Managing the migration to VoIP in the Higher Education sector

Managing voice services in Higher Education

How best-of-breed applications can assist in the IP Migration

C3 was set up over 20 years ago as a specialist supplier of computer telephony platforms and associated applications.

The Cambridge-based business now supplies a wide range customised multi-channel communications solutions to customers worldwide.

Our experience in the communications market place means we have an excellent track record for service. We are constantly evolving our product range to reflect market demands and customer requirements.

Our products enable companies to automate their communication processes, to generate new revenue channels, streamline communications processes and reduce overhead costs.

We are a small, successful, personable company and recently received Diamond Award for service following a 92% customer satisfaction rating from research company BenchmarQ.

Within higher education, the divide between the Networks and Telecoms teams is becoming increasingly blurred.

In many cases the two teams have totally merged, with overall responsibility for the telecoms infrastructure often left to the Network Manager.

This is an interesting – albeit challenging – time to be overseeing telephony in Higher Education.

Many universities and colleges are in the process of moving - or planning to move - from legacy TDM to IP Voice. A huge task for any organisation.

Most are using a ‘Phased Migration’ approach to bridge the gap between Point A (TDM) and Point B (VoIP). This hybrid takes advantage of new technology when the applications become available and leverages existing infrastructure.

e.g. deploying unified communications modules on legacy PBX and simply moving it across to the IP network when organisation is ready.

So wherever your organisation is in the IP migration process, it is important to deploy applications that are vendor-agnostic and use open standards.

These applications can be used on your traditional telecoms infrastructure, and then easily migrated to the IP network when you’re ready. This avoids vendor lock-in and gives you complete flexibility over your migration plans.

Organisations that pursue this multi-supplier approach to deployment are in a competitive position to take advantage of any emerging technologies on offer.

Choosing applications on this basis also means you create a focused system that adds unique value to your organisation, while also delivering significant savings.

Most businesses will find that the simplest way to implement unified communications solutions is in this staged way.

This is more effectively achieved with well-integrated, best-of-breed solutions than monolithic stacks of applications from the network vendor.

C3 has over two decades experience in the university sector with installations at sites across the UK.

We understand how you work, the challenges you face, and how our products can help you deliver innovative communication solutions that streamline, enhance and save money.

Our products are all vendor agnostic, and include:• Voice messaging • Call scripting software • Intelligent queuing • Contact Centre solutions supporting voice,

sms, web chat, email and social media• Credit card - secure payment ( PCI Compliant)• Database integration

Why should you work with C3? • C3’s core platform offers a simple and cost-

effective IT solution for telecoms. • Our applications are all core telephony-

agnostic and support TDM and SIP simultaneously.

• Our platform has been proven at a number of sites, including University of Cambridge, University of Hull and University of Central Lancashire.

• Our approach is modular meaning you only pay for those applications you need. This gives you a competitive advantage to pick and choose ‘best-of-breed’ services that suit your organisation and make the best use of your budget.

• We operate predominately on a site license basis, which again ensures significant savings for our customers.

C3 has over two decades’ experience in the higher education sector and our team has worked with institutions at every stage of the IP migration. Please get in touch now to find out how C3 can streamline your organisation’s communications and help you to deliver significant cost savings.

Email: [email protected]: 01223 427700