Waythrough

Waythrough is a registered charity that provides free, confidential support for mental health, drugs and alcohol, housing and other related issues in approximately 260 community-based services across the country. The emphasis is on supporting people and helping them achieve their full potential to break down the barriers that stop them from getting the support they need to live a life they value. 

The need for reliable phone systems 

As part of its services, Waythrough runs a network of treatment and recovery centres, plus havens that serve as short-stay interventions for people in crisis. “Several centres offer payphones for residents to call friends, families and loved ones, contact social services, or make arrangements as they plan their futures. Some of these payphones were very old and, as such, needed a modern-day replacement that was fully compatible with our new platform,” explains Adrian Robinson, the charity’s Assistant Director, IT Systems and Information.  

He continues: “The phones also provide access to out-of-hours care in our locations with 12-hour daytime support. So, the devices themselves don’t need to be all-singing, all-dancing; they just have to be reliable and simple to use and easy and cost-effective for us to maintain.”   

A struggling end-of-life phone system   

As Waythrough’s legacy phone system reached end-of-life, it became harder for Node4 to maintain crucial reliability at a price point aligned with Waythrough’s desired IT spend. Indeed, Waythrough, like all charities, needs to focus most of its resources on core services rather than IT spend. So, Node4, Waythrough’s trusted advisor and long-standing IT services partner, requested the opportunity to showcase Webex Calling, a cloud-based phone system based on Cisco technology optimised for midsized organisations, to Adrian and his team.   

“Supporting and patching the old phone system had become increasingly complex, so transitioning to a stable, secure, and safe platform with room for expansion was logical,” Adrian notes. “As a charity, we have limited funds for technological solutions, so it was a question of what we could replace the system with that’s safe and secure and lets us carry on our vital work. We were also determined to find a solution that allowed us to be more self-sufficient and handle technical issues ourselves.”  

Finding continuity with Node4 

Adrian reflects that the Webex Calling rollout marks a new phase in the partnership between Node4 and Waythrough: “We continue to appreciate our longstanding open and honest relationship with Node4. Their team has always delivered a high quality of service, even when trying to maintain a system that had obviously passed its peak.” 

That high level of service continued as Node4 rolled out Webex Calling: “We had no downtime during the installation, and the project was delivered on budget,” Adrian confirms. “All the way through Node4 displayed the same can-do attitude that they’ve shown during our entire relationship, delivering the new phone system in an agile, efficient way.”  

Self-Sufficiency through Webex Calling 

Node4 worked closely with Adrian and his team to roll out the new phone system at around 100 of the charity’s locations, teaching them at the same time about configuration and maintenance, all the skills they would need to be more self-sufficient.  

“Right from the outset, Webex Calling was a more cost-effective solution than our previous phone system,” Adrian says. “For a start, it’s cloud-based. That means no on-premises infrastructure to maintain and manage, and fewer physical components to go wrong.  Meanwhile, the Control Hub provides a simple interface to make changes, and a self-care portal that lets us manage basic settings and preferences. This relative ease of use means we can handle potential issues ourselves without raising a ticket with Node4 unless we need to escalate things. That’s a very welcome cost saving.” 

He continues: “Our new system is also underpinned by SIPLink, Node4’s enterprise-class, carrier-grade SIP platform. This provides us with a scalable and reliable option for making and receiving calls over the web.”  

Out-of-hours support with secure phone system configuration 

Node4 customised the new Webex Calling system to meet Waythrough’s specific requirements. “They addressed GDPR-related issues and configured the phones so that call recipients couldn’t trace phone numbers and, potentially, locations,” Adrian notes. “That’s important for confidentiality, protection and trust among the people we help. The phone system’s admin portals and end-user interfaces are also encrypted, which protects against more general cybersecurity and bad actor threats. Where appropriate, Node4 also rolled out Myriad, another inbound call platform, to cater for our 24-hour support needs and other flexible call routing requirements.”  

Unified communication: Webex and Microsoft Teams integration  

Waythrough also requested full integration of Webex Calling into Microsoft Teams, which Node4 implemented to extend user efficiency and offer multiple expansion options as the charity grows. A powerful combination, Webex and Teams on a single platform will improve collaboration and further unify the charity’s communications systems.  

Final thoughts: A phone system that supports people first

Adrian sums up the project: “Node4 has helped us save money and provided us with a system that’s easier for us to maintain. But they didn’t stop there. Node4 trained us to be more independent and less reliant on their support. That’s cut the costs associated with this particular phone service and let us redirect the money to looking after the people we support, using it where it’s most needed. At the same time, the people we support now have a safe, secure, and reliable way of maintaining contact with friends, family, and loved ones, accessing our out-of-hours support, and planning for their future.”