A Melbourne College gets smart with a Samsung Communications Solution
De La Salle College, in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern, chose Samsung to bring its telecommunications into the 21st Century. By upgrading to a Samsung system with a range of smart features and easy-to-use functions, the College has empowered its teachers and staff, giving them more responsibility for their individual communications.
“De La Salle College enjoys a strong bond with its community. The new Samsung solution allows staff to manage their relationships with students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders more efficiently and professionally.” Stephen O’Shea, Business Manager
De La Salle College.
Challenge
A major review of De La Salle College’s 14-year-old telephone system, in consultation with faculty and staff, confirmed that the infrastructure was behind the times with limited functionality. De La Salle College was looking to upgrade to a new telecommunications solution that would alleviate pressure on the main switchboard during peak times and offer teachers and staff a range of functions that would improve the College’s efficiency and give individuals more control over their own communications.
Solution
After narrowing the field to two vendors, De La Salle College chose Samsung because it offered the right mix of solution, value and customer service. De La Salle College upgraded its communications network in July 2006 to a Samsung OfficeServ system comprising an OfficeServ 7200, 96 OfficeServ 14 Button handsets, Email Gateway and Easy Set software.
Results
• Improved school efficiency
• Enhanced functionality
• Decreased pressure on the main switchboard
• Greater control and flexibility for faculty and staff
• Cost savings
• Rapid programming changes
A Class of its Own
Founded in 1912, De La Salle College is a Catholic Independent school for boys in Melbourne, Victoria. The two campus college, based in the suburb of Malvern, has approximately 1,300 students. De La Salle College is a member of the Associated Catholic
Colleges - Victoria (ACC). Stephen O’Shea, De La Salle College’s Business Manager, project managed the upgrade from the existing Exicom GSX telephone system, which had become unreliable and, in the six months prior to the upgrade, required two resets.
“All calls went through the main switchboard with no direct in-dial or voicemail. The process of relaying messages by placing hand written notes in pigeon holes was inefficient and flawed. Sometimes, important messages, like a student missing an exam, would take 24 hours to reach a teacher,” said Stephen.
Stephen identified a couple of options for the College – a bolt-on voicemail solution or a whole new system. Additionally, the new system could be VoIP or a conventional standalone telephony system. Stephen decided that the College’s needs were best served by a standalone system rather than upgrading the entire IT network to accommodate VoIP.
Stephen undertook a rigorous review of telephony solutions, approaching eight of the major vendors in the marketplace.
The Samsung Solution
De La Salle College decided upon a Samsung OfficeServ system with the OfficeServ 7200 serving as the telecommunications backbone.
The OfficeServ 7200 Converged Communications Server has been designed to deliver advanced voice, data and wireless communications in a single, affordable platform. Businesses of any size can deploy OfficeServ 7200 to build sophisticated
telephony applications, secure data communications infrastructure and policy-driven networks. The OfficeServ 7200 combines features with functionality, offering a host of standard and optional features, many of which can be used at the touch of button.
The installation and system launch at De La Salle College were seamless. A few weeks before installation, Samsung Communications analysed the existing infrastructure across the two campuses to ensure the process had the minimal impact
on business time. As a “value-add”, Samsung Communications reconfigured the College’s wiring to a more logical and user-friendly format.
The on site installation started on a Friday afternoon and was complete by midnight. On the day the system went “live”, Samsung Communications provided a technician, in case there were any teething problems, and a trainer to educate faculty and staff about the telephony’s functions and features.
A key component of the College’s OfficeServ system is Samsung Email Gateway (voicemail to email function). Samsung Email Gateway is the ultimate tool for accessing and managing messages - voicemails, faxes and emails - from a PC’s inbox. New voicemail messages and faxes appear in the inbox and are easily identified by the email’s subject field e.g. Voice message from Number 8542 8500. Just like a standard email message, users click on the message to open the email, which provides a summary of information, including the time and date the message was received. The actual voicemail or fax is presented as a WAV or TIF file attachment.
Staff members without their own dedicated extensions can now access their individual voicemails through their virtual extensions. Samsung Email Gateway alerts teachers and staff by email when a message is on their voicemail. Individuals have the flexibility of accessing their messages from any telephone - on campus or offsite - at a time that is convenient to them.
“Voicemail has streamlined our external and internal communication processes. There’s just less mucking around,” added Stephen.
A GSM interface means the cost of calls from fixed line to mobile are significantly reduced, regardless of whether the individuals are on campus or offsite.
“The GSM interface is saving the College approximately $1,000 per month in mobile phone expenses during busy periods and at least $200 to $300 during the quieter months,” said Stephen.
Samsung Communications also provided the College with management software, Easy Set, so that they could easily make changes to the system without delays or having to rely on Samsung technical support.
“The Easy Set software makes telephone set-up quick and easy. We have total control over our own system, and we’re not dependent on a third party,” added Stephen.
If the College does require support or advice, Samsung Communications is only a phone call away. An extra order was placed for the headsets that were well-received by a number of staff. The College’s IT Manager also contacts Samsung Communications to
learn simple tasks, such as adjusting the time across the network when day light saving changed.
Examples of new efficiencies include the improvement in coordinating work experience placements as providers now have direct access to the College’s Careers Coordinator. Similarly, a separate virtual voicemail line has been established to receive absentee messages. During the peak morning time, this ensures the switchboard is not overloaded, and important and emergency calls can be received and addressed.
Samsung Communications converted six voice lines and two fax lines to eight voice lines allowing for better network usage during peak periods. The ability to log extra telephones into the reception means telephone answering responsibilities can be shared during peak periods, cultivating better teamwork at the College.
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