The fire service of the regional capital of Düsseldorf uses the reliable mobility solution, Teleserver Mobile Pro, to integrate cell phones and home offices into their communications environment.

The operations of the Düsseldorf Fire Service with its eight fire and rescue departments are diverse. In addition to fire prevention and control, operations extend to assistance, training and consultation. The public rarely realizes that an efficient administration, not significantly different from other bureaus, works behind the scene: duty roster development, fleet management, accounting, human resources, purchasing and public relations.

The main obligation of the Düsseldorf Fire Service is to ensure public safety. In times of necessary budget cuts, however, it is also the responsibility of the fire service to pay special  attention to economizing and efficiency. As with every other business, flexible work schedules, home offices and coworkers with cell phones are standard in the daily activities of the agency.

The unavailability of connections between these “external” telephones and the HiPath 4000 telecommunications system had been problematic. For example, if an employee received an incoming call at the home office, it was not possible to forward that call or to consult with a colleague at the agency on another line. Also, home telephone call accounting was costly and inefficient. An additional handicap was the caller ID function during outgoing calls: On the one hand, the telephone numbers of cell phones and home phones should not be made public, while on the other hand, the suppression of these telephone numbers could be perceived as rude. Internal communication was tedious and time-consuming since coworkers were unsure at which telephone number to reach their colleagues.

Required was a mobile, user-friendly communications solution that clearly improves the flow of information and greatly enhances the existing Siemens HiPath 4000 System.

The optimal solution proved to be Teleserver Mobile Pro by Speech Design, which has now become an essential part of the fire service’s flexible telecommunications system.

In addition to the improved flow of information internally, a clear benefit of implementing Mobile Pro has been the increased quality of service to the public, partners and consumers of these services.

The administrative staff can now attend to calls immediately, transfer calls or set up conference calls quickly. Cell phones and home phones have become mobile office extensions.

Employees can make settings such as forwarding calls as needed – free of charge and conveniently from the road or from home.

The need for a uniform caller ID was satisfied by the One-Number-Service of Mobile Pro. Regardless of whether an employee receives calls on a cell phone or home phone, he or she is always accessible under the same office telephone number. This is also the telephone number that is transmitted during outgoing calls as the caller ID.

The monthly time and effort the finance department puts into calculating the variety of telephone costs has been reduced since all call charges are centrally recorded in the HiPath 4000 with the Mobile Pro Callback Function.

Even with the advantages listed here, the system’s potential has not been exhausted. For example, the option of an integrated conference room connection for coordinating major emergencies could be very beneficial.

• Improved service due to immediate processing of requests (consultation calls, transferring of calls and creation of conference calls)

• Optimal internal communications flow through the integration of home offices and cell phones
  
  
• Flexibility because settings can be changed free of charge (e.g. call forwarding), even when underway or from home
  
  
• Minimal expenditures in controlling through central telephone charge recording

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