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ICT services provider BayCom has taken advantage of network upgrades and StarLink services to deploy Access4’s cloud-based voice platform for Kawerau District Council.
The modernisation of the council’s legacy telephony system had been a priority when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. However, ageing copper-based telco infrastructure and inconsistent mobile coverage created doubts about the feasibility of such an upgrade.
“The need to improve the telephony infrastructure became even clearer following a series of high-rainfall events in 2022 and 2023,” said Andrew Bluett, information services manager at the council, which serves approximately 2,700 residential and 250 commercial and industrial ratepayers as well as rural and lifestyle properties.
“These events served to underscore the critical need for reliable communication in civil defence emergency management.”
The breakthrough came with the migration of terrestrial services from copper to fibre-based connections and the introduction of Starlink services for remote locations.
In 2023, the council engaged long-term, Auckland-based technology partner BayCom to review its options. That led to a decision in March to deploy the Access4 voice platform, which is built to support partners through automation, multi-tenancy, integrations and invoicing support.
All existing council desk phones were replaced in a day, with critical ones with interactive voice response for customer service switched after-hours.
BayCom undertook system pre-configuration and provided on-site support during switch-over.
“It was clear from the trials that the Access4 platform had the capabilities to fully meet our requirements,” Bluett said.
“The flexibility of being able to route calls over the public internet met our business continuity needs perfectly. The infrastructure is now live and supporting council’s 90 staff across 21 locations.”
New work patterns introduced during the pandemic also meant more council staff spent at least some time working from home. The new voice platform ensured they remained contactable regardless of their location.
Switching to a cloud-based platform further allowed the council to remove existing rack-mounted telephony equipment, reducing power consumption and complexity.
The council also benefited from the platform’s close integration with iCall Suite Call Reporting and live analytics. Previously, the organisation had relied on expensive add-on software for its on-premise PABX to report on call volumes or missed calls.
“Having access to powerful analytics and reporting has been a complete game-changer for us,” Bluett said. “Once you fully understand your organisation, you can ensure that resourcing is effective in the right areas and meets the needs of our ratepayers.”