Kawerau District Council upgrades telephony with BayCom, Access4

BayCom, a well-known New Zealand ICT services company, has successfully deployed Access4's cloud-based voice platform at the Kawerau District Council. This upgrade was part of the council's longstanding priority to modernise its telephony system, a project that gained additional urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The council's outdated copper-based telecommunications infrastructure and patchy mobile coverage previously questioned the feasibility of such an upgrade. A turning point came with the transition of terrestrial services from copper to fibre-based connections, in addition to the implementation of Starlink services for remote areas.

Speaking on the pressing need for reliable telecommunication, Andrew Bluett, Information Services Manager at Kawerau District Council, said, "The need to improve the telephony infrastructure became even clearer following a series of high-rainfall events in 2022 and 2023. These events served to underscore the critical need for reliable communication in civil defence emergency management."

In 2023, the council engaged with BayCom, its long-term technology partner, to explore various options. Following an evaluation, a decision was made in March 2024 to deploy Access4's cloud-based voice platform. BayCom ensured a seamless transition by pre-configuring the system and providing onsite support during the switchover. Desk phones were replaced within a day, with critical customer service lines being switched after-hours to minimise disruptions.

Bluett highlighted the effectiveness of the trials, stating, "It was clear from the trials that the Access4 platform had the capabilities to fully meet our requirements. The flexibility of being able to route calls over the public internet met our business continuity needs perfectly." The upgraded infrastructure now supports 90 staff members across 21 locations.

The cloud-based platform also proved to be advantageous in accommodating the changed work patterns introduced during the pandemic. An increasing number of council staff now work from home at least part of the time. Bluett noted, "Our staff can simply unplug their desk phone, take it home or to another location, plug it into an Internet router, and continue their calls."

Switching to a cloud-based platform also allowed the council to eliminate existing rack-mounted telephony equipment, significantly reducing power consumption and operational complexity. Bluett said, "It has resulted in a significant reduction of equipment required in our server room. We also anticipate cost savings as a result of the transition."

The council is also reaping the benefits of Access4's integration with iCall Suite Call Reporting and live analytics. Historically, the organisation relied on costly add-on software for its on-premise PABX to report call volumes or missed calls. Bluett remarked, "Having access to powerful analytics and reporting has been a complete game-changer for us. Once you fully understand your organisation, you can ensure that resourcing is effective in the right areas and meets the needs of our ratepayers."

Kawerau District Council is located in the North Island's Bay of Plenty region, serving approximately 2,700 residential, 250 commercial and industrial ratepayers, along with several rural and lifestyle properties.