Workers compensation claims management company Cambridge has deployed a 200-user IP telephony system for its new Sydney office.

Cambridge's IT infrastructure manager Craig Gibbons said VoIP would help improve the company's client service efficiency, particularly the claims division which receives some 500 client enquiries a day.

"Most of the time spent on the telephone by our people is directly related to claims management," Gibbons said. "Gaining a productivity lift through improved voice mail, e-mail and faxes means better customer service."

Cambridge was looking to a new VoIP system for its new offices that would be compatible with its four-year old NEC PABX system located in Melbourne.

It compared solutions from numerous suppliers, including Cisco; however, it chose VoIP startup Zultys for the deal.

"We felt the Zultys system would provide a better way to ease communications between sites especially when you have existing PABX technology in one centre and you need to extract as much value as you can from the original investment," Gibbons said, adding Zultys' VoIP technology was able to provide scalability when additional branch offices opened or staff numbers increased. "The Zultys offerings are technically better for a busy office environment where good audio communications support is vital. It is a not a bolt-on system or data-specific like the others."

So far, Gibbons is satisfied with the voice quality of the new system, and said features like presence and instant messaging are providing additional benefits.

"The system seamlessly integrates with our desk phones and provides flexible voicemail features," he said. "The MX250 [gateway] greatly improves the capacity and efficiency of our communications, regardless of location. And by selecting a solution based on open standards, we have a system that is future-proof."

Gibbons said a big driver for the equipment decision was the functionality offered by Zultys for 30, 300, or 10,000 users. "It means that we can easily scale up or down to meet changing staffing needs and do so without expensive add-on equipment and software," he said.