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• ITS (Phone) Switch Upgrade Project

ITS (Phone) Switch Upgrade Project

ITS Switch Upgrade News: With Some Modified Monthly Telecommunications Costs Customers Could See Financial Benefits

Say goodbye to monthly telephone rental charges and hello to more independence. With the recent ITS Switch Upgrade, the timing was right to revamp the monthly rental charges, service requests and equipment processes, according to Mike Yonko, Business Manager for ITS.

"Customers have asked us, 'how many times do I have to pay for this telephone?' As the technology of voice and data continue to merge, the chargeback model needed to change as well," he said.

Starting July 1, monthly recurring charges for telephones (analog and digital), bridged sets, headsets, wired outlets and alarm/RJ31 connections will be removed from telecommunications billing statements. Your department will own the telephones that are currently in place.

In the past, customers paid monthly for the type of telephone (single line/analog or multi-line/digital sets), headsets, if telephones were bridged together or if they were connected to an alarm. These items will all be removed from the monthly billing. Going forward, recurring costs will include:

• A Line Charge - The 'line' recovers the costs associated with the centralized telephone system, its ongoing maintenance, the RIT telephone numbers, the required circuits that connect the system to the outside world as well as the wiring to connect your jack to the telephone system. For FY 2009 these costs are rolled into a $19.00 Line Charge.
• Billable Features such as Voice Mail and Intercom - charges will continue at current rates.
• Special Circuit Charge - A charge for the use of the telephone wiring system to connect unique departmental systems together.

The majority of departments will see their monthly expenses decrease with the elimination of the monthly rental charge for the telephones. In addition, there are some new, one time costs that will apply if you need to add or change your existing service in the future. It is expected that the monthly savings will help offset, if not cover completely, the one time costs that may result over time. Detailed below and on the ITS website are the monthly and one time costs that are in effect for FY 2009.

If departments are interested in changing or adding telephones there will be a one time cost to purchase the new telephone, activate the line and install any jacks or wiring. Telephones will initially be purchased directly from ITS at our cost. Eventually ITS will set up a direct purchasing relationship with a vendor or multiple vendors. More details will be provided once that is in place.

The following are the One Time Charges that will apply if you want to add or change current service for FY2009:

Sample installation charges you may encounter if you change existing service:

There will also be a new cost model for Automated Call Distribution (ACD) groups. The ACD group is the term used for call centers many of which offer options to "Press 1 for..." or "Press 2 for..." . The costs will cover the programming necessary for the complex system set up. For example, the ITS Service Desk, with one of the most intricate set ups, incurs the highest cost at approximately $235/month.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Web Interface for Billing

The new process will be in place for FY 09, starting July 1. In addition to the new costing information, ITS has been finishing work on a web-based resource to post monthly bills online. The new, online system is expected to be available to customers later in the summer. There will be full lists of the telecommunications charges associated with each department as well as long distance charges.

With the new system in place, this material will be start to be archived; and archived material will be available for use by department budget managers.

ITS will continue to print and send copies to departments, until users are trained in how to access the online billing system. Training is expected to take place later in the summer.

Information in this article was compiled by ITS Administrative Services staff (Michael Yonko, Joanne Redmore and Michelle Cometa) and ITS Technical Support System staff (Greg Gardner, Emilio DiLorenzo, Char Ipacs and Shannon Robinson). For more information about the Switch Upgrade Project and the new monthly telecommunications charges, contact Greg Gardner gwgits@rit.edu or Mike Yonko mjyppt@rit.edu or see the ITS website at http://www.rit.edu/its/initiatives

UP NEXT IN THE SERIES: Information about the online billing system training and the new processes for Moves, Adds and Changes will be forthcoming.