Legal firm Mills & Reeve is implementing aconverged IP-based networkand
communications software across it four UK offices to reduce costs
and improve service and efficiency.
"We needed to replace an ageing telephone system, but realised
it was an opportunity to save costs on inter-office calls by moving
to a converged voice and data network as well as add value through
improved responsiveness to calls from clients," said Graeme Low,
head of IT at Mills & Reeve.
After a formal two-stage tendering process involving six
companies, Mills & Reeve awarded a five-year contract worth
£600,000 to
Redstone Converged Solutions.
Low said several shortlisted companies were able to meet the law
firm's basic telephony requirements, but Redstone was able to
demonstrate how to get added value from investing in a tried and
tested
Cisco network and IP telephony platform.
"Redstone proposed adding third-party business communications
software from
IPFX, which will give us tremendous scope to make the business
more productive and efficient by integrating closely with Microsoft
Outlook," he said.
The software will enable the firm's lawyers to see the
availability of team colleagues, read faxes, access voicemail, and
click to dial contacts all within the Outlook environment.
"IPFX will bring together a whole lot of different systems into
a single application where most lawyers work, and that is where we
expect to get the greatest efficiency gains," said Low.
Mills & Reeve plans to adopt a phased approach to the
implementation, starting this month with the insurance division,
which will test the system across that division's staff at the
firm's London, Birmingham and Norwich offices. The Cambridge office
will not be involved in the first phase.
"The pilot phase will enable us to examine the team working
element of the system and help us to understand how it will work
best for the firm and amend our telephony policies and procedures
where necessary, before rolling it out across all practice areas in
all four offices," said Low.