Westpac has taken the next step in its ongoing strategy to modernise underlying infrastructure and improve service to customers during COVID, with a complete rollout of Microsoft Teams Calling to all its branches around the country.
The rollout is the first for a bank in Australia and follows Westpac’s industry-leading deployment of Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) technology in all branches in 2020, which has significantly improved the speed of internet and technology capabilities in branches.
Through this new solution, Westpac has consolidated multiple legacy phone and voicemail systems into a single cloud-based platform, supporting an increasingly remote workforce.
Westpac Head of Workplace Services, Paul McKenna, said the rollout of MS Teams Calling in branches was a further step in simplifying the bank’s technology and improving technology in branches.
“The SD-WAN deployment last year really set the foundation for us to deliver improved digital solutions in branches,” he said.
“MS Teams Calling means our branch employees are able to answer customer calls from anywhere, which is particularly important as employees in some COVID hotspots are working remotely.
“The technology allows voicemails to be transcribed in Teams and accessed via mobile phone, helping our people to provide more timely service to customers.
“This upgrade continues the work we have been doing over the past two years to modernise our underlying infrastructure, drive digital innovation in our branches and improve workplace services,” Mr McKenna said.
Since deploying SD-WAN in branches, Westpac has commenced the rollout of SD-WAN in its corporate sites and will start deployment in international offices next year.