BRISBANE systems integrator Data#3 has joined the growing band of medium-sized companies opting for voice over IP phone systems, introducing 350 phones at six locations nationally.

Data#3 managing director John Grant said the company expected a 100 per cent return on investment within a year.

«We will easily save as much as we were spending before, so I think our ROI will be 100 per cent,» he said.

Data#3 first examined a move to VoIP when it was moving its Melbourne office two years ago.

Although the business case made sense at the time, the technology did not.

«The technology today is much less proprietary than it was then,» he said.

A Cisco reseller, Data#3 kept to the fold for the VoIP system.

Although handset prices had been criticised for holding back greater use of VoIP, that was no longer an issue, Mr Grant said.

«Handset pricing now is more realistic, but there is no doubt that the price will continue to decline,» he said.

A big component of the cost saving was removing lease and maintenance charges for seven PABXs.

«The implications of just maintaining and supporting those was quite significant,» Mr Grant said.

Pre-project site visits indicated many more medium-sized companies were moving to VoIP compared with two years ago, he said.

Data#3 now makes on-net calls between its offices in Victoria, Queensland and NSW, and gateways in each state allow toll-bypass for long-distance calls, with calls travelling on the Optus leased-line WAN before exiting to a local-call gateway.

The company has noted improvements in general call handling since installing the system, the improved efficiency opening the way for planned call-centre rationalisation. The IP phone system has also been integrated with Data#3’s CRM and CTI systems.