All companies rely heavily on good communication to keep teams working efficiently, and processes running smoothly. However, few industries are more aware of the demand for exceptional communication and collaboration than the hospitality sector.
In the hospitality landscape, employees from a range of different environments need to remain synchronised, informed, and empowered to deliver exceptional customer experiences. The right UC solution can be the difference between success and failure for these brands.
When the exclusive day spa and luxury hotel in Toronto, “The Old Mill” decided its existing communication strategy simply wasn’t living up to expectations, it turned to Avaya for access to a flexible, scalable, and agile alternative.
Let’s explore how Avaya and the Old Mill worked together.
Upgrading the Communications Stack
Known for catering to everything from beautiful business meetings to dream weddings, the Old Mill in Toronto welcomes thousands of guests per month. To serve these customers, the company knew it needed to upgrade its old-fashioned PBX communication solution.
While the old platform could handle the majority of the company’s needs, it was reaching “end of life” status, and was no longer under warranty, making it harder to obtain replacement parts. The hotel decided to upgrade to a more flexible, scalable, and cloud-based alternative in Avaya IP Office.
With an aim to create a powerful engagement experience for employees and customers alike, the Old Mill selected the IP Office platform. The solution is already integrated with the company’s existing accounting software and property management software. As such, it was easy to rapidly deploy the new solution.
What’s more, because IP Office from Avaya can support hybrid analogue and digital phone lines, the company was able to upgrade its phones over a staggered migration period. The Old Mill was also able to reduce costs on maintenance and support. Before IP Office, a problem with the switch would require the network administrator to sort through a bank of wires one by one. With Avaya, everything is accessible through a computer screen.
Simplifying day-to-day network administration, IP Office has minimized IT headaches and enabled The Old Mill to access accounts for all users on a single site from a dedicated web-based interface. Whenever an employee switches positions or departments now, the administrator can simply transfer their extension to a new desk through the web.
Even troubleshooting is simpler with IP Office to tie everything together and align with the existing team’s management software.
Ensuring Exceptional Productivity
Since many of the employees working with the Old Mill had been with the company for a number of years, the concept of moving to a new communications platform was a little worrisome at first. However, Avaya’s inherent simplicity and the attractiveness of its various new features ensured staff could get up-to-speed fast.
One immediate favorite feature among users was the “Visual Voice” solution, an IP Office feature which allowed users to access voicemail mailboxes using their phone’s display, rather than following spoken prompts. Voicemail to email – a setting that staff can turn on and receive automatic email messages when voicemails were recorded, saving users a significant amount of time.
