Unified Communications solution for Antone

Dalycom displays top level service to retail firm

Background
Antone is a leading retail display company, specialising in POP (Point of Purchase) and POS (Point of Sale) design, shopfitting and installation. The Leicester-based manufacturer provides retail fixtures across all markets, in the UK and throughout the world. Its development and production facilities are equipped to work on unique bespoke projects or larger quantity fixture roll-outs. High-profile customers include Debenhams, Comet, Chanel, Harrods and Giorgio Armani.

Requirements
Antone had previously been using an NEC NEAX PBX, but the system’s software was coming to the end of its life, and the company either had to either pay to upgrade the software, or replace it with an alternative solution. Additionally, Antone found the fees its dealer was charging for programming and additional software were exceptionally high.
According to Rita Ogden, Financial Controller at Antone, the system was “on long term hire lease and to purchase was almost as costly as buying a new NEC system.”

Solution
Fortunately, Antone had previously enjoyed a relationship with local supplier Dalycom – formerly Daly Telecom – and when the reseller contacted Antone via an ongoing customer campaign, the two companies decided to re-form their partnership.
The move resulted in Dalycom replacing the NEAX with an NEC SV8100 telephone system and UC for Business (UCB) applications, and Antone signing up to the firm’s support services once again.
“As an organisation we did have some knowledge of the NEAX so we knew that the SV8100 would be a pain-free upgrade. We engaged the help of NEC directly who advised on the compatibility and the software that was required,” explains Amanda Daly, Sales Director at Dalycom.
“The new equipment replaced what the customer already used with the NEAX, but provided a piece of mind and a high customer service level from Dalycom that Antone wanted to establish again. Because the SV8100 is from a similar family to the NEAX, the upgrade was a natural step for Antone; the customer retained the look and feel of the software that they loved, but the ownership and the control of the software was given back to Antone and Dalycom,” adds Amanda.
The transition went smoothly for Antone: “The installation posed no problems, and the business did not really suffer any problems as the console was available for 95 percent of the installation, and the actual implementation was started during the quiet daylight hours,” confirms Rita.

Results
As a result of the new SV8100 system, Antone now enjoys from a wide range of benefits across the business. One of the most valuable is receiving an overview of the entire business at the click of a mouse, via the UCB application.
UCB provides visibility of every member of staff in the business – whether they are on the phone, on holiday, in a meeting or have their voicemail on. At this time, being able to view reports on how much time employees are spending productively at their desks – or on calls – is invaluable.
Dalycom also saved Antone money on line rental, charges and the mobile tariffs by demonstrating a full solution which encompassed calls, software, hardware and mobility. “The customer is very happy with the new solution as the ongoing support charges have been reduced,” says Amanda Daly. “Overhead charges from line rental and mobiles have also been reduced. The customer also installed a GSM gateway so this also had a positive effect on the call charges.”
Adds Amanda: “It’s nice for customers to appreciate that Dalycom do offer a very good service level and that we are missed when we are replaced by another dealer!”