3CX Phone (News - Alert) System for Windows is a software-based IP PBX that replaces a proprietary hardware PBX / PABX. 3CX’s IP PBX has been developed specifically for Microsoft (News - Alert) Windows and is based on the SIP standard, making it easier to manage and allowing you to use any SIP phone (software or hardware).

Wiltshire College, one of the U.K.'s largest colleges, has successfully installed 3CX Phone System and the 3CX Call Center Module, bringing together four campuses and more than 1,000 extensions within a unified, scalable communications infrastructure. As a result, the college has reduced its running telephony costs by about $111,000.

Today, 3,300 full-time students, 6,000 part-time students and 900 University Level students attend Wiltshire College at its four campuses – Chippenham, Lackham, Salisbury and Trowbridge.

Wiltshire College needed to create a unified, scalable communications infrastructure, one to which it could add more advanced features and functionality over time, including on-screen call control, conference calls, call recording, hot-desking, CRM integration and mobile phone integration.

TRI-LAN, a local IT services provider, was responsible for software installation and configuration, while the Wiltshire College ICT team carried out the rollout of 650 handsets. The total changeover took only two hours. Once tested, the system proved stable. Following further testing and monitoring the following morning, the system remained fully functional, and 3CX Phone System immediately became, much like Stonehenge, a permanent fixture in Wiltshire.

Since the installation of 3CX Phone System, Wiltshire College has added 75 more extensions, to make a total of 1,075, and is using around 700 phones. 3CX Phone System has processed more than 400,000 calls since its rollout and now processes 15,000 calls per week at Wiltshire College. 3CX Call Center Module provides the college with real-time queue strategies and other call center features. It enables the college to monitor calls, manage workflow and track how many staff members are logged into the system and, with 3CXPhone for Android (News - Alert) and iPhones, travelling staff can login at multiple locations.

"3CX Phone System is proving flexible and reliable," said Stephanie Stephenson, director of customer services at Wiltshire College, in a statement. "It's on target to reduce our ongoing telephony maintenance, line rental, support, and call costs by 70 percent per annum, about £70,000 [$111,000]."