Upgrade and Extension of IPTel for the City of Genk

The City of Genk has a clear and transparent vision on ICT and is always focused on the practical added value of automation for both council personnel and its citizens. The goal of all extensions or adjustments to their automation systems is always to improve the level of service for the city’s inhabitants.

The City of Genk had been using VOIP for several years and needed to extend its IPTel network and upgrade its Cisco CallManager, the central nervous system of voice over IP. In consultation with the City of Genk, Ferranti proposed a new design that is both future-oriented and in line with their strategic vision on Unified Communications. The extended and upgraded system now permits intelligent and advanced call routings, statistical logs and, above all, integration with active directory and third party applications. It therefore offers significant added value, both for the end-user and the citizens with whom they come into contact via the telephone network.

A strict step-by-step plan was devised for the migration, so that the new redundant design could be thoroughly tested and subsequently implemented alongside the existing system. The migration could therefore be carried out department by department without any interruptions in the telecommunications network. The quality of communications is also constantly monitored and guaranteed via Quality of Service (QOS) checks of the City of Genk’s network.

The Contact Centre application offers every caller the opportunity to choose between a range of options, corresponding with the various departments of the City of Genk, in order to provide even faster and more efficient service.

As a public sector integration partner, Ferranti always strives to boost employee productivity, cut costs for the city administration and improve the citizen-public servant experience. Unified Communications, in this sense, offers a seamless answer to all these various aspects.