The King’s (The Cathedral) School acquired Academy status on 1 January 2011 and became an Independent School, while still providing state-funded education for all pupils. Founded by Henry VIII in 1541, as The Cathedral School to educate the Cathedral choristers, the school’s close link with the Cathedral is still valued and maintained today as a Church of England comprehensive school, with an extensive academic Sixth Form.
The King’s (The Cathedral) School, Peterborough
King’s School can now heavily rely on their new phone system and be safe in the knowledge that their telephony service will not let them down.
The Challenge
After a 15-year long relationship with its former telecoms supplier, the supplier was acquired and the new ownership affected the quality of service King’s School received.
“We noticed a massive change in the level of service that was being provided. It was often challenging to raise a support request, and even when a request was raised, it took an extended period before we would receive a response, let alone a solution.”
When the school’s telephone system experienced an ongoing issue where the entire system would unpredictably reboot with no warning – causing every line in the school’s phone network to go offline – the new owners refused to resolve the issue as part of the original SLA and tried to charge King’s School for a fix.
So, the school’s ICT Systems Manager, Paul Lennon, decided to look elsewhere to resolve the issue and start laying the foundations for a strategic partnership with a new provider.
The Solution
Upon Croft’s investigation, the unexpected instances of downtime were simply the result of software that hadn’t been updated periodically, which was resolved on-site by one of Croft’s field team.
Considering King’s internet connectivity and Unify-based system were more than adequate for the task at hand, no new products or services were required, which was a welcome relief for Paul, as well as the school’s financier!
Lennon, The King's (The Cathedral) School
" The whole team at Croft (prev. IC Group UK) have been very helpful and made the transition of our telephone system support very smooth. I would recommend Croft to any other schools and organisations. "
The Results
The timely, efficient and cost-effective solution for King’s unreliable phone system was all the proof needed for Paul to decide that working with Croft was the right decision to make.
Original issue aside, Croft’s exceptional customer services were a massive draw for Paul and the school, knowing that they would be supported by an in-house team of dedicated remote and field technicians, to resolve any future issues they may have.
Plus, the ticketing system would provide far greater visibility and transparency into current issues, allowing Paul, and his team, to quickly update themselves on a ticket’s progress without having to go through the usual phone-based channels. This would prevent Paul’s team from being left on hold, waiting for an operator who would then have to spend time investigating the issue before being able to provide an update.