4-page Case Study - Posted 3/11/2009

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QubicaAMF

Manufacturer Cuts Teleconferencing Costs by 10 Percent, Improves Communications

QubicaAMF is one of the largest bowling products manufacturers and marketers in the world. The company’s employees work in offices around the world and struggled to communicate effectively using the company’s communications technology. Although employees used the Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 e-mail environment and a voice-mail system, they needed more conferencing and collaboration tools. QuibicaAMF also wanted to reduce teleconferencing costs. With help from Microsoft Gold Certified Partner BT, QubicaAMF deployed Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging. The solution, which integrates with the company’s existing technologies, has streamlined employee communications, resulting in increased productivity and IT-staff efficiency. The solution has also helped the company reduce teleconferencing costs by 10 percent.

Situation

QubicaAMF Worldwide, a 50/50 joint venture between AMF Bowling Products and Qubica Worldwide, is one of the largest bowling products manufacturers and marketers in the world. Based near Richmond, Virginia, with European headquarters in Bologna, Italy, the company offers a complete line of innovative solutions for new and existing bowling and entertainment centers.

We’ve seen at least a 10 percent reduction in teleconferencing costs because of the Web-conferencing capabilities of Office Communications Server 2007.  Rohana Meade Vice President and CIO QubicaAMF

About 175 of the company’s 700 employees work in the Mechanicsville, Virginia, headquarters, while another 100 employees are based in the main European office in Bologna, Italy. The rest of the organization’s workers are based in offices in the Netherlands, France, and other smaller offices around the world.  

Because the employees are so globally dispersed, communication and collaboration are difficult. Although QubicaAMF had recently deployed the Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 e-mail messaging environment to 400 users, and all employees used a private branch exchange (PBX) phone system to contact each other, staff members in different offices still needed additional tools to be able to work together effectively. For example, they lacked the ability to determine the online availability of colleagues. Also, employees could not hold impromptu teleconferences or video conferences.

“We have cross-functional teams across the world that need to collaborate on projects together,” explains Rohana Meade, Vice President and CIO, QubicaAMF. “They have to connect with each other about product shipments, project deadlines, and customer queries. Managing a project internationally is a challenge, especially across different time zones.”

The 25-person QubicaAMF IT department also struggled to communicate well. “Some of our technical support employees work from their homes in Europe, and some of us are in the main office. It was challenging for us to work together even on simple issues like troubleshooting,” Meade says. “If I had to touch base with colleagues in Italy, I would send an e-mail message, if they didn’t respond right away, I would call. Those were my only options. If they didn’t answer their home phone, I’d try their cell phone. I’d waste my time chasing them all over the place.”

Additionally, QubicaAMF was faced with approximately U.S.$3,000 in telecomm and U.S.$2,500 long-distance phone charges each month. “Every time we had a conference call, we had to pay the company that hosted the call,” says Meade. “Because we have weekly calls, that became expensive.” Also, many QubicaAMF employees used cell phones when traveling between countries. “The international roaming charges for those calls were very high, and we knew we’d save a lot of money if we could somehow eliminate those fees,” she adds.  

Another drawback was that the organization’s PBX system was not meeting the company’s teleconferencing needs. “We were using teleconferencing units in our offices in the United States, Italy, and the Netherlands, and those units were only deployed on Wide Area Networks in those specific offices, so anytime a manager wanted to get an outside person on the call, it was difficult,” says Meade.

Because it wanted to reduce teleconferencing and long-distance costs and find communications tools that would integrate with its existing e-mail and voice-mail environments, QubicaAMF decided to look for a new solution.  

Our productivity has increased phenomenally, especially because of the presence feature in Office Communications Server 2007.  Rohana Meade Vice President and CIO QubicaAMF

Solution

Microsoft partnered with BT—a networked IT services provider and a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner—on an initiative that sought to find companies that would benefit from unified communications solutions. Together, the companies identified QubicaAMF as a likely candidate.

 BT offers managed services, professional services and consulting, and full outsourcing for business and IT transformation for international companies in a range of industries. In July 2008, BT conducted an infrastructure optimization analysis for QubicaAMF. "We started by helping them understand their telephony and communications needs and then helped them find the technology to meet those needs," says Keith Birkner, Network Engineer, BT. BT worked with QubicaAMF to design an integrated unified communications solution based on Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging. "We chose those technologies based on their need for cost savings, global IP telephony capabilities, and improved communications tools," adds Birkner.

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 gives QubicaAMF instant messaging, presence, and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capabilities along with integrated audio and video conferencing. Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging gives QubicaAMF employees the ability to have e-mail, voice mail, and calendar information delivered to one inbox. Users can then act on multiple types of messages without the need to switch between different applications.
BT initially deployed both technologies to 115 QubicaAMF employees in September 2008, with plans for all employees to be included by the end of 2009.

By using the Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 client, QubicaAMF workers now have the ability to determine the status and availability of a coworker, no matter if that colleague is in the same office or across the world. After determining the quickest way to communicate with that person, an employee can then place a phone call, send an e-mail message or instant message, or place a VoIP call from his or her computer.

The implementation also integrates Microsoft Office Live Meeting, a hosted Web- conferencing software solution through which QubicaAMF can hold online conferences using Office Communications Server 2007.

During the deployment, BT connected an Audiocodes Mediant 1000 gateway between the QubicaAMF Siemens Hipath 4000 and Siemens Hicom PBX telephony systems and the Mediation Server role in Office Communications Server 2007. BT also helped QubicaAMF deploy 15 Polycom CX200 desktop phones that can be used for Office Communicator 2007 calls.

