Telekom Austria

Telecommunications Company Increases Productivity with New Solution

Telekom Austria, the country’s leading telecommunications company, wanted to improve internal communication and collaboration. It deployed Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007, which integrates easily into traditional Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems, making deployment cheaper and less disruptive than a PBX upgrade. This new user-friendly and intuitive unified communications system helps users to choose between communication methods such as voice, video, text messaging, and Web collaboration. A live presence status can be controlled directly by the user or be automatically based on Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 and other sources of information, ensuring that only people able and willing to communicate are contacted, saving time and money. Since the deployment of Office Communications Server 2007, employees at Telekom Austria have increased productivity, further ensuring the company’s leading position.

Situation

Improved collaboration and quicker access to data through Office Communications Server 2007 has helped us to save costs and be more efficient, giving us a distinct advantage over our competitors.  Hannes Krall Systems Manager Telekom Austria

With 2006 revenues close to U.S.$6.4 billion (€4.8 billion) and more than 15,000 employees, the Telekom Austria Group is the leading telecommunications provider in Austria. The company supplies high-quality services to more than 2.6 million fixed access lines and more than 10 million mobile customers. The fixed net segment Telekom Austria not only comprises fixed line telephony but also data and IT solutions, Internet access and media, and value-added and wholesale services. Following its successful expansion in recent years, the Telekom Austria Group now has operations in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia.

To maintain its leadership and position as an early adaptor and technological pioneer, Telekom Austria was looking for an innovative unified communications solution. It wanted to integrate all real-time communication methods such as instant messaging (IM), voice over IP (VoIP), and conferencing (audio and video) in an environment centered on presence information─a visible availability status and contact preference indicator. The integrated presence feature allows users to start a chat, write an e-mail, or place calls directly from applications. In addition, users can see if others are online, and whether they are working from home or a remote office.

Particular emphasis was placed on improving collaboration between members of staff, primarily for those working from home, remote offices, or in the field. “We wanted to improve productivity, so we were looking for more convenient ways for our sales people to access information, making it easier for them to collaborate and communicate no matter where they are,” says Hannes Krall, Systems Manager, Telekom Austria. Another important issue was the expansion of voice mail to e-mail functionality, a feature only available to employees at Telekom Austria headquarters in Vienna, where the local Private Branch Exchange (PBX) converts voice messages into e-mail attachments and sends them to recipients.

The company’s vision for unified communications was clear. Telekom Austria wanted a solution that would fit neatly into its current communications system and build on the integrated messaging features of Microsoft® Live Communications Server 2005—which the company deployed in 2005—so that employees could take advantage of IM and presence awareness.

Critically, the company wanted to make all communications accessible through the same interface including VoIP, e-mail, voice mail, and conferencing (Web and video). The solution also needed to integrate with the company’s Active Directory® service infrastructure, its client and server environment, and the current Alcatel 4400 PBX.

In addition to being user-friendly, the new communications solution needed to enhance user and customer experiences alike by streamlining the company’s internal communications and improving collaboration.

Solution

By holding video and audio conferences with several participants, internal communications between sites have vastly improved and we no longer have to travel to face-to-face meetings.  Hannes Krall Systems Manager Telekom Austria

In August 2006, Telekom Austria started researching the potential of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. “A strong factor in favor of migrating to Office Communications Server 2007 this early was to understand the system and how it could benefit us as a business,” says Krall.

The design and planning phase was concluded by February 2007. The migration from Live Communications Server 2005 was completed within a month in April 2007. “The process of migrating to Office Communications Server 2007 was very smooth and problem free,” says Krall. “For us, it was essential to migrate from one system to another as quickly as possible, to ensure minimal disruptions to the users.”

Having spent the better part of a year migrating to Active Directory in 2002, Telekom Austria was adamant that its new unified communications system should stay on the Microsoft directory service’s environment. Active Directory allows administrators to centrally deploy programs, assign users as well as define corporate policies. Administrative operations through a single point of access have significantly streamlined the deployment of the new solution. According to Krall, “The integration of Office Communications Server 2007 with Active Directory was very swift. Once the new servers were installed, users were easily migrated.”

