Technology

Posted on April 9, 2018 by staff

Apprenticeship provider uses cloud to widen reach

Technology

LMPQ is able to reach more young people than ever before thanks to a brand new telephone system installed by Worcestershire firm Armstrong Bell.

LMPQ is one of the UK’s largest providers of work-based vocational training and called in the telecommunications specialists to upgrade its outdated phones to a cloud-based, hosted system that would enable staff to manage their calls more efficiently.

The firm had previously been managing calls using basic handsets with separate phone lines and mobile phones.

“As an apprentice centre we make hundreds of calls every day and our old system simply wasn’t working for us,” explained group commercial manager David Hutchinson.

“We need a system that’s reliable, flexible and easy to use so that we can effectively manage our calls and speak with as many students as possible.”

Armstrong Bell has installed ‘Venture’ at LMPQ – the latest generation of hosted cloud-based systems.

The apprentice centre now has 21 handsets, including a conference phone. Venture works via a highly resilient platform with multiple redundancy – so as long as LMPQ can access an internet connection, the system will be live.

“To effectively control the sales environment we needed a system that allows us to monitor the quality and length of calls so that we can set appropriate KPIs and targets,” said Hutchinson.

“Venture does exactly that – it provides detailed performance reports and dashboards so I can measure the success of the team’s call handling. All I have to do is log in and I can see how everyone is doing.”

As a premium hosted IP telephony service, Venture includes a vast range of features and benefits including call park, pick-up and group calls, caller ID with anonymous caller blocking and automatic call back.

“We’ve found that younger people are much more likely to answer the phone to a mobile in preference to a landline – so being able to programme the handsets to present a mobile number has proven incredibly helpful,” said Hutchinson.

“Another key benefit has been the introduction of the phone headsets – the team no longer has to set aside time after a call to process data because they can update their notes as they go.

“We will undoubtedly see a return on investment when you consider the time and money we’re going to save with Venture.”

William Copley, managing director at Armstrong Bell, said: “Our team worked closely with LMPQ to provide a seamless transition to Venture and we also provided full training for staff so that they can maintain the system in-house.

“As a state-of-the-art system, Venture offers a host of advantages for users and LMPQ is already reaping the benefits of upgrading.”