Wyre Forest District Council serves an area of about 75 square miles in North Worcestershire and employs around 350 staff. It delivers a wide variety of services from economic regeneration through to waste collection, street cleaning and sport and community development services.
Wyre Forest District Council faced the need for severe cost-cutting after its government grant was reduced by 45 percent over four years. ShoreTel’s UC solution helped to alleviate the pressure by consolidating the communications of its four buildings into one, which will contribute to the estimated £500,000 year-on-year savings from the transfer to Wyre Forest House. It has also provided a better platform for shared services and hot-desking to deliver further cost reductions for the future.
“Local government is changing very fast. We need great flexibility to be able to deliver services in a few years’ time that you may not even have heard of today,” said Ian Miller, chief executive, Wyre Forest District Council. “The ShoreTel system has that flexibility and is therefore a key enabler for our future.”
“Wyre Forest District Council needed a solution that would enable its employees to enjoy the benefits of mobility and flexible working,” said Adrian Hipkiss, EMEA managing director and vice president at ShoreTel. “The ShoreTel UC solution has enabled on-site and home working for the council’s staff for the first time, which has improved employee productivity and satisfaction and customer service.”
ShoreTel’s UC and disaster recovery solutions were also able to provide ‘pop-up contact centres’ for sudden peaks in demand and help alleviate the worry of disruptions caused by unforeseen situations such as floods. ShoreTel Unified Communications bring together VoIP telephony, instant messaging, video conferencing, mobility, presence, and collaboration capabilities into a seamless business environment.