BD-1 chose Freedom’s hosted IPT solution as an alternative to replacing an ageing PBX system serving some 40 handsets in the group’s headquarters in Ruislip, Middlesex. The move, according to a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) study conducted by Freedom, saved BD-1 over £15,000 at installation and will cut monthly running costs by as much as £1,500 each month, .
Freedom’s Hosted IPT service also provides remote handset upgrading and 24/7 system monitoring and maintenance within its standard service package. This eliminates exposure to maintenance bills which traditionally escalate as telephony systems age or functionality is added.
But this service has more far reaching benefits for the customer as SIXIS’ group operations director, Andy Barracliffe, explains: “Simple reconfiguration work like handset moves and changes will be handled by our own IT department through a simple browser-based tool provided by Freedom. Specification changes such as adding IVR, call recording and more complex measurement and analysis of call volumes and call length will be initiated by simply contacting Freedom who will then turn these pieces of functionality on, handset-by-handset if necessary.”
Barracliffe explains the decision to go hosted: “I compare hosted telephony to leasing a car. It takes all the hassle associated with ownership, maintenance and protecting your initial investment out of your hands. The driver, after all, is likely to be happy paying a fixed amount in even monthly installments to ensure he can travel from A to B. We’re happy to take the same view with our new state-of-the-art IP telephony system from Freedom.”
Clare Frost, head of marketing, Freedom, summarises: “BD-1 is one of a growing group of small and medium-sized businesses now electing to go hosted instead of persevering with expensive analogue-based systems or buying replacement systems. Freedom predicts good growth in the hosted market. Hosted really appeals to organisations who do not want the burden of large initial capital outlay to get the benefit of a new telephone system.”