Castle College, Nottingham case study

Connecting staff, empowering students

When Broxtowe College and The People’s College merged, the newly created Castle College became one of the largest further education institutions in the United Kingdom. But with 21 separate sites in the Nottingham area, and two separate telecommunications systems, the merger posed a real challenge.

IT staff needed a solution that would keep pace with a modern college that’s going places – enabling staff and students to harness sophisticated technologies, and helping them break through learning boundaries. However, they also wanted a solution they could manage themselves – without having to call in outside help every time they needed to make a simple change.

A sophisticated IP-telephony solution from ntl:Telewest Business provided the answer. And to ensure a seamless transition, our consultants offered design and implementation expertise to make sure the college had all the support it needed – from start to finish.

Sophisticated telecommunications for a bright new future

With over 1,000 staff, 3,000 full-time students and 20,000 part-time students, newly-merged Castle College is one of the top 20 further education institutions in the United Kingdom. Our IP-telephony solution will help staff and students to stay connected and take advantage of the latest technical innovations.

Keeping pace with change

Faced with the approaching merger, Steve Branney, Director of Resources and Infrastructure at Castle College, felt that an Internet telephony solution would provide the flexibility they needed. We recommended a Cisco-based VOIP (voice over IP) solution that incorporates unified messaging and call-centre functionality, based on ntl:Telewest Business Ether point-to-point connections.

Steve was confident that our experienced consultants would give his team the support they needed. We worked closely with Steve and his team to develop a phased implementation strategy, and first piloted the new IP-based solution at the Beeston Campus, before rolling it out to 21 Castle College sites across the greater Nottingham region.

Easy management for the freedom to be flexible IT support staff at Castle College can now make configuration changes themselves – quickly and easily. During the merger, the new solution dramatically reduced the complexity of relocating staff. Phones were even set up to ring at both their old and new desks simultaneously – so they didn’t miss any calls. “Our IT support team has marvelled at how easy it is to configure and support the solution,” says Steve.

Reallocating direct-dial numbers is also quick and straightforward: for example, the IT team took just one day to allocate the 1,000 new numbers provided by ntl:Telewest Business. “Our rapport with other college staff has improved significantly because we can now respond to requests in minutes, rather than days,” says Steve.

Productive working – the way you want to

Thanks to unified messaging functionality, college staff can receive voicemail messages the way they want to – through the handset or as an email attachment. Features such as caller ID and an integrated phone directory also help them to stay productive.

Advanced call centre functionality also helps the college to manage inbound calls more efficiently. Previously, all calls were answered by reception staff, which they found very disruptive – particularly during peak enrolment periods. Now for peak periods, calls to the 0845 local rate number – provided by ntl:Telewest Business – can be automatically routed to a 15-seat call centre where enquiries can be dealt with. So now, the receptionists can carry out their everyday

tasks without interruptions!

What it has made possible

With almost all staff now using IP-based telephones, fixed-line rental costs have dropped dramatically. Free calls between college sites have also brought significant savings. However, Steve believes there are other cost benefits that aren’t so easy to quantify. “It’s hard to put a price on how much more efficient, productive and flexible the solution allows us to be,” he comments.

Steve is excited at the possibilities offered by VOIP: “Now that we’ve established a scalable infrastructure, we’re also exploring other applications. Our senior management team is already using video conferencing, and we’re also using the handsets to display urgent messages to staff.” He feels that our consultants have made an invaluable contribution, concluding, “Our experience with ntl:Telewest Business has been 100% positive, and we will continue to value its support as we push the boundaries of what we can achieve.” Whether you have a defined requirement for an IP-based solution, or just want to find out more about internet telephony, call us now to discuss your needs.“