BDO Limerick answers the call
BDO Limerick is a member firm of BDO International, formerly BDO Simpson Xavier in Ireland, the world’s fifth largest accountancy network. The Limerick firm is an autonomous unit with 70 staff and a growing practice.
“We are probably classic in that we had a traditional phone system that was effectively at end of life,” said IT manager Anthony Ryan. “But we also had the platform to go to VoIP because in 2008 we moved our internet connection to SHDSL from Magnet Networks. This gave us uncontended bandwidth of 2mbpsmuch more cheaply than a leased line.”
The additional step to VoIP was taken in early 2009. “We chose the Polycom Sound Point system, provided and supported by Magnet, and moved up to 4mbps with an even split between data and voice traffic.”
The only capital costs were the new IP handsets.
“With the bundled call package, our overall telephony call cost savings are over 30 per cent,” Ryan said, “while the ongoing costs of maintenance are almost too low to compare.
“Managing the system for our users is just a dream by comparison with the old PBX. Because it is software-based, our adds, moves and changes are just simple to carry out.”
Like most accountancy firms, staff move regularly between functions and teams. “They can literally unplug the phone and take it with them to the next desk location and it really is as easy as that.”
Although unfamiliar at first, the handset features have proven very popular with staff. “Displaying missed and other calls lists is genuinely useful, just like a mobile phone. People also like receiving their voicemail as a sound file on Blackberry or iPhone.”
But in general it is the orthodox feature that users find most useful, Ryan said, such as the ease of forwarding or diverting calls with a simple menu on-screen.
