Zero production downtime

True to the motto ‘Never change a running system’ and ‘Never change a winning team’, the cooperation was taken to a new
level in 2020, when SPIE was selected as the official ICT partner of TELAG. The existing telephone system was to be migrated
to the new solution. ‘Anything less than 99.9% availability is out of the question for TELAG – even during the migration. We
offer technical helpdesk and emergency call services that are based on the strictest service level agreements for good reason,’
explains Fritz Pfister, Head of IT at TELAG, who has been in constant dialogue with his colleagues at SPIE for 17 years in order to implement a secure, stable and high-availability solution for TELAG and its 1,000 business customers. Reliability was and is crucial for TELAG.

At 5 am, in the middle of the pandemic: the migration took place with a big bang. ‘Everything went smoothly. Even though the scope was enormous, we had zero production downtime. We owe this to SPIE’s excellent preparation and good testing prior to the migration. In SPIE, we’ve found an experienced team with unique expertise in Avaya,’ explains Pfister.

From three to 150 home-office workstations in 48 hours

Executing the mega-migration during ongoing operations was not the only challenge – unnoticed by end customers – to
be overcome. In addition, TELAG had to set up 150 employees so that they could work from home within two days – a mammoth
task for the IT department. ‘Together with SPIE, we also got the entire workforce set up to work from home in just a few hours,’ recalls Pfister. Although TELAG didn’t have enough Avaya licenses for softphones, as they were not needed in-house, all they had to do was send an email to SPIE on Tuesday and all licenses were installed in the Avaya system by Wednesday evening. ‘We have seen a great deal of accommodation, flexibility and trust on both sides,’ says Pfister.

On the safe side with SPIE

In addition to availability, security is also a top priority for TELAG. After all, the company – which is not only obligated to handle data carefully but is also a pioneer in data protection thanks to certifications such as Good Privacy, ISO and SOC – operates with the customer data of 1,000 clients. ‘SPIE is proactive about making security patches available on a regular basis. They run smoothly every time, even during our 24/7 operations,’ explains Pfister. For this purpose, the team has access to a 15-minute slot from 1 am onwards.

This is a difficult task, especially when it comes to the alerting processes. ‘A pragmatic approach was also taken here,’ says Pfister. ‘SPIE processes enquiries quickly, responds to our requests and proactively makes counter-suggestions. Our colleagues there keep their promises and are honest. If something is not possible, they provide helpful tips. We really value this form of collaboration.’

From licence to subscription model

Avaya recently switched from the licensing model to subscription. The adjustment took place at TELAG on 11 January 2023. It now includes upgrades to the latest versions of the telephone system and contact centre, the option of cloud conferencing via Avaya Spaces and manufacturer support.

‘Thanks to SPIE, who negotiated on our behalf, the price is lower for us than it was before, which gives us planning and budget security,’ says Pfister happily. Licences can be scaled up or down by up to 20% at no cost. Quick onboarding of new customers, activating agents at the touch of a button and uncomplicated activation of new releases allow for spontaneity.

‘TELAG’s business is characterised by seasonal fluctuations, which we are able to absorb well with the new model. In addition, both TELAG and our parent company Capita are planning growth in Switzerland. There is still potential,’ says Pfister.

While SPIE provides ICT services for TELAG as a trusted adviser and manages the Avaya telephony system, including various reporting applications, TELAG covers the 24/7 technical helpdesk for SPIE. Telephony is critical to the business of an outsourcing service provider like TELAG. As proven Avaya experts, SPIE’s certified professionals ensure that the system runs around the clock.