Unified Communications system for Brentwood Communications

Brentwood Communications is a leading supplier of radio communication equipment. With over 45 years’ experience, they supply bespoke radio communication solutions across the UK and worldwide.

The brief

Brentwood Communications approached us needing a solution to replace their current telephone system and ISDN lines (being aware of the upcoming ISDN switch off).

It was important that the telephone system would incorporate VoIP technology and provide a solution to enable smoother communications and information sharing between the company’s three offices, in Brentwood, Southampton and the Republic of Ireland.

With approximately 40 staff employed across the three sites, Brentwood Communications needed a system that would include:

• Desk telephones for office and administration staff.
• A desktop application for team members who only needed computer-based telephony.
• A browser-based application enabling staff to access their telephone system from any office or remote locations.
• Mobile applications for travelling staff and road warriors.
• Efficient internal communications between all three sites including instant chat, file sharing and collaboration tools.

The solution

Wildix Unified Communications

After further discussions to gather information on the full business requirement, we proposed the installation of the Wildix Unified Communications platform and calls being made and received via Gamma Telecoms SIP Trunks.

In addition to meeting all their communication needs it also met their budgetary requirements. The Wildix solution’s architecture has a low cost of ownership as everything is cloud-based.

Deploying a cloud-based platform removes the need to consider multiple sites as separate sites, because employees can connect to the telephone system from anywhere with the same user experience (provided they have internet access).

Essentially the platform gives Brentwood Communications a single “company telephone system”, rather than different approaches for each site and remote workers.

Reliability is key

Naturally, the reliability of the system was a critical consideration for Brentwood Communications. The Gamma Telecoms SIP Trunk service has excellent back up disaster recovery options. It is also a budget-friendly solution with inclusive calls.

Overcoming the challenges of multiple sites

Installing telephony across multiple sites always has its challenges, however with hosted solutions and careful planning the impact and downtime are minimised.

Our engineers prepared much of the system programming in advance of the installation. We shipped the pre-configured equipment to the Southampton and RoI site with easy-to-follow instructions for network connection. We carried out the larger Brentwood installation ourselves.

We followed this up post-installation with on-site training at the main office in Essex. We provided remote training to the satellite offices using Wildix’s built-in video conferencing and screen sharing facilities. An excellent example of a product being useful for a provider as well as a customer.

The results

Switching from ISDN to VoIP has provided Brentwood Communications with a cutting-edge phone system which will serve them well for many years to come. It has also provided them with much more flexibility to use remote or hybrid working patterns. And, should they open additional sites in the future, the extension of their existing system will be low cost and stress-free. The added benefit of adopting a Unified Communications package has enabled them to streamline their internal and external communications through a single, intuitive interface.

ITS installed a new VoIP phone system for us, replacing our old ISDN lines. They worked with us closely to make sure we got the right kit at the right price. The installation was smooth and caused very little disruption. Our new Wildix phone and video comms system is excellent. It’s flexible enough to take care of all our needs – internal or external, office or remote. We’d highly recommend ITS to anyone moving from ISDN to VoIP.

Justin Porter
ICT Director, Brentwood Communications Limited

Switching from ISDN?

As the ISDN switch off looms, many businesses are seizing this opportunity to adopt a cloud-based telephony system, welcoming the cost savings and flexibility this brings.

Give us a call on 0800 316 2970 or email sales@itslimited.com to discover how a switch to VoIP could benefit your business.