Internet Newsletter for Lawyers |
|---|
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is still relatively new and as with any new technology there
is some confusion about what it is and where it best fits into an organisation. This article follows
on from Chris Spencer's excellent article on his use of VoIP technology (Skype) in the
March/April 2006 issue and explains how VoIP is used at Wilson Nesbitt.
The success of IP (Internet Protocol) in becoming a world standard for data networking has led
to it being adapted to voice networking. Voice over IP enables voice traffic to be sent over a
data network using a PC or a telephone that understands IP. Such a data based network may
be public (the Internet) or private (a company local area network).
A soft phone is a software application that runs on your PC and it doesn't look like a phone at
all. To make calls, you need network access (internet or local area network), a sound card,
speakers, and a microphone.
We have found that hard phones provide better sound quality than soft phones. They also feel
more like a "normal" telephone (you dial and pick up the receiver). This meant that staff were
able to make and receive phone calls easily without having to understand a whole new process.
That said, soft phones (plus headset) are good for staff acting as in-bound telephone call
operators who are handling high volumes of calls.
VoIP phone calls can be placed either to other VoIP devices (on a local area network or over
the internet) or to normal phones on the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). We use
a VoIP telephone within our offices but we still use the PSTN for outgoing calls from our
buildings.
The telephone systems in the two offices are linked and calls can be passed seamlessly
between them using our leased line. When we first installed the system we had, and still have,
the option of using either soft phones or hard phones or a combination of both. We retained the
use of hard phones for all staff with the exception of reception who use a complete soft phone
solution. We wanted to reduce telephone training and support queries by using a phone type
that had superior functionality to the existing telephones but was also familiar to staff.
Each office location has its own phone system so, if one telephone exchange were to fail, the
other office could continue to operate as normal. With the assistance of a helpful telephone
company we have been able to set up the system so that, if one site experiences technical
problems for a prolonged period, we can transfer calls to our other office and route calls
internally. Similarly we could route calls out of one office in the opposite direction with no
discernable loss of service to our staff or clients. This backup telephone option works well in
terms of our business continuity and disaster recovery planning processes.
* the demands we were placing on it in terms of numbers of users (our original system was
bought for 45 users and our staff numbers have more than doubled since then),
* the new features our users started to demand from their telephone system (staff were more
increasingly more demanding due to the features and functions they were used to getting from
our computer system), and
* the telephone manufacturer had stopped manufacturing (and supporting) our old system as
they had moved wholeheartedly into VoIP telephony.
We had to move on!
If we need to add more users to our telephone system we simply have to buy more software.
Previously, on our old PSTN system, we had to buy extension cards and pay for the services
of a telephone system engineer to come on site to install and program them.
Were we to add another office location we could install a 1mb leased line from one of our
buildings to the new office (or indeed a 1mb broadband connection) and add the new
telephones as extensions off one of our main buildings saving reception staffing costs. As with
Skype, it is possible to use Wifi (a wireless network connection) to connect a building in
line-of-site to our main office and put telephones into it if required.
As both the telephones and the computers share the same network (the phone is plugged into
the network point and then the computer is plugged into the phone) we only need to have
network engineers install one network point for each person and this saves money.
Each IP telephone has an advisory message service which enables the staff member to let
other staff know where they are. For example, messages such as At Court, In Meeting, On
Holiday, Gone Home are all possible, as are varieties of other messages. Central bulletin
boards for reception staff enable central note taking of who is in or not on a particular day or
more.
Indeed, VoIP may even work out less costly to a traditional telephone system (free except for
hardware and developer time) were you to install the increasingly feature rich offerings of the
open source community (www.asterisk.org). This option would be seriously considered were
we now purchasing a new VoIP system. Imagine installing a feature rich telephone system that
can be developed and moulded around your business practice for the cost of a computer, some
headsets and a sound card for each pc in your firm!
We have had our VoIP telephone system in place for over two years and there have been two
complete network stoppages to phone and computer equipment. Both were the result of a local
utility company undertaking essential electrical work in the business park in which we are
located. Thankfully this work was undertaken primarily outside of office hours but nevertheless
it has encouraged us to investigate alternate backup power solutions (a generator) and to adjust
our business continuity documentation accordingly. We have also added more data switches
into our server room in case one or more fails and made sure all that all our switches, servers
and telephone equipment operate on Uninterruptible Power Supplies.
In addition to power considerations we have also had to guarantee that the extra "phone"
network traffic between office sites did not saturate network bandwidth to the detriment of
"normal" data traffic (email messages, case management applications, etc). Installing telephone
call compression software at each end of the leased line has stopped this becoming an issue
and has also permitted more free inter-office calls as a result.
We now have management and control of a significant business tool that to a large extent was
denied to us in the past when the phone system was exclusively handled by our phone supplier
(management and usage reports, ability to make immediate configuration changes to
extensions and the overall telephone system, voice recording, etc).
