GOVERNMENT SERVICES SUCCESS STORY

Sioux Falls Switches to VoIP for Savings and Responsiveness Improvements

CHALLENGE:

• SiouxFallshadaFujitsu9600PBXphonesystemthatitwasquicklyoutgrowing,hadlimitedfunctionality,andprovedtobetoocostlytoupgrade.

SOLUTION:

• AftercarefullyconsideringVoIPsystemsfromleadingvendors,SiouxFallschoseShoreTelforacompletesolution,includingvoiceswitchesandIPtelephones.

BENEFITS:

• Richfeaturesethelpsemployeesimproveproductivityandenhancecustomersatisfaction.

• Emergencycallsto911providecruciallocationinformationthathelpsemergencyresponsepersonnelquicklyandeasilylocatethecaller.

• Integrationwithbusinessapplicationshelpsthecityaccuratelydistributetollcoststoappropriatedepartments.

• Thecity,whichhandlesoveramillioncallsayear,saves$30,000ayearinlinechargecostswiththeShoreTelsysteminplace.

• Standardizingonasinglefeature-richphonesystemenhancesproductivityandefficiency.

TheCityofSiouxFalls,SouthDakota,was“born”whenlandspeculatorsarrivedtoclaimatownsiteinthefallof1856.Thoseclaimingthesiteleftforthewinterandreturnedinthespringof1857toestablishamorepermanent,year-roundsettlement.TheCity,whichisthelargestinthestatebyfar,isaregionaltrade,distribution,andhealthcarecenter.

The City Needs a Powerful Telephone SystemIn2003,SiouxFallshadaFujitsu9600PBXphonesystemthatitwasquicklyoutgrowing,hadlimitedfunctionality,andprovedtobetoocostlytoupgrade.TheCitydecideditwastimetoevaluateareplacementanddecidedtostartlookingatVoiceoverIP(VoIP)solutions.

“Wewantedtogowithasystemthatwasn’tlimitedbycopperonourcampus,”saidEdCastle,ITManagerwiththeCityofSiouxFalls.“Wealsowantedasystemthatwouldprovideintegratedandcentralizedvoicemailsothateveryoneineveryofficewouldbeonthesamesystem.WedecidedtolookatVoIPsystemsfromCisco,InterTel,NortelandShoreTel.”

TheCitywantedtoinitiateapilotprojectwithintheinformationtechnology(IT)

division,with20phonesthereand20phonesatremotesites.Thepurposeofthepilotprojectwastotestperformanceandsystemfeatures.Cisco,InterTelandNortelallrequiredagreatdealofcapitaltogetthepilotgoing,whereasShoreTelworkedverycloselywithITandmettheCity’sbudgetfortheevaluation.Onceitwasdeployed,thechoicebecameclearwhentheITteamsawitscapabilities.

“WereallylikedthesimplicityoftheShoreTelsystem,plusallofthefeaturesandfunctions,”saidMonteWatembach,NetworkAdministratorwithSiouxFalls.“ShoreTelwasalsoreallyeasytomanageandintegratewithOutlook.Oncethepilotprojectwasdone,weknewShoreTelwasthewaytogo.”

The City Switches to ShoreTelOverthecourseoftwoyears,ShoreTelprovidedSiouxFallswithacomprehensiveVoIPsystem.Acrossits10SiouxFallssites,whichincludebuildingsthathouselibraries,cityhall,andotherdepartments,thecitydeployed10ShoreGear-120/24voiceswitches,threeShoreGear-40/8voiceswitches,andtwoShoreGear-T1voiceswitchesforredundancy.ShoreTelalsoprovidedover460ShorePhoneIPPhones,including530,230and560models.

OutdatedFujitsuPBXSystemReplacedwithShoreTel

ShoreTel and The City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota PAGE 2

Productivity is Boosted for City WorkersWithShoreTelinplace,cityemployeesarenowonthesamephoneandvoicemailsystem,using4-digitdialingtoreachco-workersatanylocationandevendialingbyname.ShoreWarePersonalCallManager,integrateddirectlywithMicrosoftOutlook,givesSiouxFallsemployeestheequivalentofadesktopPBX—apowerful,all-purposetoolformanagingvoicecommunications.Withit,employeessimplytypeinthefirstfewlettersofacoworker’sname,andCallManagerfindsthenumberanddialsitautomatically,regardlessofwheretheyarelocated.WithAdvancedCallManager,theusercanalsoseethestatusofthepersontheyarecallingsotheyknowiftheyareavailabletoanswerbeforetheyplace—ortransfer—acall.Thecallrecipientthenseesthecallcominginrightontheircomputer,wherecallerIDisdisplayedandtheysimplyclicktopickuporsendthecalltovoicemail.Furthermore,withShoreTel’se-mailintegration,employeescanmanagetheire-mailandvoicemailactivitycentrallyandefficiently.

