Published on the 02/12/2007 | Written by iStart

AT A GLANCE

• Lumberlink

INDUSTRY

• Distribution

BUSINESS OBJECTIVE

• To significantly reduce telephony costs across the business.

SOLUTION

• Connection to WorldxChange’s IP services via N2ND Communications

THE BENEFITS

• Savings of more than 35 percent off the company’s monthly telecommunications bill and the deployment of a system capable of expansion as the business grows.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

WorldxChange Ltd
W: www.wxc.co.nz
E: info@wxc.co.nz
T: +64 9 950 1300
Tollfree: 0800 123 456

Large companies in New Zealand and overseas have been implementing IP PABX solutions for a number of years.

As a result they have enjoyed additional calling features and use the same LAN infrastructure for both their voice and data needs. Their cost of ownership in terms of maintenance and support has dropped dramatically.

Up until now, most companies have had to spend additional money on hardware in order to convert their “high tech” premise solution back to a format that the old fashioned technology can understand in order to connect to their telecommunications service provider.

WorldxChange Communications has removed that barrier with its fully end-to-end IP-based next generation network.

Now small and medium businesses can afford to take advantage of IP technology and enjoy the cost savings associated with connecting directly to their service provider via a single convergent voice and data access line.

The equipment costs less than it has in the past, and is far easier to manage – often the task can be done by the client themselves. Lumberlink is a business specialising in the supply of New Zealand pine lumber and wood products.

The company is typical of the bulk of New Zealand businesses in that it does not have a full time IT specialist to manage its voice and internet requirements. Lumberlink has engaged the services of N2ND Communications Solutions to support their communications needs.

When asked why Lumberlink chose to implement a full IP telephony solution to their 15 users, company director Tony Johnston said that “the overriding driver was a desire to substantially reduce costs in the business” and with a savings of over 35 percent on their monthly telecommunications bill, they have achieved that goal.

Johnston points out that other benefits include being able to set up and adjust phone settings through a browser interface and receiving voice mail messages as email attachments.

Lumberlink’s old system was a standard analogue PABX with four phone lines, one facsimile and eight extensions. The company connected to the Internet using Jetstream.

Working with N2ND’s Technical Director, Scott Pettit, the company is now able to connect to WorldxChange Communications via a single two megabyte circuit that supports all of their voice and internet needs.

For an implementation of this size, a 2 megabit access circuit would normally be in excess of requirements, but the customer also has an accounting package that uses quite a bit of bandwidth.

The Linksys SPA9000 IP PABX and phones provide for functionality that was just too expensive for small implementations in the past. The system costs Lumberlink around $300 per year to maintain and will easily support the company’s growth should it require additional lines or phone extensions in the future. N2ND makes changes remotely which means that there do not have to be call out fees every time a new extension is installed or moved.

WorldxChange CEO, Cecil Alexander, believes that partnering with consultants and integrators is proving to be a very effective means of delivering telecommunications services to their customers.

“While scoping and installing the lines is pretty straight forward, having a partner who knows the customer’s business and environment has proved invaluable,” he says.

Lumberlink is a good example, Alexander says. When the client was asked if they would still choose WorldxChange as their IP Voice and Internet provider if they were to start again from scratch, their reply was: “Yes”.

“In addition to the cost savings, the other benefits that have had a positive impact on Lumberlink’s business is the good customer support provided by N2ND.”

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