Ready for the future

As a full-service provider, KALORIMETA GmbH offers the real estate and housing sector a networked infrastructure for metering services as well as intelligent analysis and billing solutions. The medium-sized business maintains ten million of its own metering devices and smoke detectors, and bills more than 1.6 million dwellings a year, with the customer taking center stage. In line with the company’s own maxim “simply more personal”, KALO has chosen not to operate a traditional call center and instead provide its customers with personal contacts for all matters relating to the company‘s services. To ensure its billing experts and customer service team are always available, KALO requires a reliable, multifunctional telecommunications infrastructure.

At the end of 2013, KALO’s IT department was looking for a new service provider that could take over the service for its existing Unify HiPath 4000 telecommunications system that was linked to a Voxtron Communication Center (VCC). KALO initially wanted the existing infrastructure to be retained, with the service for both the telecommunications system and the VCC supplied by the same provider. During the tender process, IT systems company IP Dynamics stood out from the numerous bidders. “Unlike many bidders, it was clear to us that IP Dynamics was not trying to pressure us into a huge project”, explains Artur Grandt, KALO’s responsible IT project manager. “Instead, we were reassured even from the early discussions that our system could be retained without any need for major changes.” The positive gut feeling was clearly reciprocal, as confirmed by Hans-Werner Sönksen, KALO’s contact person at IP Dynamics: “Right from the first meeting we realised the chemistry was right!”

‍

‍

After around three years, KALO then decided to take things a step further. The legacy HiPath system was by then out-of-service, making it impossible to extend the licence, and as malfunctions became more frequent, it had become difficult to obtain spare parts. With the system having become unstable, the company consulted with IP Dynamics and decided to swap it for a modern, IP-based one. Following a successful proof of concept, KALO decided on the VoIP Gateway IP6010, the most powerful gateway from manufacturer Innovaphone. Like the old system, the new one was also to be linked to the Voxtron Communication Center. It also had to enable the integration of analog devices (fax and conference telephones) and offer specific call functions (including conference switching, call diversion and call pick-up). In total, the new system was to enable communication for over 500 participants at five of the company‘s locations. In addition to the nationwide service provider‘s headquarters in Hamburg, the new infrastructure was also to be implemented at a further location in Hamburg, two in Berlin and one in Wiesbaden. “When switching systems, it was especially important for us to achieve a soft migration with no detrimental impact on our ongoing business”, recalls IT Project Manager Artur Grandt. “We didn’t want either our customers or our colleagues to notice the switch to the new system.”

‍

In June 2017, Artur Grandt and his colleagues began rolling out the new system and initially installed 200 telephones, with strong support from IP Dynamics’ project team. The system company’s specialists initially provided assistance on site, and subsequently on call when needed, through a ticket system. KALO’s IT team were therefore largely able to manage the practical implementation of the system switch by themselves. According to Grandt, this approach offered the advantage that KALO could perform the rollout relatively flexibly without having to stick to agreed schedules.

The company‘s headquarters was the first location to switch – department by department, floor by floor. During this process, Grandt and his team were guided both by internal priorities and also by which department would be least disturbed by the rollout at a particular point in time. The IT team needed just one to two days to complete each side of a storey in the building and were delighted that the new technology worked smoothly from the outset.

The switch was made in several stages so as to guarantee the desired soft migration. The new Innovaphone system met all technical requirements for smooth completion of the process. The legacy system worked in parallel with the new system for a time. This ensured that the service for the HiPath 4000 could be maintained while simultaneously implementing the new Innovaphone system. After around a year, the changeover had been completed in Hamburg and also at the other locations, meaning that the modern Innovaphone solution had finally replaced the legacy HiPath system as the productive system. Thanks to the careful preparation of the project by IP Dynamics’ system specialists, the initial nerves of KALO’s IT team proved totally unfounded. “After a short time, we realised that the soft migration was proceeding perfectly seamlessly and all our concerns were dispelled”, confirms Grandt.

Today, well over 500 participants are connected to the new system at various locations operated by the company, with many also linked to the Voxtron Communication Center. The latter is connected to the system by a customized V:server from IP Dynamics. But even the VCC itself is not an off-the-shelf solution, with the experts at IP Dynamics

having tailored it to meet KALO’s individual requirements. Future growth is taken care of, as up to 30,000 participants could be effortlessly connected to the VCC.

Innovaphone’s myPBX serves as Unified Communications client for managing various telephone devices. For example, traditional desk telephones as well as mobile phones and softphones can be easily integrated. myPBX is used extensively by KALO and along with traditional IP telephony, also offers a range of other functions such as video telephony, audio or video conferences, instant messaging, collaboration sessions, connection logs or presence status. IP Dynamics has also installed a reverse proxy, permitting seamless integration of mobile devices and participants working from home. As a result, all KALO employees are pleased with the far more flexible organization of their dayto-day work.

For Artur Grandt and his colleagues, a further benefit of the new infrastructure is that the entire system is structured to allow them to manage it themselves and make modifications where necessary. Minor adjustments can thus be made quickly and directly without the need to call in external help every time.

Although some KALO colleagues initially had to get used to the new hardware and software, after a short period of acclimatisation the new telecommunications system left them wanting for nothing. “In particular, the myPBX UC client and the corresponding app created a real wow effect within the company, with both especially well received by colleagues”, says IT Project Manager Grandt. In fact, hardly anyone at KALO now uses traditional desk telephones. For comfortable use of the softphones, many participants rely on headsets, the majority of which were also supplied by IP Dynamics. The mobility features and improved connection are particularly appreciated by all colleagues who work from home.

Overall, the entire project proved an unqualified success – not least due to the excellent cooperation between all involved. Hans-Werner Sönksen is delighted that “starting with the initial tender process, a real sense of teamwork developed between the colleagues at KALO and IP Dynamics”. According to Grandt, neither he nor his team once had the

feeling that the project was going in the wrong direction. On the contrary, all their requirements were quickly implemented. “We were impressed by IP Dynamics’ very flexible approach and outstanding expertise”, concludes the IT Project Manager. “Our wishes were taken seriously and never dismissed. The customer is king at IP Dynamics – and that’s a rarity on the market today!”

The trusting and constructive cooperation is also set to continue in future. Rather than resting on its accomplishments to date, KALO aims to move with the times and install the latest software updates on the reliably functioning system, hence ensuring it is also equipped to meet future requirements.