Barnardos NZ is a charity organization with 80 offices throughout New Zealand that provides services to children and families. They implemented Microsoft Lync to improve communication between their dispersed offices as their old phone systems were failing and it was difficult to communicate. Lync provides integrated phone services, video conferencing, and mobile integration. This has allowed for more efficient meetings, remote training sessions, and connectivity for even small offices. Key success factors included appointing a technical project manager, piloting with large offices first to demonstrate savings, and customizing training for different user skill levels.

1. Better Communication & Collaboration with Lync:
The Barnardos’ Story
Anne Collins
Information Support Services Manager
Barnardos New Zealand

2. Better Communication and
Collaboration with Lync 2010
The Barnardos’ Story…

3. Barnardos NZ
• SME Charity working in the areas of Early Childhood
Education and Social services in New Zealand
• “Children Come First” – we provide education and
assistance to families and children in order to
develop children’s potentials
• 80 offices throughout NZ
• 900 employees

4. The Drivers
• Old second hand phone systems failing
• Organisation dispersed (80 offices), no phone
integration, difficult to communicate => limited sense
of “belonging”
• Staff technically challenged / resistant (social
workers, older teachers)
• Network connections can have dubious quality
outside main centres & expensive for QoS

5. Solution Selected
• Microsoft Lync running
unified communications
across the data network,
with 3 main PSTN gateways
out to the telephone
network (for BCP)
• Pilot completed in OCS and
now half way through
upgrading offices to Lync
for full rollout.

6. Results
• Intuitive phone system integrated with mobiles and
Outlook, positive uptake
• Staff are using shared desktops for planning sessions,
budget reviews , remote training
• Peer to peer video conferencing allows
managers to hold VOIP / visual meetings with
remote staff e.g. Fundraising, HR
• Running across ADSL broadband links which
connect 80% of our offices, no QoS
• Mobile integration allows more efficiencies
• Even the smallest office is connected

8. Success Factors
• Got technical Project Manager that knew what
“VOIP” meant
• Used most negative person in Senior Management
Team on project panel
• Sold as an extension to email
• Rolled out pilot to the biggest offices first (pilot)
=> immediate savings
=> won over the senior managers
• Training customised for user level of understanding
But project currently slowed because of shortage of
Lync skills with vendors