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Ministry of Defence

The Business Challenge

In 2002, the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) wanted to implement hot-desking at its Headquarters in Abbeywood.

The MOD understood that in order to maximise the benefits that could be derived from flexible working, it needed to ensure that effective individual communications and teamwork were supported by its voice services. Also high on the agenda was disaster recovery and business continuity and ensuring the technology solutions were compatible with its plans for the Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service (DFTS).

Solution

The MOD’s Defence Fixed Networks (DFN) IPT considered various options and concluded that DFTS FVS based upon BT smartnumbers met these objectives. It was easy to deploy, and integrated easily into the MOD's existing telephony operations.

By the beginning of 2007 over 10,000 staff enjoyed the benefit of flexible working, voicemail and business continuity services. The success of DFTS FVS has given the MOD the confidence to introduce DFTS smartnumbers, the evolution of DFTS FVS, throughout the organisation.

Results

DFTS smartnumbers, based on BT smartnumbers, provides a secure single telephone number for life to an individual, a post or a virtual team, and operates across any combination of fixed, mobile or IP network.

The employees benefit from the cost of just one phone line, they are contactable at all times using one number and personnel can pick up messages from anywhere.

This promotes the MOD because their personnel can be easily contacted using one number in any location; it increases the individual and team productivity. It also removes the cost of moves and changes, and improves employee satisfaction by introducing more flexible methods of working.

Eventually the DFTS smartnumbers will be rolled out to over 100,000 employees within the MOD and other organisations signing up to the DFTS Agreement.

Further details can be found at www.dftssmartnumbers.com

MOD

In future MoD will need to squeeze more people into all its buildings. DFTS SmartNumbers is built upon a powerful flexible working solution that is well suited to our needs.

— Tony McMahon, TLM CSS,
Ministry of Defence