VAR installs IP telephony system for football club

Voice and data integrator Freedom has installed an IP telephony system for football club West Bromwich Albion (WBA).

The Alcatel-Lucent IP telephony system has been reported to have already cut maintenance costs and also provides free calls between the club’s two sites.

Phil Everitt, IT and special projects manager at WBA, said: “Freedom has really understood the challenges our club faces, whether it is reducing costs, increasing efficiency of call handling or simplifying system management. Freedom delivers on all counts.”

Everitt decided to abandon the club’s previous legacy phone switch, as it was too expensive and chose IP telephony instead.

Tom Perry, head of marketing at Freedom, said: “We took a total solution approach for WBA, as well as equipment they also benefit from Freedom Connect - our least cost routing minutes offering. For instance, with line rental we are now the sole supplier instead of five suppliers previously. Throughout the process we have saved costs, simplified operations and increased efficiency.”

Freedom has also aided the WBA in managing large volumes of calls, for example when match tickets go on sale. This is through an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, which tells customers their place in the queue and routes them to the appropriate agent.