Trafford Council has more than halved its telephony
costs from £4.6m to £2.4m since investing in an IP telephony system
last May.
The council said the IP network, which includes the provision of
voice over IP telephony to cut call costs, has allowed it to expand
investment in the delivery of e-government services.
The converged voice, video and data network is based on an
Alcatel private branch exchange and switching products that link
250 council buildings, including schools, hospitals, libraries,
charities, and 4,700 office-based administrative workers.
Citizens, councillors and schools have also benefited from the
introduction of additional applications, such as video
conferencing, which provide multiple channels for interaction and
increased e-learning opportunities.
Further advantages of the roll-out include a consolidated
call-centre that can now deal with 80% of citizen inquiries at the
first point of contact, and wireless data connectivity for council
officers.
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