3CX Phone System Provides Safety on the Austrian Slopes

Each year over seventy volunteers from the Mountain Rescue Team of Puchberg am Schneeberg, a part of the Austrian Mountain Rescue service, conduct between thirty to forty rescue operations. 3CX Phone System has provided the Mountain Rescue Team with a reliable, and cost-effective solution enabling them to quickly respond to people who find themselves in trouble on the mountains.

The Challenge

Squad leaders need to be on call around the clock. The team consists of about ten people who take turns on a weekly basis.

Up until now, the landline was redirected to a mobile number, which was redirected again to the mobile phone of the squad leader on duty. Unfortuantely, this was generating double charges for incoming calls.

Following a consultation with Christian Tanzer of Berl EDV, the Puchberg Team decided to switch to a software-based, IP phone system. 3CX Phone System stood out in the market due as a cost-effective solution, and its high quality, reliable softphones.

3CX Offers a Solution

3CX Phone System was installed in combination with a beroNet gateway. In this installation an analog trunk line and GSM module were also incorporated, so that in the unlikely instance the access to the SIP line should fail, it would be possible to conduct calls via the legacy line instead. By using a SIP trunk, the Mountain Rescue team has made significant savings on monthly call costs.

Together with Andreas Wiedner, the IT Administrator, the Rescue team also created a solution for sending out information via SMS. By accessing a password protected area of the website, it is possible to send SMS messages directly to all members through the GSM gateway, which is embedded in the telephony appliance. The SMS feature has enabled the team to keep in touch more easily. In a few minutes the whole team can now be quickly informed of any mountain emergencies.

Along with the Yealink IP Phones, installed at the Rescue Team’s base, the volunteers can also rely upon the softphone clients for Android and iOS to ensure they are immediately contactable. The team found that 3CXPhone clients for Android and iOS were easy to install and manage, and volunteers no longer need to give out their personal mobile numbers. Volunteers can go about their daily tasks safe in the knowledge they won’t miss a call.

What’s more, the leader on duty can manage the calls directly through the web-based interface of the 3CX Management Console. Through the simple-to-use, 3CX Management Console it is easy to add extra extensions with a few clicks of the mouse, without needing remote or physical access to the server.

austrian mountain

“We were looking for a modern, easy to use telephony solution, which would allow us to manage call forwarding through a web portal, and help us to lower recurring costs. We also wanted to reduce the costs for sending information via SMS to our team members.”

Lukas Danninger, Director, Puchberger Mountain Rescue

The Results

3CX Phone System has brought communications at Mountain Rescue Team of Puchberg am Schneeberg up-to-date – keeping those on the mountains safe. By using a SIP trunk, the Mountain Rescue team has made significant savings on monthly call costs.

The Customer

mountain rescue puchberg

Founded in 1896, the Mountain Rescue Team of Puchberg am Schneeberg is one of thirty organisations which form the Austrian Mountain Rescue service. The Puchberg Rescue Team covers a popular destination for winter sports which includes the Schneeberg, the highest mountain of Lower Austria, as well as the Hengst, Faden, Schober, Maumauwiese, Öhler, and Flatzer mountain ranges.