Texas-based OmniAmerican Credit Union has upgraded its voice and data communications with a move to a unified Avaya IP telephony network.
The new network allows OmniAmerican's headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, and 13 offices to communicate as if they were a single location. Employees can dial four-digit extensions to reach any co-worker in any office location, and forward calls to any department.
A new unified messaging system enables employees to access, manage and respond to all voice mails, e-mails and faxes from anywhere, at any time, using internal or external telephones, cell phones, desktop and/or laptop computers.
The upgrade also provides members with the option of a self-service system for fast access to routinely requested information and activities such as office hours, loan rates, verifying account balances, or transferring funds.
It is anticipated the upgraded communications system will reduce the credit union's connectivity costs by up to 70 per cent per office.
Gary Todd, OmniAmerican's assistant vice president of network services, says: "It's exciting to see how much we've saved in ongoing operating costs, while still providing the same level of features to all locations. We immediately eliminated up to $800 per month for local voice circuits at each office. Plus, we were able to keep our existing digital telephones while adding IP telephones where it made the most sense, such as in smaller offices that don't have telephone switches."