Richard Huish Case Study

With staff rarely in one place as they move between lessons, it was very important to have a phone system which provided the flexibility to allow them to be contactable. With the ShoreTel unified communications system each user has their own phone number and voicemail box, which they can access from any phone or even via e-mail. Combined with other features, such as its minimal environmental impact and presence and integration with Outlook, we expect the system to make a huge difference in improving both internal and external communications at the college .” Bill Perry,  IT Services Manager

Richard Huish College is the only sixth form college in Somerset, Devon and Dorset, with approximately 1850 fulltime students working on advanced level programmes chosen from around 49 different courses. It also provides adult courses in financial and business areas in conjunction with organisations like ACCA, CIMA, Learn Direct and the University of the West of England. Throughout the college there is a powerful focus on raising standards and ensuring that students maximise their potential, which is reflected in its ranking for A levels, as first among the further education colleges in the South West of England .

Richard Huish College understood that IP telephony and UC technology had matured significantly since the last time it reviewed its phone system, and that it was now able to offer the reliability of a traditional PBX with the flexibility and productivity tools the college needs. With the assistance of ShoreTel EMEA Partner of the Year, Solar Communications, the college evaluated a number of systems, including Cisco and Avaya, and selected ShoreTel as it was the easiest to install and maintain, most resilient, and feature-rich. After an on-site comparative trial with a cross section of college staff, ShoreTel was also selected as the easiest UC system to use. College IT staff are planning to use the ShoreTel’s open API to develop some key links to existing databases that will help further communication enhancements right into the classroom.

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