Microsoft UK adopts flexible working practices with SmartNumbers

London, England. July 2005

SmartNumbers is pleased to announce the Microsoft is now fully live and operational with SmartNumbers for Flexible Working. Flexible working is embedded in the culture at Microsoft UK. In a company whose products are all about mobility, sharing and collaboration, it seems appropriate the working practices and culture operate on the same principles.

Staff are empowered to set their own times and locations of work. ADSL is supplied to all staff who want to be able to work from home. Most staff work at home some of the time, and often work non-standard hours. Back at the office, these is hot-desking for around 500 flexible workers, with a 2:1 ratio of staff to desks. Communication between colleagues is seen as vital, especially when so many spend much of their time out of the office.

This emphasis on good communications in a flexible workforce has led Microsoft to use SmartNumbers. "The SmartNumbers solution has grown with us", according to Nick Wills, Head of Property and Facilities at Microsoft UK. "At first there were about 200 users, but this has grown to 500 - 600 users. SmartNumbers is mostly used by Microsoft consultants, who spend a lot of their time on the road, and working at client sites."

"Our engineers working at client sites may be there for a week or more testing programmes, integrating systems and so forth. So their phones are simply directed through to them, wherever they are. We also have around 120 working from home as part of the flexible working programme. If you're out of the office for four days per week, you can apply to be on this programme. A website walks you through the programme, going through the personal issues, health and safety, integrating with colleagues. Then you contact facilities, and we do a drawing of your home office, Everything is provided, all the furniture and kit."

SmartNumbers for flexible working delivers the following benefits:

To the company

• Fast time to service
• No specialist equipment to deploy (service operates on home-telephones, with dial-up or broadband connection)
• No learning curve – managed helpdesk to assist any user problems
• All calls are made at corporate telephone rates
• All existing corporate voice services endure (hunt-groups, IVR, ACD, voicemail) whether people work from home or the office
• Eliminates expense control process for home telephone bills

To the employee

• Real-time presence shows location and availability of other colleagues
• Integrated company directory enables for one-button click-dial
• Virtual-team working (contact entire teams with a single click)
• No need to submit telephone expenses since all calls originate on corporate network
• Visual voice-mail with missed calls or left messages sent via email and/or SMS
• Integration with office and chat/communicator products. Voice messages are delivered to email for free retrieval
• Enables up to 4 inbound calls to be handled on a single telephone line
• Provides call-whisperered introductions to distinguish between business and personal calls

"The drivers for this approach are to increase productivity, optimise property use, improve work-life balance, and to reduce travel costs", continued Nick Wills. "But most of all from a Facilities point of view, the aim is 'to create a great environment where people can do their best work' and this environment clearly stretches beyond the traditional office".

"Microsoft are an important customer, a key technology partner and a good friend of SmartNumbers", said Geoffrey Paterson, CEO of SmartNumbers. "We are delighted to be working closely with them as their achieve their business goals, and enhance both the quality of life and productivity of their employees."

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.