Mitel Case Study - Spratt Endicott Solicitors

Spratt Endicott Solicitors was able to reduce costs and overheads by linking its two offices using voice over IP. This customer experience details how a leading Midlands firm of solicitors managed to break away from the security of a large corporation’s IT infrastructure and implement a communications solution of its own without sacrificing professionalism or business efficiencies. Not only that but the firm was able to reduce costs and overheads by linking its two offices using voice over IP.

Spratt Endicott is a leading law firm based in Banbury, Oxfordshire. A true believer in putting its people first, Spratt Endicott was recently awarded registration to the quality management system ISO 9001:2000, through the British Standards Institution and has been recognised as an Investor in People organisation.

Spratt Endicott is committed to offering a comprehensive high quality service to its clients in both the private and business sector. Previously part of Shoosmiths, a national firm of solicitors, Spratt Endicott had enjoyed the benefits of a large organisation’s IT and communications infrastructure including voice mail and centralised telephony management. However, following a buyout, Spratt Endicott needed to look for a new communications platform which delivered the same functionality it had become accustomed to, but without the heavy investment its previous parent was able to make.

One of the biggest challenges Spratt Endicott faced was that its offices were split across two sites over 50 metres apart. However, they didn’t want to waste money on multiple solutions, nor did they want to be faced with extortionate inter-site call costs.

Spratt Endicott recognised the need to implement new technologies to increase their efficiency and protect themselves for the future. An integral part of this solution was the need for two central operators and state-of-theart voice mail that could be accessed from anywhere.

The successful reseller was one of four companies competing for the business, and after a couple of demonstrations it became apparent the Mitel® solution was going to deliver what the customer wanted, and more. Spratt Endicott soon recognised that the user friendly Windows® Operator Console (WOC), feature rich desktop and Windows® telephones made the Mitel solution the preferred choice.

Additionally, the reseller was able to offer a more extensive solution by including a fully managed installation and the ability to offer savings of over 25% on call charges and over 50% on calls to mobiles. A phased installation was undertaken working closely with the firm’s IT department. The latest phones and voice mail was installed followed by Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), call management, Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS), Windows® Operator Consoles, system management software and GSM gateways.

CTI has enabled Spratt Endicott’s employees to see who is calling and bring up a customer’s history on their PC screen in real-time, thus saving time and money as well as improving business efficiencies. “Since implementing the solution we have seen significant improvements in business processes. The flexibility of the system was shown by the open architecture which has allowed us to integrate the phone system, using CTI, with the client based system software,” said Noel Barratt, IT Manager, Spratt Endicott.

The successful installation of this cost effective solution now allows Spratt Endicott to communicate seamlessly and efficiently between office.