Telekom Austria rolled out its new unified communications solution in several stages:

• Office Communications Server 2007 was integrated with the company’s PBX system, Microsoft Office SharePoint® Portal Server 2003, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 in April 2007.
• A DMG 4060 B Gateway (Dialogic) was installed, providing gateway functionality between Office Communications Server 2007 and the PBX.
• VoIP was made available to 200 selected Business Solutions and Technology staff located across Austria.
• Staff were equipped with Office Communications Server 2007 endpoint devices of their choice, including GN Jabra-branded headsets and Polycom USB handsets.

VoIP users are still able to use conventional PBX telephony concurrently, but the use of VoIP has increased rapidly due to its multimodality and intuitive user-friendly functionality.

At present, Cisco Call Manager 4.2 is used for unified messaging. The company plans to deploy Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, with its advanced unified messaging features, by the end of 2007.

Telekom Austria plans to further advance deployment of the unified communications solution by adding another 500 VoIP users from the same departments at the beginning of 2008. The company will continue its gradual VoIP rollout to all staff members during 2008.

Benefits

Being able to set up Web conferences in Office Communications Server 2007 is a major step forward for us.  Hannes Krall Systems Manager Telekom Austria

The simple and cost effective deployment of Office Communications Server 2007 with the existing PBX through the Dialogic DMG 4060 B Gateway has resulted in many advantages for Telekom Austria. The new solution offers Telekom Austria a powerful total communications system. By enhancing the PBX equipment with VoIP access and unified communications capabilities, collaboration and communications, voice quality, and user experience were significantly improved. The new solution has increased the company’s efficiency and resulted in cost savings, while the consolidation of communication methods and applications additionally provide service and network independence. Being a future-proof and scalable system, it expands the company’s value chain and service offerings to the market.

Improved Collaboration and Communications

With 10,000 employees throughout Austria and another 5,000 staff members located at international sites within the Telekom Austria Group—many of them mobile—improving collaboration and communications was a priority for Telekom Austria. The deployment of Office Communications Server 2007 provided exactly what it had hoped for.

Consolidating various communications methods has considerably streamlined internal communications at Telekom Austria. Users can now obtain real-time telephone and e-mail data from personal and corporate contact lists in Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 messaging and collaboration client. Presence indicates the availability status of users instantaneously, therefore only people who are willing and able to communicate are contacted. This not only means that users no longer need to move between applications, but they can, for example, originate e-mail messages, voice calls, and conferences directly from Outlook 2003. “By holding video and audio conferences with several participants, internal communications between sites have vastly improved and we no longer have to travel to face-to-face meetings,“ says Krall, “Being able to set up Web conferences in Office Communications Server 2007 is a major step forward for us.” The conferencing feature will allow users from different sites, as well as mobile users to attend meetings, irrespective of their location. Tasks and issues can be dealt with more quickly, ensuring faster reaction and response times.

The integration of VoIP and the full integration of the Microsoft Office suite, including the presence indicator in Office documents, have also significantly streamlined real-time collaboration. Presence identifies the best way to contact another member of staff. Tasks can be assigned to available members of staff, instead of having to be paused or postponed. By using Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile, access to data anytime is guaranteed. “Improved collaboration and faster access to data through Office Communications Server 2007 has helped us to save costs and be more efficient, giving us a distinct advantage over our competitors,” says Krall. “Through the presence indicator, unnecessary calls are avoided. If I see that somebody is offline or not present, I know not to call that person.” 

