How Wates Property Services Rolled Out a Scalable Cloud Phone System Across Two Sites
How a division of one of the UK's largest family-owned construction and property services companies launched a new housing maintenance service in Leatherhead, then extended the same AI-powered platform to its Reading site with zero downtime.
Property Services
21 staff and users
Leatherhead and Reading
Cloud PBX / Yeastar / AI Call Transcription
About Wates Property Services
Wates Group Ltd is a family-owned construction, property services and development company in the United Kingdom, founded in 1897.
As a large private company with multiple branches and departments, the organisation is continually evolving and expanding its services, creating a need for telephony that could support new service launches as they happen.
The Challenge: A New Service Launch Needing a Telephone System
As a large private company with multiple branches and departments, the organisation is continually evolving and expanding its services.
The key problems included:
A new service, no system in place
Within its Property Services division, the Project Manager identified the need for a new telephone system to support the launch of a housing maintenance service based in Leatherhead.
Why Wates Property Services Chose The VoIP Shop
Following initial conversations, The VoIP Shop arranged a live demonstration of its cloud telephony solution. The client was impressed by its reliability, scalability, and flexibility, recognising that it could support both their immediate operational requirements and future business growth.
AI-powered call transcription and summaries
One of the standout features was the AI-powered call transcription and call summary functionality, which enables conversations to be automatically transcribed and summarised, reducing administration time and improving record-keeping.
Advanced call analytics and real-time wallboard
The client also valued the advanced call analytics and real-time wallboard, which provide detailed reporting on call performance and key operational metrics. The wallboard gives managers instant visibility of live KPIs, including call volumes, response rates, service levels, and agent availability, allowing supervisors to monitor team productivity in real time, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions.
Extended to a second site on the strength of the results:
Following the successful deployment at the Leatherhead site, the Project Manager at Wates was sufficiently impressed with the solution to recommend The VoIP Shop for another Property Services location in Reading, where the existing telephony contract was due to expire.
A second demonstration, the same result
The VoIP Shop conducted a further live demonstration for the Reading team, who were equally impressed by the solution's reliability, scalability, AI transcription, and call analytics. The successful Leatherhead rollout gave them the confidence to adopt the same platform.
The Solution
To meet the requirements of the new housing maintenance service at the Leatherhead site, The VoIP Shop deployed a cloud-based phone system for six users, then extended a similar solution to the 15-user Reading site.
6-User Cloud Phone System for Leatherhead (Apps Only)
A cloud-based phone system for six users, using softphone applications only, allowing staff to make and receive calls from their computers or mobile devices without the need for desk phones.
AI-Powered Call Transcription and Summaries
Deployed at both sites, enabling conversations to be automatically documented and improving productivity and record-keeping.
SMS Texting Functionality
Included at the Leatherhead site to improve customer communication.
Remote Deployment and Training (Leatherhead)
The implementation was completed remotely, with The VoIP Shop's team providing full system configuration, user setup, and online training to ensure staff were confident using the new platform from day one.
15-User Cloud Phone System with Desk Phones in Reading
A 15-user deployment including 15 Yealink T54 desk phones alongside softphone applications, giving staff the flexibility to work from either a physical handset or a mobile or desktop app.
On-Site Installation and Training in Reading
A senior engineer attended the Reading site to complete the on-site installation, configure the desk phones, and deliver hands-on user training, ensuring the new system was fully operational with minimal disruption.
Number Porting
A new number was provisioned for Leatherhead, while the main number was ported for Reading, covering the 0800 main number and direct dial numbers for each user.
The Results
A Consistent Platform Across Both Sites
The VoIP Shop successfully delivered a cost-effective cloud telephony solution across both the Leatherhead and Reading sites, providing a consistent communications platform that supports the client's growing Property Services division.
Zero Downtime Migration at Reading
The Reading migration was completed with zero downtime, ensuring business continuity and allowing staff to continue handling customer enquiries without disruption throughout the implementation.
Improved Productivity Through AI Transcription
The introduction of AI-powered call transcription and call summaries has significantly improved day-to-day productivity by reducing the need for manual note-taking and providing accurate records of customer conversations, enabling staff to spend more time assisting customers while saving valuable administrative time.
Greater Visibility Into Call Performance
Enhanced visibility of call performance through the platform's advanced analytics and real-time wallboards allows managers to monitor key performance indicators, track team productivity, and make informed operational decisions.
A Scalable, Future-Proof Platform
Overall, the project has delivered a reliable, scalable, and future-proof communications solution that has improved operational efficiency, enhanced customer service, and provided a platform that can grow alongside the organisation's future requirements.
Could The VoIP Shop Do This for Your Business?
Launching a new site or service and need a telephone system that scales with it, or looking to replace an expiring telephony contract with something more capable?
We will scope a fully managed solution and support you from installation through to go-live and beyond.
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Explore the Solutions Behind This Project
Wates Property Services launched a new housing maintenance service in Leatherhead with a scalable cloud phone system, then extended the same AI-powered platform to its Reading site with zero downtime. Here are the solutions behind the build.