Bacon Road Medical Centre

Surgery reduces stress for patients and staff

Bacon Road Medical Centre is fairly typical suburban surgery located close to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. It is a general practice partnership employing Nurses and Health Care Assistants, where the nurses provide general care and specialise in chronic disease management. The surgery premises consist of eight consulting rooms and was purpose built in the 1990s and is very busy.

Patient care is of paramount importance and yet the first point of contact was predominately over the telephone and their system was not coping well.

The Problem

The practice was using analogue telephone lines and out of date cabling which provided an unstable platform, making it very difficult to manage calls during peak times. Patients would often get frustrated when hearing an engaged tone which meant they would have to constantly redial as there was no option to leave a voicemail message. Callers could not easily be identified meaning that it was difficult to verify patients and call them back.

The system wouldn’t allow calls to be transferred outside of standard practice hours, which was not great for patient experience and created unnecessary stress for both patients and the staff. Additionally there was no functionality available to track the number of calls or understand the practice’s busiest periods.

Ultimately there wasn’t the capacity to cope with peak calls and there was no way of understanding the number of abandoned calls as a direct result of the old telephony equipment.

Their system needed updating and from a security perspective, secure UK based data centre storage was crucial to them.

The Solution

Eastern Voice and Data designed and installed a new system, using the latest digital technology and liaised with the Surgery’s IT support to ensure there was no NHS Information Government breach.

They provided a solution that offered more features but wouldn’t threaten their Strict Security Polices, and all within a specific budget and with the minimum of disruption so there was no interruption of service.

Callers are now held in a queue, the surgery can monitor call numbers, and everything just works, leaving the surgery to get on with what it does best.

One Happy Client

Patients no longer get the engaged tone so they know their call will be picked up, this creates less stress for our patients and staff. It has been great to hear the positive feedback especially around the call quality which made a huge difference to many of our patients. We now have visibility of the medical centres busiest periods and can arrange extra staff to cover the phones, so we are able to proactively manage our calls

Gina Titman, Practice Manager, Bacon Road Medical Centre

King Edward VI Grammar School

Upgrade and refurbishment of old and new buildings on one site

King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford is one of the UK’s leading state schools with a history going back to 1551.

The Problem

An extensive building programme led to a requirement for more phones, and the existing legacy analogue infrastructure was ageing, working to capacity already with limited functions, such as no voicemail facility.

The existing cabling was unreliable and did not extend to the new building, meaning any new phones would require extensive work to replace and extend it.

The Solution

The cost effective solution was to migrate all phones over to a Voice over IP (VOIP) infrastructure, which meant the installation was seamless, able to use the existing cabling and being VOIP, the new phones could be plugged into any PC so there was no need to install extra cabling or networks.

This meant disruption was kept to an absolute minimum.

The school has all the phones they need, with up to date functionality enabling staff members to listen to their voicemails wherever they are and a fully scalable future proof solution.

The contract was fulfilled very cost effectively, hassle free and left the school’s IT department to concentrate on other areas.

One Happy Client

“When we looked at the options available, it was evident that the solution…did everything we wanted – better. Plus it was so user friendly. The interaction with Exchange was a big plus and the ability to deliver voicemail by email really clever. And whilst we haven’t had any major issues with the system, the high level of support we get from the Eastern team makes life much easier for the IT staff”

Craig Wright, Network Manager, King Edward VI Grammar School

Multi Site Manufacturing Business

Lamberts is a well established family company which has been running since 1963 and strives to maintain the best traditions of personal service, in a modern environment. The business offers an extensive range of products to the manufacturing, agriculture and food production sectors.

The Problem

With 45 users spread over two sites, they needed a feature-rich telephony system that catered for both offices. With a head office in Norwich and sales office in Peterborough, the solution needed to be easy to deploy with limited interruption to their everyday work routine.

Lamberts was using an old on premises based legacy system (BT Meridian) operating on telephony cabling and ISDN connections. The system did not allow easy contact between the two offices, this was a particular issue for them as clear and easy communication was vital to keep track of orders and operate efficiently.

They also needed call reporting as there was no way of tracking calls which was vital to keeping orders under control, and the management team also needed to understand the call volumes to ensure adequate resource was in place.

The Solution

Eastern Voice and Data was shortlisted, and as the only provider offering cloud telephony as a solution, they addressed the above challenges.

