Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council case study

Uniting a local community with centralised communications

Committed to making a difference to the lives of its residents, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council worked hard to provide excellent service to the local community. But an inefficient telephony network created problems.

To provide a more efficient and cost-effective service, the Council needed to swap its fragmented network of multiple switches and privately-owned exchanges for a centralised, integrated telephony solution. We provided the answer by offering a fully managed telephony solution that helped the Council and its partners to provide a more cohesive service to residents – while cutting costs.

Moving towards joined-up government

Based in the heart of the Black Country, the Council serves 310,000 residents in the Dudley area. Our Centrex managed telephony solution has created a truly ‘connected community’, bringing the Council and its partner agencies together to enable efficient communication and cross-departmental working at a reduced cost.

Rationalising the network

In the past, different council sites within the 38 square mile borough used different switches or privately owned exchanges – resulting in inefficient communications, needless maintenance and call costs, and fragmentation of different council departments.

To address this, the Council decided to rationalise its existing system and implement a centralised solution. “It made sense to have just one integrated voice communications system,” explains Steve Carr, Telecommunications Consultant at Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council.

The Council chose Centrex, a fully managed telephony solution from ntl:Telewest Business. We installed it in 240 council locations – including housing and neighbourhood offices as well as depots, leisure centres and libraries – connecting over 11,000 employees and reaching out to all areas of the community.

Hassle-free and easy to use, future-proof – and cost-effective

The new telephony solution offers sophisticated features to improve call handling, save time and support an even distribution of calls – enabling the Council to provide a better service to callers. Crucially, it is also easy to use and has been well-received by staff. “Centrex is straightforward so people moving around the organisation know how to use the phone system wherever they are based”, comments Steve. Integration of Voice over IP (VoIP) call centre technology into the network also ensures that the Council has a future-proof solution that will continue to meet its needs over the coming years.

In addition, our solution is delivering substantial savings for the Council. “Now calls are free across Council sites, providing us with substantial savings,” says Steve. “And because the network is managed by ntl:Telewest Business, there is no need to use in-house resources for simple moves and changes.“

Expertise and accountability

Steve has been impressed by the expertise that we can offer locally, which has helped to strengthen our relationship. We have a strong presence in Dudley and have worked on a number of projects in the district, including supplying 10MB data links to its 110 schools. ntl:Telewest Business combines the resources and infrastructure of a national player with local expertise,” confirms Steve. “Our account manager helps to drive projects forward at grassroots level.” As a Council that has a policy of sourcing single suppliers, accountability is also key. “We’ve found that using one supplier cuts out additional third party costs. And, of course, responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the sole provider,” explains Steve.

What it has made possible

With over 50 telephone lines recently connected from the Himley Hall campus, the number of sites served by the network continues to expand – helping to increase efficiency and reduce costs. In addition, the Council is also using our Centrex solution to merge communications networks with its local partners, bringing it a step closer to joined-up government.

Organisations linked to the network so far include Dudley Primary Healthcare Trust, the Social Services Directorate and the Citizens Advice Bureau. Steve concludes: “The ntl:Telewest Business solution helps us to provide a more cohesive service that benefits the local community.”