STEPPING COLLABORATION WITH SPARK “Skype for Business is improving the way we work within – it’s amazing to see how collaboration and teamwork has skyrocketed with the ability to share and create digitally.”

Richard Jarrett, Head of IT Foundation & Frontline Experience, Westpac

Behind the Business RAPID ROLL-OUT OF SKYPE FOR BUSINESS Accelerating Westpac NZ’s digital transformation.

To be recognised as one of the world’s great “It will mean we can collaborate more effectively, be About Westpac NZ service companies, Westpac NZ has been looking more productive and offer more to our customers.” at ways to cut down process and speed up the time • Founded in 1861 it takes to make decisions for its customers. “With almost 5,000 staff spread across offices and branches throughout , it’s a large project Over the last few years, Westpac has focused on • 4,900 employees and one that is supporting a cultural shift in the way leveraging digital technology to do this. Partnering Westpac works.” with Spark for a Skype for Business deployment is its • 620 ATMs latest move that’s helping the to find new and Benefiting from rapid deployment • 1.35 million customers smarter ways of doing business. Keen to roll out Skype for Business as quickly as “Skype for Business is going to equip our people possible and with minimal risk, Westpac turned to with the latest unified communication and video long-standing technology partners and Microsoft conferencing tools,” says Head of IT Foundation “Collaborating will be a experts, Spark, to do this. & Frontline Experience at Westpac, Richard Jarrett. much more natural part of A key, multi-disciplinary team of Westpac and Spark representatives was set up to lead the everyday work, rather than a deployment using agile methodology. Along with planned activity.” IBM representatives and other technical suppliers as needed, the team were able to deploy a Minimum Richard Jarrett, Head of IT Foundation Viable Product across the business – rolling out Skype & Frontline Experience, Westpac using a staged approach.

“A huge amount of value is gained from the weekly tasks and learning loop that agile development Westpac staff are also enjoying the staged release that promotes,” says Richard. “No context is lost and agile development allows. “It’s allowed our people technical problems are discovered early on.” to come up to speed with the new ways of working without being overwhelmed. Incident calls were at “In the first three months of the project alone, we were less than one percent in the week following the first able to establish capability that saved over 12 weeks release and have been even lower as we deploy more of time over a conventional waterfall approach.” Skype features across the bank.” secure and supported. a customer-centred solution that isconnected, flexible, Choosing Skype forBusinessfrom Sparkmeans choosing available. While‘response groups’ isbeingusedto callers torelevant supportteamswhentheyare not that isinuseandallowingAccount Executivestodirect ‘Call answeringrules’isanotheradvancedSkypefeature internal collaborationmeetings. and thisisproving idealforteamhuddlesandother bank nowhasSkypeonitslarge meeting-room screens Richard saysusingSkype’s ‘room system’features, the and smallerroom systemsfrom PolycomandLogitech. people. ThisincludesarangeofMicrosoft SurfaceHubs advanced Skypeservicestoitscorporateoffice-based retail branches,theagileteamisalsorolling outmore Business across itsnationwidebusinesscentres and While thefocusisnowondeployingSkypefor Accelerating theshift todigital easier toshare workandprogress ideasasateam.” first inthebusinessto receive Skypeandsayit’s much new digitalbankingsolutions.Theywere amongthe –it’s showingup via fasterrelease cyclesfor technology teamsbasedoutofAucklandand “Significant benefits are alsobeingnotedbyour message, desktopsharingandvideo. about betterwaystohelpruralcustomersusinginstant are realising thevalueastheycollectivelystrategise right throughout thecountry. ItsAgribusinessunit Richard saysit’s benefitingmany Westpac teamsbased desktop sharingandOutlookmeetingbookings. of Skype,suchasvideoconferencing, voicecalling, Almost 70percent are usingthemore advancedservices of instantmessagingforrapidanddirect communication. availability statususingonlinepresence, aswelltheuse corporate staff havetheability tovieweachother’s Just sevenmonthsintotheproject, allofWestpac’s Banking onabetter experience technology orworryaboutongoingmaintenance. Westpac nolongerneedtoinvestinupgradingin-house necessary SkypeforBusinesspatchingandupdates. As amanagedsolution,Sparklookafterallofthe Spark –thevalueadd “Agile development and its fast impactful improvements totheservicecustomers receive. Skype features likethishasbeeneasyandwill make Richard sayswithSpark’s help,deployingadvanced teams withinthebank. automatically distributecallersacross relevant support & Frontline Experience, Westpac Richard Jarrett, IT Head of Foundation significant time savings.” as possible, resulting in as close to deployment helped us capture feedback feedback loops from users has • Skype forBusiness • Powerful productivity withOffice • hosted and managed by Spark hosted andmanagedbySpark Built byMicrosoft –implemented, anywhere, onanydevice Meet, messageandcallwithanyone,

Client Manager or call us on: us call or Manager Client your to speak connections, customer better you’re create If to ready emissions,” finishesRichard. helping meetourcorporatecommitmenttoreduce need forourstaff totravelandatthesametime customers, suppliersandpartners.It’s reducing the for thewayweworkinternally, aswellwithour ReadyCloud Video ispresenting uswithnewoptions “The movetobothSkypeforBusinessand an Aucklandmeetingroom.” a large ReadyCloudVideo teammeetingbasedoutof based inWhanganuicaneasilyuseSkypevideotojoin our staff toconnectinternallyorexternally. Someone “Together, theyoffer arangeofvideooptionsfor ReadyCloud Video. deployed tocaterlarger group meetings,Spark’s conferencing foranothervideosolutionWestpac has experience, andwillalsoassistinbetterquality Richard saysSIPvoicesupportsabetterSkypeuser over toSIPusingSpark’s Voice Connectplatform. The bankhasalsomoveditstraditionalvoicelines 0800 6940800 364

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