Cable&Wireless realises significant costs savings by implementing BCS Global’s Managed Video Services

As one of the worlds’ leading international communications companies, Cable&Wireless operates through a network of 50 sites around the globe and provides business critical services to some of the world’s largest multinational organisations. The company utilises a variety of conferencing and collaboration technologies as a key enabler for communicating across its international offices.

Cable&Wireless' number one priority is customer service; and it uses videoconferencing to build customer relations, drive sales, increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Case in point: despite the current global economic downturn, Cable&Wireless reported earnings for the period 2008/9 was £822m, representing a year-on-year EBITDA growth of 36%. Cable&Wireless has videoconferencing facilities across the majority of its offices, which it uses to enhance its internal communications. For example, its product development team, which is split between offices in Leeds and Bracknell, uses videoconferencing for their monthly team updates, significantly reducing the cost and carbon impact of these meetings. It also uses videoconferencing to communicate with its external stakeholders: customers, suppliers and partners.

Videoconferencing has proved to be an excellent tool for enhancing Cable&Wireless' supply chain integration; through improved communication, relationship management and the ability to make business critical decisions much quicker. Furthermore, high definition telepresence suites are available across key sites in Europe, Asia, Australia and the US - and the company believes that it offers a genuine alternative to business travel. Cable&Wireless is on course to achieving its target of replacing one in four business meetings, which would normally have necessitated travel, with videoconferencing or telepresence solutions.

Enabling significant cost savings to be realised

Cable&Wireless encourages usage of conferencing and collaboration tools at all levels of the organisation. As Tim Ryan, Managed Video Conferencing Product Manager at Cable&Wireless indicates: "to get the true business case benefit that we are seeking, everyone must be able to use it." This is afforded by its decision to pursue a fully managed service provided by BCS Global. The company explains: "buying videoconferencing as a managed service enables us to define service credits around the SLAs, which ensures very high levels of availability and avoids the complexity associated with managing the infrastructure components internally." CAPEX Optimisation: In essence, Cable&Wireless buys equipment on the best possible capital terms available from the vendor community, and then purchases the service components and core infrastructure and service from BCS Global.

The managed service arrangement from BCS Global has enabled Cable&Wireless to maximize the utilisation of its existing conferencing and collaboration assets - its videoconferencing rooms are fully utilised due to the popularity of videoconferencing, this has led to further investments in new videoconferencing equipment and rooms to satisfy the increasing demand. OPEX Optimisation: The use of videoconferencing has also enabled Cable&Wireless to reduce travel costs significantly. The company estimates annual business travel savings of £2.3m, which equates to £11.4m over 5 years. For example, the company indicated: "up to last year we were still flying people to internal training events in Asia...the associated travel costs runs into several thousands of pounds - we would not think of doing that anymore."

Videoconferencing has also enabled cost savings by creating opportunities for centralisation of resources. This is achieved by reducing the need for multiple skill-sets to be present in multiple locations. Videoconferencing is also contributing to Cable&Wireless corporate social responsibility objectives in terms of reducing its carbon footprint and overall impact on the environment. The company's energy savings calculator indicates annual CO2 emissions savings of 600 tonnes by replacing business travel with videoconferencing.

Facilitating more efficient work processes

Using a managed service allows users to launch their meetings "without fuss." As a result, the use of video has grown significantly over the last 12 months both for internal and external communications. This has enabled more efficient working practices to be developed. Cable&Wireless comments: "we have improved communications with customers over video and have increased our interactions with them."

The work habits of Cable&Wireless employees have also changed, people are now more inclined to utilise videoconferencing because it is much easier to use and more reliable. A Cable&Wireless employee indicates: "my personal travel (for work) has gone down to just about zero; I don't need to travel anymore, which means I can manage my time more effectively." As a result, the down-time associated with travel

is more or less eliminated, allowing employees to be more productive. It has been easy for Cable&Wireless to integrate videoconferencing into its business, as the latest technology is so easy to use, colleagues at all levels of the business feel confident using it and as a result have incorporated it into their day to day activities.

Improving the work and life balance of employees

Cable&Wireless employees have been very positive about the managed videoconferencing solution - they expressed an increased ability to achieve a better balance between work and their personal lives. The reduction in travel time allows them to have greater flexibility in organising their working day. 

About BCS Global Networks Limited

BCS Global Networks Limited is a leading worldwide provider of managed video conferencing, telepresence and visual collaboration services. The company owns a fully deployed Global Video Exchange, which enables users across the world to meet instantaneously regardless of their video system, network provider or type of connection. It offers a complete set of managed video services and a 24x7 global live video and audio help-desk support to its customers worldwide.

Headquartered in the UK, with offices in New York, Shanghai, Toronto and Hong Kong, BCS Global provides comprehensive managed video services to its customers across the globe in different industry verticals, as well as supports major carriers and their customers globally.

Visit www.bcsglobal.com for more information.