.“ShoreTel’sreliabilityandflexibilitymeansthatcommunicationjusthappens–when,whereandhowitneedsto.ThankstoShoreTel,everypartofcitygovernmentcanfocusonservingthepublicandtakethephonesystemforgranted.”
“We’re saving so much on our
phone bill, the ROI is even
better than we anticipated—
current figures indicate about
three years.”
Steve SchmidtInformationTechnologyManagerSanLuisObispo
