VoIP Solutions Scaled for a World Leading Retailer

Auchan conducted a full-scale analysis of its obsolescent, mixed-system telephony system. The company then opened a call for tenders aimed at providing all of its operations with a single IP communications solution. For Auchan, the maturing of VoIP technology and the results of its ROI studies showed that this ambitious project made sense – even though, at the time, projects of such immense scale were quite rare. The challenge facing the company (to manage a telephony park of 35,000 IP extensions with industrial logistics and an objective of zero defaults) seemed insurmountable to many.

Technology Solutions and Infrastructure Perfectly Matched to the Client's Needs
The project specifications established by Auchan focused on the need to:

• Integrate the PBX network system with a centralized IP-PBX solution thereby reducing purchasing and maintenance costs, as well as preserving the existing numbering plan and functionality.
• Implement solutions that would allow Auchan to reduce communications costs by 25% to 45%, (according to the most conservative scenarios), and centralize the control and operation of the network.
• Employ a solution offering high availability and telephony functions accessible to all users regardless of their location.

Many different stakeholders in the industry submitted proposals for this massive project, but after studying the prototypes on offer, Auchan opted for the fully integrated, streamlined and scalable solution available from Mitel®.

Essentially, the Mitel solution matched the company's global development projects and provided:

• A distributed network architecture that featured centralized administration to guarantee:
  • The availability of resources and the independence of each store (local management of telecommunications devices)
    
  • Global, centralized control of the telephone network and certain parameters such as on-hold music, directories, etc.
• A single application on all platforms of the distributed network architecture, enabling:
  • Maximum functionality (including all the functions already in use)
  • Availability of all functions for all users, regardless of their location
  • Preservation of the existing numbering plan
  • Simplified implementation of future upgrades to the application
• Robust availability of services thanks to system resilience that enables:
  • Swift resolution of all operational failures
  • Uninterrupted service for users
• A wide range of functionality, including:
  • An IP-DECT solution that is more modular and robust than the Wi-Fi solution offered by the competitors. During this period Mitel was the only manufacturer offering the IP-DECT solution, a favored tool for logistics centers and stores where cashiers need to be able to contact restocking managers rapidly
  • More than 500 integrated functions, such as on-hold music
  • Recognition of an analog telephony park managed by the Mitel 3300 IP Communications Platform (ICP) for faxes, modems and cashier workstations
• Adaptability with application software via implementation of the Mitel Customer Interaction Solutions multimedia application, which lets managers oversee contact center activity in real time, predict future call volumes and assign resources according to need.

Sylvain Sénicourt, director of networking and telecommunications at Auchan, vividly recalled this turning point in the company's history: "Without Mitel's thorough understanding of our needs, I'm not sure we would have seen this project through to its end."

Efficient, Productionized, Zero-default Deployment
Auchan was closely involved in implementing the project from its earliest stages. Teams from Mitel and Auchan worked in direct collaboration at seven pilot sites to finalize the project and to carry out the deployments within designated deadlines and without any technical hitches.

The first stage of the deployment was launched between September and November. The team brought the deployments up to production speed, managing nearly 12 superstores per week. The advantages of the Mitel solution were immediately clear. The teams threw themselves into the task, and demonstrated a high level of responsiveness in striving to meet the objectives.According to Lionel Hovsepian, general manager of Mitel France and sales director for continental Europe, one particular episode from this period has become famous at the company,"When we were installing the IP-DECT terminals, we noticed a significant bug in the handling of mobile calls. At the site, we soon understood why the problem had stumped us – some of the Auchan staff were moving around on rollerskates, and the parameters of the terminals hadn't been set to handle that kind of speed! Can you picture our teams trying to reproduce the necessary speed-parameters after closing time, racing around on shopping carts?"

The end of the second phase of deployment took place from March to June, of the following year. "Our ‘zero defect’ objective had been reached.We even had a case where a store had to be bumped up in the schedule because its analog system had given up the ghost!" said Sylvain Sénicourt, the director of networking and telecommunications at Auchan.

The complexity of such a deployment, coupled with the business constraints of large-scale retail operations and those of multi-site network architecture, were not regarded by Auchan as a hindrance. "Upgrading our communications system to VoIP makes sense because we are always searching for better performance, increased functionality, and greater savings," said Sénicourt. Thus, in 2005, the deployment of more than 35,000 IP extensions at Auchan constituted the largest-scale installation of an IP telephony solution in operation anywhere in Europe.

A Network Solution Offering Added Value and Scalability
The IP network was planned in a manner that would make it possible to integrate new e-business applications into the system architecture. The task was then for Auchan to identify what applications might help to optimize its operations.

This was how "Camelia" came into being, a project aimed at the unification and regionalized distribution of Auchan’s contact centers (SAV and helpdesk).

The solid relationship between Auchan and Mitel is in fact just beginning. Mitel was then also chosen to implement VoIP migration for Auchan Russia, an exciting new project in the making.