Since its launch, ExCeL London has sought to embrace new technologies to achieve prominence in the competitive exhibition sector based on providing exemplary standards in the industry. An early adopter of VoIP using Cisco Unified CallManager, ExCeL wanted to leverage this environment to improve switchboard functionality throughout the campus and also have the scalability to address an increase in numbers of calls when events are held and to support future business growth.
After discussion with Cisco, Arc Solutions was recommended as the partner of choice to satisfy ExCeL’s IPT requirements and the Arc Enterprise Console and Voice Connect applications were deployed.
“The success of ExCeL has been the desire to set new standards of professionalism and customer service within the industry which underlines our innovative technology choices such as VoIP and the features and benefits it would offer,” Timo Bayford, Head of IT at ExCeL London. “To leverage the Cisco environment, we sought a solution that had the ability to reliable scale for our own requirements as activity levels demanded and with the eclectic mix of events we cater for, the system also needed to be flexible and customisable.”
The Arc Enterprise Console, integrated with Active Directory, provides the basis for the efficient switchboard services at ExCeL and allows operators to deal with incoming calls quickly and accurately. In times of exceptional call volume, the Arc Enterprise Console supports ExCeL’s disaster recovery initiative by seamlessly passing calls to floating operator services at other venue information desks or locations, maintaining excellent customer service levels.
With the integration of Arc’s Voice Connect, ExCeL London has been able to provide a fully automated 24*7 operator solution enabling the public to be kept up to date at any time on current shows, box office details and travel information. In this changing environment, Voice Connect offers ExCeL dynamic tools to make real time changes to in-queue incoming messaging such as travel disruptions to ensure information is always accurate.
“The introduction of the Arc Solutions applications were key to us moving forward with Cisco Unified CallManager and has helped us to realise the potential of IPT and achieve the aim of offering excellence in customer service and reducing telephony costs,” continued Timo Bayford.
Since the introduction of Arc, the majority of calls to ExCeL London are now dealt with through the self-service pre-recorded system, which has enabled the centre to reduce the staff levels in reception and redeploy them to other essential areas of the business. Calls that need to be answered at reception are still managed and directed quickly, as a result of which a positive customer experience is maintained whatever the enquiry and high quality expectations are met.
The Arc applications also deliver a full reporting facility on all incoming calls which as a measurement tool allows ExCeL to measure the business and maintain the balance between efficiency and effectiveness.
“We have been incredibly pleased with the reliability of the system and the service that we receive commercially and technically from Arc Solutions and will continue to widen our portfolio from Arc as new projects go live,” concluded Bayford. “The applications have matched our current requirements and enabled us to achieve the objective of cutting costs, providing a better service to clients and customers and given us the peace of mind of being future proofed and in a strong position to respond to our future IPT needs.”
“We are a trusted and valued partner of Cisco and with the benefit of a close working relationship, it allows us to unlock the potential of IPT via Cisco’s Unified CallManager,” said Richard Betts, Managing Director, Arc Solutions. “Understanding our partners and their customers needs ensures we can deliver feature rich IPT applications to address their business goals and secure compelling ROI.”