One Happy Client

“Having had our previous antiquated telephone system for what felt like decades, understandably we were apprehensive of the potential upheaval a new system would throw up. But we needn’t have worried. From the very first meeting with Russell and his team, their knowledge and empathy of our concerns and situation gave us complete reassurance of a smooth transition, and it was just that. Cabling was installed so unobtrusively, many didn’t even realise it had been done. All staff were given one to one training on the handsets, and when we finally went live, it went completely as planned.

I can’t recommend Eastern Voice & Data highly enough. They have provided a first class product, invaluable ongoing support and made the whole transfer process painless and weirdly- rather fun!”

Managing Director, Lamberts (Norwich) Limited

Plattens

Refurbishment

Plattens are a long established Wells institution (on the North Norfolk Coast)  providing our national dish to visitors since 1966. In 2016 they decided on an ambitious refurbishment program for their quayside shop. This would incorporate a fully refurbished take away and alongside a new venture The Fryer’s Bounty, a sit-in restaurant.

The Problem

Wells next the sea historically has struggled with poor broadband and one of the concerns Plattens had was that they couldn’t see how they could modernise using their current provider.

As part of this venture they wanted to provide complimentary WiFi for their client’s, previously they had single phone lines and needed a solution that would allow calls to be routed to the take away and the restaurant independently.

The Solution

Eastern Voice & Data were able to provide superfast fibre broadband which made everything possible.

A single fibre connection was sub divided to provide the business with multi layered functionality. What this meant in practice was that a single managed fibre connection was able to provide cloud based telephones effectively providing a new distinctive number for The Fryer’s Bounty (01328 807070) and transferring the long established Platten’s main number.

This same fibre was configured to provide business class WiFi for clients, whilst simultaneously allow fast payment processing via PDQ’s to help keep the queue moving!

A single fibre connection to provide multiple business services helping to improve their customer’s experience and to keep their own costs firmly under control. Multiple lines were disposed of and numbers transferred to the new fibre connection.

They are promoting their new venture utilising a memorable number and driving customer interest via promotions on Facebook and their new website.

All in an area that historically has struggled with poor broadband!

A first class professional experience from beginning to end and it doesn’t stop there, the aftercare is just as impressive and helpful.

Luke Platten

The Theatre Royal Norwich

High Call Volume Business

The Theatre Royal Norwich is East Anglia’s premier theatre, selling around 370,000 tickets annually. Plus it operates a restaurant, function rooms, educational courses and the full range of services you would expect.

There are up to 16 operatives to handle the large volume of calls that are received.

The Problem

The theatre needed to upgrade it’s phone system to allow them to see how many calls were in the queue at any one time, full reporting data such as time spent waiting in the queue, plus allow the different operations within the theatre to operate independently of each other – and of course they needed 24/7 support!

The Solution

Eastern Voice & Data helped design and install a bespoke package that would deliver exactly what they needed, including a flash alert system to warn staff when predicted call queue lengths were being exceeded.

The system offers a host of advanced features – individual extensions can set their own custom menu options for callers to follow; callers can leave a message or have their call forwarded to another extension or even an outside line such as their cell phone. The system can support up to three different languages, enabling callers to choose the language of their preference when they call in. This system integrates with a range of business telephone systems and has certainly become an asset to the Norwich Theatre Royal in offering an effective customer service operation.

Although the development of the system was a gradual process as it was an entirely bespoke solution, the whole installation was undertaken during a single day with minimal disruption to the theatre’s operation.

Pre training also ensured that staff could ‘hit the ground running’ as soon as the system went live, minimising the disruption of the transition period even further.

 One Happy Client

“We would like to thank Eastern Voice & Data for supplying the Panasonic equipment which forms the basis of our new telephone system and enabling such a seamless transfer from our old to our new configuration. The system was built and programmed in advance and switched over early one morning in time for the Box Office to open as usual. Every telephone in even the remotest parts of the building was replaced and we were complete on time and within budget.”

Jane Claridge, General Manager, Theatre Royal Norwich

Eastern Voice & Data gets Audley End Miniature Railway Back on Track!

Audley End Miniature Railway is an extremely popular visitor attraction based on the Herts/Essex borders near Saffron Walden. It attracts over 100,000 visitors every year and sells out its’ Halloween and Christmas events each year. Established as a hobby by the late Lord Braybrooke it’s a rapidly growing attraction with big plans for future growth.

The Problem

Eastern Voice & Data were approached to cast their expert eye over the existing data infrastructure that was proving to be unreliable and was often failing at busy periods when it was needed most.

The Solution

Following an onsite survey recommendations were made to improve the broadband, site wide communication, establish a fully segmented data network based on reliable fibre optic and provide the a future path to upgrade the CCTV around the site and link remote buildings via Wifi.

