The first phase of the partnership is the deployment of an Avaya telephony and unified communications solution which will drive improved internal and external communications and reduce costs.
Improved experience in the contact centre
The IT department is replacing its Unify telephony system with an Avaya Aura solution for its contact centre. The new software will provide greater flexibility and enable the University to better manage peaks in call volumes, for example during clearing. Callers will receive an improved level of customer service as calls are answered more promptly and then passed to the correct departments more quickly, thanks to better routing capabilities.
Greater collaboration and integration in Student Services
With an increasing number of students using email and social media websites, the University team has chosen to deploy Avaya Aura Contact Centre to manage communications across all channels and improve engagement between staff and students. Additionally Avaya’s Engagement Development Platform (EDP) will enable students to design their own communications-enabled business processes. Avaya will also be sponsoring activities around development of this.
The Avaya solution will be rolled out in three phases over the next eighteen months. The project will be implemented by Avaya partner BT.
John Hemingway, Director of ICT at the University of Hull, said, “This partnership represents a step change in our University’s telephony service that will open up myriad opportunities to enhance our staff and student experience, while at the same time reducing cost. It is part of a £25m investment over five years that is transforming the provision and use of ICT at our University.
Throughout the procurement process the Avaya team has shown it really understands what we want to achieve and the solution it has provided aligns closely with our University’s long-term goals. We believe that Avaya technology represents an excellent solution for our University and there is a good fit between their mindset and ours. When it comes to selecting suppliers, we also pay close attention to analyst and other third party recommendations. Avaya has a fantastic reputation in the education sector and its track record as a visionary leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for unified communications further underlined to us that its capabilities and approach were exactly what the university needs: excellence in innovation, reliability and adaptability.”
Steve Joyner, Head of Sales Engineering, Avaya EU, added, “Our experience of working with other education providers means that we understand the challenges that Hull University faces as well as the opportunity it had to improve the daily experience of all those involved with it. Modern communication and collaboration technology is fantastic foundation for digital transformation and when this project is complete Hull will be able to differentiate itself from competitors through the quality of its digital services it offers to staff and students alike.”