Hands-free communication has also enhanced users’ concentration, which has improved simultaneous personal computer work substantially and boosted their efficiency.  Hannes Krall Systems Manager Telekom Austria

Improved Voice Quality and User Experience

One of the major improvements in the new solution is in the speech quality of VoIP phone calls. “In Office Communications Server 2007, voice quality and ease of use have greatly improved compared to earlier VoIP services. Wireless headsets allow users to be more mobile, allowing them to move around the room and their workspace,” says Krall. To guarantee positive user experiences, Microsoft has teamed up with several hardware partners such as GN Netcom and Polycom to provide products optimized to work with Office Communications Server 2007. The GN Netcom Jabra headsets integrate directly with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. They are hands-free devices helping people to be more productive in the office. Jabra headsets provide high-quality sound and call clarity, and excellent volume control and comfort. Additionally, they are easy to set up, and simple to use.

Telekom Austria was most impressed by the functionality of the Polycom USB handsets. The handsets are powered through an integrated USB cable and are fully plug-and-play compatible, allowing users to conveniently call from Office Communicator 2007. “The handset allows you to dial your contacts directly from the application. But as you can also dial from the handset itself, you only have to use one instead of two devices,” says Krall. “Our users are very happy with the Polycom handsets. They are easy to use, offer good voice quality and good hands-free functionality. You simply plug them in and they work.” 

Administrative and Hardware Cost Savings

Polycom handsets deliver a high-quality, high-definition audio experience, while taking advantage of the unified communications features of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. The result is an enhanced communications experience that improves productivity and lowers the total cost of ownership. “By using the Polycom handsets and Office Communications Server 2007, you don’t require a second IP address and you can call directly from your computer,” says Krall. With increasing use of VoIP, the number of traditional fixed line and mobile voice calls have noticeably dropped, leading to substantial cost savings. Improved Web collaboration and improved file and application sharing facilitate the consolidation of servers and reduce hardware and bandwidth requirements. By streamlining the IT environment, hardware, licensing, and administrative costs also are reduced.

Increased Productivity and Boosted Efficiency

Telekom Austria employees have substantially increased their productivity and efficiency  with improved Web collaboration.  The user-friendliness of available devices have additionally led to a rapid increase in the use of VoIP among the 200 current Office Communications Server 2007 users, further boosting savings and productivity. By using a single method of communication and no longer having to swap between applications, the need for several devices has decreased at the same time, which is especially beneficial for mobile and field staff.

Office Communicator Mobile allows access to rich presence and IM on a Windows Mobile®–based device through General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access facilitates the use of to rich presence and IM through using a Web browser. The use of these two clients ensures maximum availability of staff members, by reducing unnecessary downtime while they are mobile.

Office workers have likewise been able to benefit from the new communications capabilities. “Instant messages are particularly useful for dealing with minor issues: they are more immediate than e-mail messages, and they speed up day-to-day tasks considerably. The ability to speak hands-free has improved the way people communicate,” says Krall. “Hands-free communication has also enhanced users’ concentration, which has substantially improved simultaneous personal computer work and boosted their efficiency.”

Consolidation of Communication Methods and Applications

Multiple communication channels and applications can be coordinated and consolidated using unified communications, measurably improving how individuals, groups, and companies interact and perform. “Not having to buy different software licenses and not having to buy support from different vendors, will also help streamline system support and administrations,” according to Krall. “With Office Communications Server 2007, we can bundle messaging applications, so we no longer require separate solutions for voice, for instance. This, in turn, means that we can reduce administration time and costs as well as the number of servers used within the company over time.”

Remote workers have secure access to applications and IP-based communication methods using remote office connectivity through the gateway. “The remote access provided by Office Communications Server 2007 has improved productivity. People can now work from home using the same line without having to install a second line for voice calls,” says Krall. “Colleagues can be reached and issues solved more quickly.”

Telekom Austria is more than convinced by the improvements Office Communications Server 2007 has brought to both its employees and the company. Krall says, “We might even consider replacing our PBX system somewhere down the line, provided Office Communications Server 2007 can deliver the same features.”

For More Information

For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:
www.microsoft.com

For more information about Telekom Austria products and services, call (+43) 59 0 59 1-0 or visit the Web site at:
www.telekom.at

Microsoft Office System

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Document published October 2007