Eastern Voice & Data provided a full network design for approval that was duly accepted.

The installation consisted of twin broadbands along with a 4G automatic failover for disaster recovery. The two main operational buildings were to be linked with fibre optic and local Cat5 cabling. A new data network was set up utilising ZyXel GS1900 24 port power over Ethernet smart switches thus allowing VLANS to be set up allowing the Tills, PCs, PDQs and CCTV to co-exist on the same network. ZyXel SBG3300 router and ZyXel LTE3301 Wifi router provided a stable router connection with auto 4G failover.

The new set up ensured reliability and stability meaning that they could rely on their payments system  and IT infrastructure even at the busiest periods.

The whole site had previously operated on a single telephone line meaning that a single phone call meant they were engaged. Eastern Voice & Data recommend that a cloud based solution was installed – Horizon. This had the benefit of providing telephones around the whole site vastly improving communication. The mobile app meant that the Facilities Manager could be contacted wherever he was on the site. Auto attendant meant that customers could access opening times and other information efficiently. Also connected were the accounts handsets – located 2 miles away from the main site. This gave a level of integration that was never previously available.

One Happy Client

Eastern Voice & Data undertook the complete project from initial design through to installation and ongoing support. Audley End Miniature Railway now have a stable and robust telecoms and IT network that is fit for purpose and will allow the attraction to flourish.

Eastern Voice & Data Provides Connectivity at Pig Shed Motel

Pig Shed Motel is the latest venture from Pickled Inns following on from The Black Lion at Walsingham and The Carpenters Arms at Wighton.

The Pigshed Motel

The motel located at Newton by Castle Acre and sharing the site of the George & Dragon is a new idea in motels, book online, obtain your digital access via smartphone, park your car outside the room with no need to book into reception.

Eastern Voice & Data has worked for Pickled Inns for a number of years and was approached by the owner – Phil Parker – to set up a modern wifi installation covering the 10 rooms in two buildings and extending the broadband to cover The George & Dragon. This involved arranging Openreach to provide a completely new Fibre Optic broadband connection into the site. and re-registering the site as a new site so that the fibre optic could be provided from a different cabinet that would have normally served the site.

Structured cabling was provided to cover the motel rooms and to connect the George.

ZyXel high density wireless access points were installed along with ZyXel SBG3300 VDSL router and firewall to provide security. To complete the installation ZyXel GS1900 8 port power over Ethernet smart switches were installed.

Eaton Hall Specialist Academy

During October 2018 half term we were asked to complete an emergency installation for Eaton Hall

Specialist Academy. Eaton Hall is part of the Right for Success Academy Group for whom we have undertaken projects for Sewell Park Academy, Sprowston Academy, Tuckswood Academy, Martham Academy, Stalham Academy and St Clements Free School.

Eaton Hall is the only Norfolk specialist academy catering for students with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. The school is residential and operates with a 24 hour curriculum.

The school’s cabling infrastructure was in serious need of replacement and due to various security issues the academy felt that they had to act. Eastern Voice & Data had anticipated that the project would be completed during a longer holiday break and had estimated that 3 weeks would be required to fully complete the project. The amount of work required was further complicated by the need to replace the main security gate that had been damaged in a collision with a truck. This involved groundwork to lay an armoured fibre optic cable so that a video access system could be installed. The existing telephone system was no longer fit for purpose and a school wide DECT system was specified allowing staff to be able to call for assistance.

Eastern Voice & Data specified an updated network solution utilising ZyXel Gigabit switches. This was allied to a Panasonic NS700 IP-PBX that provided full cordless coverage over the whole site by virtue of networked Panasonic IP DECT Base stations and KXTCA185 DECT Handsets. SIP trunks provided a managed fibre optic voice connection to complete the telephony set up.

The door entry solution was provided by 2N, consisting of a vandal resistant IP Force video intercom networked to the school reception via a secure fibre optic connection allowing school staff to view visitors and converse with them. The wifi control panel also provided a video memory log of all callers to the site.

The students left for half term on the 18^th of October and 6 engineers immediately began to strip out the existing network and telephone system. Groundworks for the installation of the new security gate and fibre optic connection started on the 22^nd October. By the 26^th October the cabling infrastructure had been replaced, a total of 12 DECT base stations newly installed providing full site coverage, new ZyXel network switches had also been installed. By 29^th October the new security gate installation was complete and the fibre optic connected.

An installation that effectively completely replace the entire IT network, telephone system and secure door entry was complete in 8 days from project start to completion.