Cloud phone system upgrade for the iconic Entertainment Quarter, Sydney

03 Oct 2024

OUTCOME

The new cloud phone system allows the EQ management team to provide a more efficient response to incoming callers, deliver customised information to event patrons, and has improved the productivity of the team by reducing time-consuming and disruptive double-handling of enquiries.

The phone system is also integrated with the Microsoft Teams environment so calls can be seamlessly transferred between devices.

The Entertainment Quarter is an iconic entertainment, leisure and retail precinct adjacent to the Sydney Cricket Ground and Disney Studios Australia in Moore Park.

The area that is now the EQ precinct was originally the location of the Royal Agriculture Society Showground. The precinct still features several historic buildings including The Royal Hall of Industries built in 1913 and now home to the Sydney Swans; and the Hordern Pavilion built in 1924.

The EQ facilities management team supports 70+ tenants, 240 events, and 4.5 million visitors annually.

Challenge

Being the facilities management company for EQ means being constantly available to 70+ tenants, 240 events, and 4.5 million visitors annually.

The phone system is critical to operations, with the management team needing to receive reports and respond to issues that need attention across the precinct; and also to provide information to patrons about retail outlets, restaurants, and events being hosted at EQ.

EQ's existing phone system lacked many key features and was not allowing the team to to operate efficiently to meet the demand.

Specific pain points were

no call queue or voicemail options resulting in missed calls when staff were unavailable on other calls

incoming calls would ring on all handsets until answered causing disruption for the entire team.

no IVR (virtual receptionist) causing double-handling with many calls needing to be transferred to the correct department

no ability to forward calls to a mobile phone when staff members were out of the office

no ability to provide a recorded greeting with the answers to common questions

The EQ Showring The Showring, EQ

Solution

MobileCorp migrated EQ to a modern cloud-hosted phone system powered by Access4. The migration including number porting was managed by MobileCorp without any disruption to EQ operations.

The solution includes

Interactive voice responses (IVRs) with time-of-day routing, hunt groups, and voicemail
Key features including call queues, three-way calls, single number reach, customised announcements, call pull, corporate directory and more
Options for both softphones and desk phones. EQ chose desk phones with call forwarding to mobile devices
Microsoft Teams Enhanced user licenses providing cloud-based core telephony. This includes internal and
external video and voice calling, chat and collaboration, integrated with EQ's existing MS Teams environment.
MobileCorp's Cloud Calling managed service

MobileCorp's Cloud Calling managed service includes

service desk with UC engineer providing ticketed support to SLA
Adds, moves and changes to call flows, hunt groups, voice recording etc
Onboarding and offboarding employees
System updates and console support
Cost control including implementing call policies
Billing management including real time analysis and the ability to export call records
End User Support

MobileCorp handled the entire project from start to finish. The whole experience was quick and easy – and there was no disruption to our business.

Ramy Zaki
EQ Financial Controller

Results

EQ has a modern cloud-hosted phone system which is fully integrated with its Microsoft Teams environment.

The key outcomes have been

EQ Team Productivity Gains

The entire EQ team has benefited from the phone system upgrade as incoming calls no longer ring at every extension disrupting concentration and workflow. With calls being directed to the intended recipient this has also reduced the need for transfers which had further impacted productivity.

Better Customer Service

The features of the cloud-hosted system allowed an uplift in customer service, which three features particularly supporting an improved customer experience.

Virtual Receptionist - Callers have the ability to choose who they need to speak with and will be transferred directly to that person.

Call redirection to mobile - The ability to transfer calls to mobile phones no matter where the team members are in the precinct or working remotely. Callers - especially tenants who may have a issue that needs urgent attention- can be forwarded to the person rather than having to leave a message.

Recording custom messages - EQ takes many calls from patrons planning to visit the precinct for a specific event. This feature allows the EQ team to record a message that provides all the key information attendees may be seeking. This provides an improved service to patrons, and has reduced pressure on the EQ team as they no longer have to repeat the same information over and over.

Cost Savings

The MobileCorp managed service includes bill auditing and real time cost monitoring to ensure that call charges are within expected parameters. MobileCorp also configured the system to align with EQ call policies and limits International Direct Dial calling.

"The phone system deployed by MobileCorp has been an excellent fit for the Entertainment Quarter.

"If you are looking for a modern cloud-hosted system I would start by having a conversation with MobileCorp."

Ramy Zaki
EQ Financial Controller

Sean-and-Ramy-horizontal Image: Ramy Zaki with Sean Tweedie, MobileCorp account manager