However, there must be a real business reason for changing to a VoIP telephone system, such
as the fact that the required functionality is not available with a current system or the telephone
system is at the end of its life. VoIP systems are not a panacea for poor business practice or
poor client communications.
Kieran Gilmurray has been the IT director of Wilson Nesbitt Solicitors, www.wilson-nesbitt.com,
for 7 years.
Email kgilmurray@wilson-nesbitt.co.uk.
Back to Contents.
Corporate Use of VoIP
by Kieran Gilmurray"Hard" and "Soft" Telephones
VoIP telephone calls can be made using a special VoIP telephone (a "hard" phone), or using
VoIP software on a computer with speakers and a microphone (a "soft" phone). A hard phone
is a physical device that looks much like a "normal" telephone except that it understands IP and
instead of plugging into an ordinary phone jack, it plugs into your IP data network. The price of
a hard phone will vary according to the features it can offer.Who we are
Wilson Nesbitt Solicitors,
based in Northern Ireland, have two offices (Belfast and Bangor)
some twenty miles apart that are linked through leased line technology (a dedicated 1mb private
circuit). Just over 2 years ago we installed a Mitel 3300 VoIP telephone system into each office
and these systems are used by all 119 members of staff. We did have the option of installing
only one central Mitel 3300 VoIP telephone system into our larger Belfast office and then,
utilising our leased line structure, enabling Bangor's office staff of 45 to hang off it as telephone
extensions, but we decided not to for reasons I will explain a little later.Why Two Separate Telephone Systems
Traditionally lawyers are a cautious bunch. We prefer to be just a little behind those companies
on the bleeding edge, so we can experience more gain and not so much pain. Placing all our
eggs into one telephone basket would, we felt, have been a step too far.Why Move to a VoIP Telephone System
Our traditional PSTN telephone system was coming to the end of its life (it was ten years old)
and was starting to creak at the seems due to several factors; Managing The System
Our IP phone system is configured from a secure web interface. Moving staff members is as
simple as moving the telephone which retains all configuration settings. Setting up voicemail,
adding telephone extensions, amending phone names, and so on, are all easily and rapidly
completed. A description of how to complete day to day tasks is maintained on our intranet to
make sure that we remember how to complete regular and non-regular tasks. Previously we
waited up to ten days to get a telephone engineer to visit us. Now, 99.9% of telephone support
is completed onsite within 15 minutes. Centralised Reception Call Handling
We have reception staff in both offices and now combine their talents to create a bigger
answering pool. The telephone system is programmed to transfer calls seamlessly between
office receptions if calls are not answered after a number of rings. As the calls can pass
seamlessly between the offices and extensions the client is unaware of any transfer process. Telephone Information Management
As telephone calls are now essentially "just" data, a raft of reporting options has been opened
(in a similar fashion to email management and reporting) whereby we can track call statistics
relating to a wide variety of usage. For example, we can have reports such as calls per hour,
week or month, call by extension or by department and numbers of calls to international
destinations. All sorts of useful information can be tracked, logged and presented as a secure
web page and emailed automatically to anyone inside of the organisation or outside of it, should
we wish, on a fully automated schedule basis.Call Recording
All telephone calls into our offices can be recorded and in the event of dispute resolution, call
abuse, staff training, arguments about fees or verbal commitments being given, call recording
is invaluable. Calls can be replayed on demand from a web interface, tagged with a suitable
description or emailed to a third party, as required.Working From Home
If a member of staff has a suitable broadband connection, they can plug their phone into their
home router. It will then connect to the office network through a phone firewall and obtain a
phone number from our phone system. The home user can then plug their computer into their
phone and join the computer network as another extension, just as if they were in the office.
Staff who have broadband are delighted to have become more flexible in their work patterns
and we as a company benefit from happier staff.Unified Messaging - Convergence Of Technologies
As voice calls are essentially data calls, voice traffic can be integrated further into "normal" data
traffic systems. Voice calls can be recorded. Calls can be stored in a mailbox program such as
Microsoft Outlook as another message. Users then have one central, easy to use unified
messaging system that they are familiar with and might find easier than separate phone
messaging and email systems.Call Destination Management
Users can be set into groups (not necessarily in the same physical building) and groups can be
assigned rights as to whom they can or cannot call. For example, we can prevent some
telephone users calling directory services or international destinations or national telephone
numbers, whilst enabling others to do so. This has lead to greater control of telephone calls and
the costs associated with telephone calls in general.Cost of VoIP Systems
VoIP equipment is increasingly similarly priced to traditional phone system equipment. Often
a comparison between the two (like for like) will not find you significantly worse off. A Word of Caution
Combining voice and data traffic on one network through one set of computer switches means
we have a single point of failure for both systems. Previously, were the computer network to
stop, we were able to use our telephones and get on with work. Now, when the computer
system stops we have no telephones. Final Thoughts
With a VoIP system, there are significant benefits to be had such as reduced cabling costs,
increased functionality at work and home, information availability and management,
configuration of the phone system from a secure web interface from any location and
centralised call handling.