When Rod sought to enhance his business operations, he chose a converged voice and data communications system from Avaya, a leading global provider of communications networks for businesses. The solution — Avaya IP Office — was installed at Rod estate in the UK, which serves as a base for his expanding business. The system ensures that Rod Stewart and his team can communicate effectively from any geographical location.
The new system enables Stewart to merge his estate’s phone and Internet lines into a single Internet Protocol based network, eliminating the need to maintain separate voice and data networks. Rod’s business team can now be automatically notified of voice messages while on tour, from any location. Also, it enables the team to access e-mail and the Internet while simultaneously receiving phone calls which was not previously possible.
Stewart has a team of five people including his manager and support staff, who use his mansion in the south east of England to help manage the business. This includes the arrangements for his recent touring encompassing 120 dates around the world, and merchandising which centers around Stewart’s 22 million record sales over the last 20 years. With the installation of Avaya IP Office, the team can remain in direct communication regardless of whether they are on tour or anywhere within the grounds of the estate.
Access to e-mail and the Internet is made possible through a broadband connection which enables Stewart’s team to make and receive phone calls in over 40 different locations in the mansion. Stewart can oversee business and communicate with his team from any of his estate’s outdoor locations, including the football field or swimming pool. Additionally, the voicemail system has been configured to alert a team member of new messages on his or her mobile phone, ensuring that Stewart and his manager can be in direct communication with the record label or the music studio while touring on the road.
Similarly, the phone conferencing system allows anyone at the mansion to conference in other members of the team working remotely to make decisions and maintain the day-to-day operation of the business.
“Sixty percent of the time, my team and I are on the road and yet we still have a business to keep running,” said Stewart. “This can’t be done if we can’t keep in touch online and via phone and access information that we need to make decisions. The Avaya system gives us a foundation for fast, flexible communication now — and we can adapt it in the future.”
Avaya IP Office lays down the groundwork for Stewart’s business to evolve to IP telephony, a communications technology that allows voice and data collaboration over an IP-based network. As businesses expand, companies can upgrade their existing infrastructure with new IP Telephony capabilities including the ability to conveniently initiate phone calls via their PC or have calls redirected from their office phone directly to their laptop.
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