PRESS RELEASE: The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the world’s largest professional body for construction management and leadership, has completely overhauled its communications and telephony platform in order to increase efficiency across its workforce. The organisation opted for a cloud-based unified communications (UC) solution from VIA, the business telephony and communications specialist, as part of a wider modernisation project that also included the installation of an exclusive network connection and a new call routing system.
Having previously used Microsoft Lync 2010, CIOB was looking to upgrade to a slicker UC platform that offered an increased range of dynamic features. Following a competitive tender process that featured eight proposals, CIOB chose to deploy VIA UC across its multiple offices and remote workforce. The project was rolled-out to 150 users in total, and due to the cloud-based nature of VIA UC, there was seamless integration between 90 users in the Bracknell head office, multiple remote users and a second London office.
The solution – which incorporates Skype for Business – allows employees to talk, instant message, email, video chat or partake in conferences across a variety of devices, such as landlines, smartphones, PCs, and tablets. This helps the team to stay continuously connected even when they are on the road or working from home, while also making it easier to communicate with colleagues based overseas. The organisation has also implemented VIA’s advanced call routing application to ensure callers are quickly directed to the most suitable department.
During the tender process, CIOB was impressed by VIA’s ability to offer both a fully hosted and fully managed service, supported by an unrivalled infrastructure ensuring resilience at all times. As part of the revamp, CIOB also chose VIA Connect, which provides the organisation with a direct and exclusive network connection from VIA’s data centres to its office. This allows the industry body to share and send calls and data whilst ensuring unrivalled levels of security and resilience.
Ray Ellison, Director of Corporate Services, at CIOB, said: “In terms of efficiency and productivity VIA UC has been a huge success. Whilst we had already used an older UC solution, our employees have benefitted greatly from VIA UC’s increased functionality. VIA’s unique and easy-to-use visual management portal is also an extremely valuable tool, allowing us to observe productivity and monitor costs, helping to save vital admin time.”
Alex Tebbs, Director at VIA, said: “VIA UC works over the Internet and completely replaces the need to operate a traditional telephony network. This solution, together with VIA Connect, ensures we can offer businesses a highly innovative and feature-rich telephony and communications platform that embraces the benefits of the cloud, whilst remaining fully secure at all times.”