Digital-IP and Scottish Opera

Digital-IP, THE Telecommunication and Data Specialists

Digital IP Clients

Scottish Opera started a project two years ago to ensure the box office was more efficient, and with a staff spread across three locations in Glasgow, its Head Office, Technical Centre and the Theatre Royal, it also wanted to improve email, share servers and access files across the network.

Six firms tendered to replace the telephone systems at the three locations. Two companies were short-listed, with Scottish voice and data specialists Digital IP from Glasgow, winning the business.

Scottish Opera specifically wanted to reduce telephone costs. Because their sites were not linked, every call to the Technical Centre was charged at standard rate. They also wanted to make the box office more effective in dealing with the peak traffic flows that occur at the launch of each new season’s programme.
Digital IP won through on the strength of its proposition to link the sites together using voice over IP technology, the immediate appeal of which was the additional capacity created could then carry voice calls between sites free of charge.

Digital IP negotiated connectivity between the sites, with Thus and online changes with British Telecom. The changeover was painless with no downtime. One night it was the old system, the next morning Scottish Opera was live with the new one.

Digital IP also provided full training for staff on how to get the most out of the new system’s facilities. Further training is also available as and when required, such as for new members of staff.
The old system at the box office had six lines, and if they were busy the seventh caller heard the engaged tone. Digital IP’s solution was to use ISDN lines as a shared resource. This means that at peak times calls can be handled efficiently with the systems ability to allocate additional extensions into the box office.