Benefits

The new solution, based on Office Communications Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging, has streamlined e-mail and voice communications for QubicaAMF employees and has contributed to a 10 percent reduction in teleconferencing costs. The company's workers have also become more productive, and QubicaAMF IT staff members can perform their work more efficiently. In addition, the solution integrates well with the organization's Microsoft IT infrastructure.

Our new solution integrates our PBX with Office Communications Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging, and Live Meeting, so communication is just simpler now.  Rohana Meade, Vice President and CIO QubicaAMF

Streamlined E-Mail and Voice-Mail Communications

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging have completely transformed
e-mail and telephony communications for employees at QubicaAMF. Now,they can use the Office Communicator 2007 client to quickly view a colleague's presence information and choose to send an instant message or an e-mail message, or quickly turn an existing e-mail exchange into a live meeting or audio conference. Likewise, Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging delivers voice-mail and e-mail messages to a single user inbox. "Because of the way in which Office Communications Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging have streamlined our environment, we're communicating about important issues much faster than before," Meade says. "Entire groups of people can communicate at the same time on a customer project, for example." 

Such capabilities are transforming the way QubicaAMF employees do their jobs. Working on large capital projects, such as bowling-center implementations, is now much easier for employees in disparate locations. "On a big project, the project manager might be in Virginia, while the products might be getting shipped from Italy, and other components might be coming from New York. Previously, the project manager had to sift through a chain of 30 e-mail messages to try and find who the right person was to contact about shipping information. Now, using Office Communications Server 2007, that person can just send an instant message to all of those people, and a dialogue related to the shipment is immediately started."

Reduced Teleconferencing Costs by 10 Percent

QubicaAMF employees can now conduct Web conferences, video conferences, and audio conferences from their computers. As a result, the company will save $30,000 each year in telecommunications costs and another $25,000 in international cellular charges. "We've seen at least a 10 percent reduction in teleconferencing costs so far because of the built-in conferencing capabilities of Office Communications Server 2007," says Meade. "We're doing more conferences than ever, and we can create ad hoc meetings, which is something we could not do previously. Or when a group of people are exchanging e-mail messages about a customer project, they can turn the session into a live meeting very easily.”

Enhanced conferencing capabilities have also helped increase the quality of QubicaAMF meetings. “English is a second language for many of our overseas employees, and historically there have sometimes been misunderstandings on phone calls because of that,” Meade relates. “Now that we have the ability to use high-quality video in all of our conferences, we can see people’s faces and reactions. It really helps improve communication.”

Increased Employee Productivity

The combination of communication and collaboration tools in one system means that QubicaAMF workers can more easily reach colleagues in other offices. “Our productivity has increased phenomenally, especially because of the presence feature in Office Communications Server 2007,” Meade says. “That makes all the difference in an international organization like ours. If I need to talk to coworkers in Italy, I can immediately see if they’re at their desk and ready to talk on the phone or if they’re busy on another call. It actually helps me accomplish much more in my work day, because I’m not waiting for someone’s response.”

QubicaAMF has also been able to boost productivity for its remote workers, because it has enabled Office Communications Server 2007 for public connectivity. Now the company’s European workers can make conference calls on their laptops from home or on the road. “Employees can work in Office Communications Server 2007 directly from their laptop,” says Meade. “That’s very convenient because it gives our European workers more flexibility. Before, for example, they often had to stay late at the office for conference calls to accommodate those in the U.S. time zone. Now, they can go home on time, have dinner and spend time with their families, and then get onto a quick half-hour video conference through Office Communications Server 2007. They’re much more willing to do conference calls now.”

Improved IT Efficiency

IT administrators at QubicaAMF now find it easier to communicate about troubleshooting and other IT tasks. “Our new solution integrates our PBX with Office Communications Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging, and Live Meeting, so communication is just simpler now,” Meade remarks. “We can be more efficient as an IT department, because we’re not bogged down in trying to locate someone or get an answer to an employee question.”

Even though Meade travels to Europe frequently, she feels as if she can still address IT questions from employees in Virginia. “With Office Communications Server 2007, no matter where I am, my phone rings and nobody knows when I’m not in the Virginia office,” she says. “I can easily send an instant message to an employee, even though I’m working from the Italy office. Employees who might not have tried to contact me no longer feel like I’m not there to address their important IT questions.”

Integrated with Existing Infrastructure

The new solution in place at QubicaAMF integrated seamlessly with the organization’s existing Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 infrastructure, and other Microsoft technologies such as the Windows Server® 2003 operating system and the Active Directory® service. “The integration with our environment was definitely a factor for us in choosing this solution,” says Meade. “We want to use a single technology vendor for our telephony and e-mail technologies if possible, and this gives us the ability to do that.”

Having a fully integrated infrastructure has also made training QubicaAMF IT employees  on the new solution easier. “We spent no time at all training our users on Office Communications Server 2007, because it takes advantage of many of the same tools they were already using every day,” says Meade. “Using instant messaging, presence, and voice functionality just seemed like an extension of what they were already familiar with. They’re very pleased, because it’s an easy solution that helps them do so much more.”

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:
http://www.microsoft.com/

For more information about BT products and services, visit the Web site at:
http://www.globalservices.bt.com/

For more information about QubicaAMF products and services, call (866) 460-7263 or visit the Web site at:
http://www.qubicaamf.com/

Microsoft Office System

The Microsoft Office system is the business world’s chosen environment for information work, providing the programs, servers, and services that help you succeed by transforming information into impact.

For more information about the Microsoft Office system, go to:
www.microsoft.com/office

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published March 2009