PersonalCallManager’sfriendly,graphicalinterfacealsoprovideseasyaccesstosophisticatedfeatures,includingon-the-flyconferencinganddocumentsharing,anddynamic,onlinedirectorieseliminatepaperdirectoriesthatareoftenoutdated.Voicemailmessagesarestoredintheindustry-standardWAVAudioforWindowsformat,allowinguserstoplaythemonmultimediaPCs,attachthemtoe-mailmessagesandforwardthemtotherightpeople,orembedtheminotherdocumentsaswellaskeeppermanentrecordsonfile.

“TheShoreTelsystemisveryintuitiveforusers,”saidWatembach.“Wedidatrainingclassforeveryonebeforetheygottheirnewphones—aclassthattookonlyaboutanhourandahalf.Thisdidthejobformostpeopleandtheywerequicklyusingthesophisticatedfeatureswithouthesitation.”

ShoreTelalsogivesusersvariouscallhandlingmodessothatemployeeshavecontroloverhowtheircallsarehandled.Whileauserisathisorherdesk,callswillringstraightthrough.Wheninameeting,

callsgodirectlytovoicemail.CallManagerallowsemployeestoremainresponsivetocallswithoutbeingtiedtotheirdesks,andShoreTel’sFollowMeFindMefeatureallowsthemtohavecallstrackthemdownwherevertheyare—attheirdesk,ontheircellphone,orathomeiftheychoose.FollowMeFindMeisparticularlyhelpfulforemployeestotrackdownITpersonnelsincetheyoftenareawayfromtheirdesks.

InadditiontopowerfulPersonalCallManager,ShoreWareOperatorCallManagersoftwareprovidesthecity’sreceptionistswithkeyinformationandcontrol,enablingasignificantlyhigherlevelofpersonalizedattentionforcallers.Forexample,beforeevenansweringanincomingcall,acall-routinglogdisplaysthecaller’sexperiencewithinthesystemtothereceptionistoroperator.Inaddition,beforetransferringthecalleranyfurther,thecall-transferscreendisplayswhoisavailableandwhoisnot,avoidingthepossibilityofsendingcallerstoanextensionthatisbusy,whichisfrustratingforcallers.Withtheentirecityattheirfingertipsaswellasknowledgeaboutthecallingandcalledparty,operatorscantransfercallerstoextensions,cellphonesorevenhomephonesinstantly.Mostofthecity’sreceptionistsalsousecordlessheadsetswiththeShoreTelsystem,sotheyarenolongerboundtotheirdeskstocarryouttheirresponsibilities—thisimprovesproductivitybecausetheycantakeonaddedresponsibilitieswhileansweringthetelephone.

“OperatorCallManagerhasessentiallyreplacedtheoldbulletinboardsystemwehadthatwasusedtoindicatewherepeoplecouldbefound,”saidDebChristofferson,TelecommunicationsSpecialistwiththecity.“It’samuchmoreefficientandprofessionalwaytodealwithincomingcalls.Andeachreceptionistcanlogoutofaworkgrouptotransfertheresponsibilitytothenextpersonwhilethey’reonbreak.”

Essential Information is Made AvailableWiththeShoreTelsystem,ifacitystaffmemberdials911,crucialinformationispassedontotheemergencycenter.With

“We really liked the simplicity

of the ShoreTel system,

plus all of the features and

functions. ShoreTel was

also really easy to manage

and integrate with Outlook.

Once the pilot project was

done, we knew ShoreTel was

the way to go.”

Monte Watembach NetworkAdministrator,CityofSiouxFalls

ShoreTel and The City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota PAGE 3

theoldsystem,therewasnowaytoknowwherethecallwascomingfrom.WithShoreTel,theemergencyresponseteamgetstheexactlocationofthecaller–downtothefloor,departmentandactualphone.Atthesametime,ifacitymanagerordirectormakinganon-emergencycallwantstoblockcallerID,it’seasytodoso.

TheCityofSiouxFallshasalsointegrateditsTapitEXCallAccountingSoftwarefromTrisyswiththeShoreTelsystem,whichallowstheITdepartmenttochargebackT1costsandbillindividualdepartmentsfortollcharges.ShoreTelcalllogsareexportedintoTapitandstoredinanAccessdatabase.

“TapitwasrecommendedbyShoreTel’slocalreselleranditeasilyintegratedwithShoreTel,”saidWatembach.“Thishelpsustrackbillingandbudgetsveryclosely.”

Workgroups Enhance Customer ServiceTheCityisalsoutilizingShoreTel’sWorkgroupswhichenablesittoconsolidatespecificinquirycallstoonenumberandcallsareroutedtothenextavailablecallcenterstaffmember.TheCityhasspecificWorkgroupsdedicatedtosuchgroupsastheBuildingServicesandUtilityBilling,forexample.Workgroupsalsoprovidesbasicreportingcapabilitiestohelpmeasurecallvolumeandmakeworkschedulechangesasnecessary.EachWorkgroupcanhaveitsownphonenumbersothatcitizenscallinginforaspecificpurposegetrightthroughtothatdepartment.Notwodepartmentsanswerthephonethesameway—withShoreTel,itiseasytomeettheneedsofelevendifferentbusinessentitieswithinthecity.

