St. Austell Brewery says cheers to Datasharp & Unify

St. Austell Brewery, the Cornwall based drinks maker, restaurant, bar owner and manager, announces it has partnered with Unify, the Atos brand for communications software and services, to overhaul its communications infrastructure. Working in conjunction with Datasharp, a long-term Unify Master Partner, the company is modernising the brewery’s ability to collaborate and communicate with all stakeholders.

Already one of the largest employers in the South West of England, St. Austell Brewery is a fast growing organisation that has ambitious plans for the future. With Datasharp having looked after the St. Austell estate for a number of years – including their managed house and HQ – the brewery knew it was in safe hands for the future. Once St. Austell made the decision to relocate, Datasharp reviewed the solution at the time, recommending an upgrade on the old system.

St. Austell Brewery needed a communication and collaboration system that was future-proof and could ensure that no business was lost, even at peak times. On top of this, it needed to include features that let employees in the call centre work more efficiently. With St. Austell Brewery being a multi-site operation, it meant that the organisation required a range of technologies to be incorporated into their new communications and collaborations solutions. It was therefore decided that they would invest in Unify’s OpenScape Business solution in order to deliver complete connectivity. OpenScape Business provides digital, analogue, I/P, SIP, ISDN, DECT and BSIP. On top of this, Datasharp would be able to deliver a full enterprise contact centre, via OpenScape Contact Centre, making operators’ jobs easier than ever.

It was also vital for St. Austell Brewery that the implementation of the new communications infrastructure happened with minimal disruptions to day-to-day operations. With bars, restaurants, hotels and other hospitality establishments relying on fast fulfilment of orders, Datasharp and the brewery worked closely together to achieve a seamless switchover. This tailored and holistic approach – with the whole communication and collaboration operation from top to bottom based on Unify’s technology – allows seamless engagement across multiple locations. This is delivering a huge benefit for each St. Austell team member, as well as the brewery’s customers. In fact, this transformation has provided the business with the extended capabilities to support their new acquisition of Bath Ales and Hotel’s communication infrastructure requirements. In turn, this has enabled the company to achieve a turnover of over £135m, and is helping it produce over 155,000 barrels annually.

Allan Williams, Technical Director & Winner of the Unify Innovation Award, at Datasharp says, “One of the biggest challenges in a project of this scale is continuity. This is why we worked closely with the internal stakeholders at St. Austell throughout the entire project and, specifically, chose a phased approach. This eased minds, as the entire switchover caused minimal disruption and no lost business. Training was also carried out before and after the change, ensuring that employees had a solid foundation on the new software and hardware, as well as being able to raise any issues and find solutions. All these actions ensured that, from start to finish, the entire project was a success and something everyone is proud of.”

Emily Masterton, Channel Account Manager, Unify, adds: “It is brilliant to see that Unify’s OpenScape Contact Centre began delivering time-savings – and therefore cost-reductions – for St. Austell immediately. Contact centre staff are able to manage and handle calls far more efficiently, letting the entire staff – which number over a thousand across more than 50 sites – do their jobs better than ever before. With St. Austell Brewery planning further expansion, the flexible nature of OpenScape Contact Centre is also a huge bonus, as it can adapt to whatever its plans are. Three cheers to the future!”