More than 3.6 Million People Worldwide Connect on Avaya IP Telephony Solution Designed for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses
- Avaya achieves milestone, with sales of over 100,000 Avaya IP Office
systems around the globe
- From a U.S. cardiology practice to a U.K. cancer charity, healthcare
organizations use Intelligent Communications from Avaya to transform their
operations
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., June 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Avaya Inc. (NYSE:
AV), a leading global provider of business communications applications,
systems and services, today announced that its award-winning Avaya IP
Office solution has crossed a new milestone, with more than 100,000 IP
Office systems sold to small and mid-sized organizations around the globe,
serving an estimated 3.6 million users.
Avaya IP Office is cost-effective, easy to use and especially designed
for secure converged voice and data communications at small and mid-sized
companies. Two healthcare organizations using IP Office systems to help
them operate more efficiently and effectively are a leading U.S. cardiology
practice and a U.K. Teenage Cancer Trust.
"A substantial number of small and mid-sized companies worldwide will
move to IP telephony over the next five years, in a rapidly growing global
market that is worth over US$3.5 billion," said Deepinder Sahni, senior
vice president, Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc.
"Understanding and meeting these companies' requirements - with solutions
that deliver high quality communications with a unique value proposition -
is absolutely paramount to successfully serving this market segment."
Austin Heart Connects Sites with Avaya IP Office
Austin Heart is a leading cardiology practice with an unparalleled
reputation for excellence. Its physicians are among the most respected
cardiologists in the world and are pioneering innovative techniques to
revolutionize the treatment of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the growing organization has 40 physicians,
an estimated 350 employees and 12 fulltime offices across the state's
central region.
The disparate, stand-alone communication systems formerly used by
Austin Heart simply weren't up to the demands of the busy practice. With
Avaya IP Office systems now installed at each site, the organization has a
new communications network that is up to the task and can effectively link
the practice's small community of offices.
"In the past, a static phone system was fine for us," said Paul
Pannell, information technology operations supervisor, Austin Heart. "We
mostly handled incoming calls, made outgoing calls and kept up with patient
demands. But as call volumes increased, we needed a means to keep up. With
the Avaya solution, our team has more options available to ensure our
patients receive the responsiveness they have come to expect from us."
To speed response times and support the critical communication needs of
the practice, Pannell's information technology team is using Avaya IP
Office to automate how "on call" staff members are reached outside of
normal office hours.
"You can dial one number and be routed automatically to the individual
on call, regardless of who that is," Pannell said. "You don't have to keep
up with schedules or search for phone numbers. In addition, I can use Avaya
IP Office to change on-call assignments on the fly, whether I'm in the
office or dialing in from home."
Austin Heart is using the built-in conferencing capabilities of Avaya
IP Office to hold regular status meetings and quickly disseminate
information to team members regardless of where they are based. On the
administrative side, Pannell is able to use IP Office management tools to
make moves, adds and changes centrally, without having to visit each site.
A simple graphical user interface lets him create standard configurations
or 'templates' that can be applied across multiple offices.
"IP Office is very flexible, and we can configure the features and
options exactly the way someone wants them to work," Pannell said. "For
example, employees can program their phones to accept or forward calls
based on the time of day and whether they plan to be in the office or on
vacation. We've been able to use many of the system's options to increase
productivity and reduce costs."
With its own private voice network, Austin Heart is able to use
four-digit dialing to reach any member of the practice. In addition, toll
charges have dropped significantly since calls between offices now travel
across Austin Heart's own network.
IP Office Solution Helps Teenage Cancer Trust Reduce Costs, Improve
Service
The U.K.'s Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) is an innovative non-profit
organization that supports teenagers and young adults with cancer by
building specialist wards in National Health Service hospitals. Avaya
Business Partner the Excell Group has a long-standing association with TCT
and recognized how Avaya's intelligent communications solutions could
transform the organization's operations.
Excell donated an Avaya IP Office network that is streamlining
communications, enabling new services and helping the organization realize
significant cost-savings. TCT hospital facilities in London, Manchester and
Leeds are linked to support a variety of IP-based applications. For
example, voice calls between TCT hospital units now travel over the
Internet for free, allowing teenage cancer patients all over the country to
communicate freely and securely.
Simon Davies, chief executive of Teenage Cancer Trust said, "It is
fantastic that we have been able to give teenagers with cancer the
opportunity to communicate with others around the country. Eventually we
hope that a patient as far south as Southampton with a very rare form of
cancer will be able to talk directly to a patient with the same rare cancer
up in Scotland. This service, which patients use completely free of charge,
is helping us achieve one of our goals - ensuring that teens with cancer
are constantly in touch to offer support and advice to each other."
As TCT looks to the future, Excell is helping the charity explore the
new possibilities enabled by Avaya IP Office. For example, plans are in
place for new videoconferencing capabilities that will allow doctors,
nurses and consulting oncologists to hold patient review sessions over the
Internet, saving time and enabling them to exchange information in
real-time. The same videoconferencing capabilities will allow bedridden
patients to participate in events and seminars they otherwise would be
unable to attend and to build relationships by playing interactive video
games.
"We're proud to be part of a genuine answer to a substantial problem,"
said Darren Strowger, Excell chairman and a TCT patron. "By combining
technological know-how with a strong desire to help and support young
people affected by cancer, we can help teenagers benefit from better
advice, support and disease management in the hope of a long-term
recovery."
About Avaya
Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions that help companies
transform their businesses to achieve marketplace advantage. More than 1
million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE
500(R), use Avaya solutions for IP Telephony, Unified Communications,
Contact Centers and Communications-Enabled Business Processes. Avaya Global
Services provides comprehensive service and support for companies, small to
large. For more information visit the Avaya Web site: About the Excell Group
Based in the United Kingdom, the Excell Group is a holding company with
two subsidiaries. Excell Business Systems is one of the country's leading
suppliers of fixed and mobile voice and data solutions, while Excell
Network Solutions provides line rental for reduced call costs. The company
has offices in Cambridge, London, Burton and Manchester.
The Excell Group is a Platinum-level Avaya Business Partner and offers
its customers a complete communications package - from consultancy and
implementation to full support and maintenance.
About Austin Heart
Austin Heart is the largest provider of cardiac and vascular services
in Central Texas. More than 40 physicians provide care at 13 Central Texas
office locations, including facilities in Austin, Fredericksburg,
Georgetown, Killeen, La Grange, Marble Falls, Round Rock and San Marcos.
Austin Heart's comprehensive range of services includes prevention,
general cardiology, vascular care, electrophysiology and interventional
cardiovascular services. For more information, visit About Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults
with cancer by providing specialist teenage units in the U.K.'s National
Health System hospitals. As well as state-of-the-art clinical facilities,
units provide an environment where teenagers can meet others in a similar
situation, allowing patients to build friendships and the mechanisms to
cope with their disease. To date, TCT has built units in London, Leeds,
Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool and Newcastle and would like
at least 22 units to ensure every teenager with cancer has access. For more
information, visit Registered charity number
1062559.
SOURCE Avaya Inc.