“WithShoreTel,wecaneasilymakechangestoeachworkgroupandrotatepeopleresponsibleforansweringthephonesonanyparticularday,”saidChristofferson.“Thisishelpfulinkeepingmoraleupbecausewecanrotateresponsibilitiesandprovideappropriaterelief.”

“We’veseenimmediatecustomersatisfactionimprovements,”saidCastle.“In2005alone,wehandledoveramillioncalls—includinginternalcallsandoutsidecalls.WehandledthiswithjusttwoT1

lines.Wefeelreallygoodaboutbeingabletohandlethisvolumeofcallswithsuchahighlevelofcustomersatisfaction.IhearpositivecommentsabouttheShoreTelphonesystemfromeverybody.”

Wireless Connectivity Eliminates Need for T1ThelibraryinSiouxFallsutilizesaShoreGear-40/8switchconnectedtocityhallbyapoint-to-pointwirelessconnectionusingProximequipment.ThisallowsthelibrarytogetmuchmorebandwidthwithouttheneedforadedicatedT1.

“OneofthegreatestthingswiththeShoreTelsystemisthatsomeoftheremotesitesareconnectedwirelesslyanditjustworks,”saidCastle.“Ourgoalistocontinuallyincreasebandwidthtotheremotesitesandeliminatemonthlylinechargecosts.Evenengineersusingbandwidth-intensiveGISapplicationsarenoticingbetterperformanceoverthewirelessconnection.”

City Sees Overall Cost SavingsCastleestimatesthatthecitysavedatleast$50,000thefirstyeartheentireShoreTelsystemwasinplace,duetotheT1chargesavingsandCentrexnumbersthatwereeliminated.Ongoingsavingsareestimatedatabout$30,000peryearinlinecharges.

Inaddition,theCityusesShoreWareDirector,ShoreTel’sbrowser-basedmanagementinterface,toaccessthesystemfromanywhereonthenetwork.Throughthisbrowser,everysiteandfeaturecanbemanaged,includingthevoicemail,automatedattendantanddesktopapplications.Whenanewuserisadded,anadministratorsimplyclicks“addnew”andenterstheuser’sname.Then,thecentralizeddatabaseandvoiceswitchesareautomaticallyupdated,andfortheuser,anewmailboxiscreatedandtheautomatedattendantdial-by-nameandnumberfeatureandonlinedirectoriesareupdated—allinamatterofseconds.

WithShoreWareDirector,theCityofSiouxFallssavessignificanttimeandmoneyonemployeemoves,adds,andchanges.

“With ShoreTel, we can

easily make changes to

each workgroup and rotate

people responsible for

answering the phones on

any particular day.”

Deb Christofferson TelecommunicationsSpecialist,CityofSiouxFalls

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About ShoreTel

ShoreTel is a provider of business communication solutions whose brilliantly simple unified communications platforms, applications and mobile UC solutions promise a new rhythm of workforce engagement and collaboration. With costly complexity eliminated by design from its award winning, all-in-one IP phone system, UC and contact center solution, and its industry leading hosted business phone system, workers enjoy a freedom and self-reliance that other providers can’t match. Users have full control to engage and collaborate, no matter the time, place or device, for the lowest cost and demand on IT resources in the industry. ShoreTel is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has regional offices and partners worldwide. For more information, visit shoretel.com or shoretelsky.com

Withtheprevioussolution,theCityhadtowaitfor—andpay—itsserviceprovidertocompletethesetasks.

“It’seasytomakechangestotheShoreTelsystem—frommoves,adds,andchangestomakingworkgroupconfigurationchanges,”saidWatembach.“It’seveneasyforstaffmembersthatdon’thaveaphonebackgroundbecauseit’sjustlikemakingnetworkchanges.Wedidn’tneedtohirephonespecialists–we’reabletoleveragethebackgroundsofourexistingITpeople.”

The Bottom Line“ThebottomlineisthatwithShoreTel,wecandoalotmorewiththeexistingITteam,”saidCastle.“We’reabletohandleeverythingin-houseandwedon’thavetowaitforanybodytomakechangesforus.Wecanjusttakecareofthingsandmoveontootherprojects.ShoreTelhasmadeallofusmoreefficient,whichisessentialwhenanorganizationlikeoursneedstomaximizetimeandbudget.”

“The bottom line is that with

ShoreTel, we can do a lot

more with the existing IT

team. We’re able to handle

everything in house and

we don’t have to wait for

anybody to make changes

for us. We can just take care

of things and move on to

other projects. ShoreTel has

made all of us more efficient,

which is essential when an

organization like ours needs

to maximize time and budget.”

Ed Castle ITManager,CityofSiouxFalls