Simplified Communications for Russian Askona Ltd.

With 4,000 employees, and more than 20 branches throughout Russia and Eastern Europe, Askona was growing fast. Its communications system was unable to keep up! Faced with issues regarding multi-site connectivity, PBX management and increasing maintenance costs, the organization needed to find a simpler yet more functional solution. With the help of ICE partners, a 3CX PRO edition installation proved to be just what Askona was looking for.

The Challenge

With three separate PBXs in use and no direct, interoffice connections, Askona’s communications system was complex. Telco costs were rising, running the system was increasingly difficult, and maintenance was becoming ever-more costly and onerous. Askona’s Panasonic®* PBX was difficult to configure. Managing calls, adding extensions and debugging were all complicated tasks. Its Asterisk®* PBX didn’t offer sufficient reporting, and its Infinity PBX placed too many demands on IT staff resources.

Nikita Akimov, Head of IT Services and Telephony, looked at many alternative systems. In the end he chose 3CX PRO Edition which was installed and deployed in a matter of hours, with the help of Moscow-based 3CX Partner ICE Partners.

3CX Offers a Solution

Because 3CX runs on mainstream operating systems, it integrates rapidly with a company’s existing hardware and software, and IT staff needed no special training to get it up and running.

3CX also took immediate control of Askona’s 200 lines and its Cisco®* and Natex®* VoIP gateways. It rapidly consolidated Askona’s telecoms infrastructure onto a single system, bridging all the company’s offices so that communications among them became simple and cost-free.

Administration became a snap, because 3CX requires zero administration — nearly all management tasks were automated, and those few remaining accomplished with a click or two on 3CX’s easy-to-use management console. Lines and extensions were also added easily, and there is no additional charge or licence fee.

3CX provided a full set of unified communications (UC) features right out of the box. Askona’s employees could now chat, message or join audio and video conferences on their smartphones. The rise in collaboration that resulted drove an increase in productivity.

askona beds

“3CX has enabled us to make it all simple. The automatic provisioning of our Yealink and Cisco IP phones, as well as rapid configuration of user equipment, helped facilitate the work of our IT staff. We put all our branches into a single network, while reducing communications costs, simplifying administration and supporting employee mobility. We’ve attained all our objectives with 3CX.”

Akimov, Head of IT Services and Telephony, Askona Ltd

The Results

Calling costs were reduced drastically as interoffice communications became free with IP telephony. Calls to the PSTN dropped to minimum cost thanks to least-cost routing. Call management could be handled simply and rapidly using the powerful 3CX Switchboard, and reporting became automatic and easily customized. Monitoring was also vastly simplified, thanks to the 3CX PRO Edition Wallboard.

Hand in hand with the advanced communications came complete mobility. Working from their smartphones, the company’s workers could now communicate at no cost, from home, travelling, or anywhere. They could also be reached on their smartphones anywhere on an individual office number — calls to the office were no longer missed.

The Customer

askona logo

Korov City, Russia-based Askona Ltd., part of the Malmö, Sweden-based Hilding Anders Group, is the leading manufacturer of orthopedic mattresses in Eastern Europe — one out of three Russians sleeps on an Askona “healthy sleep” mattress. Askona has more than 25 years of experience, and provides about 800 different mattress brands. The company has earned a prestigious reputation in the world market and works with famous hotel chains like Hilton, Radisson SAS, Marriott and others.

*All trademarks mentioned are not affiliated with 3CX, its products, or its websites. The owners of these trademarks are not the source of, and do not sponsor or endorse, the products/services promoted here. All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.