Knies Children's Zoo, installed by CKW Conex AG
Why did you decide to switch to a new telephony solution at Knies Children’s Zoo and in your offices?
The trigger was that we were looking for a new solution for the circus tour. The systems there had been running on the 2G cellular network so that we wouldn’t have to run lines in every city. With the switch to the 3G network at the end of 2021, we needed an alternative solution. And since our old AVAYA phones had more or less reached their “end of life” at the same time, we decided to switch to the new Mitel systems.
Why did you decide to work with the installation partner CKW?
We solicited quotes from various companies. CKW employs two staff members who had been supporting us for years before they joined the company. So we knew each other well, and there’s a high level of mutual trust. On top of that, they’re familiar with all our needs and the high standards we maintain as a company. On the one hand, we have different locations—the children’s zoo, the offices, and our maintenance yard. On the other hand, we go on tour with the circus, which means we change locations up to 30 times per season. Consequently, the systems also have to be regularly turned off and back on again.
And how did peoplefone come on board as our phone provider?
CKW recommended peoplefone to us. We were previously with Swisscom, but we’re very satisfied with the new solution: the price quote convinced us, and everything works wonderfully.
Do you have any special requirements for your phone system?
The most important things are the flexibility of our partners and the reliability of the hardware. As you can imagine, conditions at the children’s zoo and the circus are unusual: it can get quite hot and dusty there. The phones have to be able to withstand that. Reliability is also important to us. We deliberately use a different network provider for VoIP telephony than for our IT systems so that we’re more independent in the event of a disruption. We also have all the cell phones we need to be reachable in an emergency.
How did the migration go?
We completed the switch in the winter because that’s when the children’s zoo is closed for the season, so a potential outage of the phone system wouldn’t have been as critical. The migration went smoothly; there were no problems or outages whatsoever. In addition, all our employees received brief training, so the transition went off without a hitch for them as well.
How has the collaboration with peoplefone and CKW been?
As mentioned, we’ve had a long-standing partnership with our direct contacts at CKW. I also find working with peoplefone to be straightforward and easy. And when it comes to support, we’re in excellent hands.
Interview with Franco Knie Jr., General Manager of Knie’s Children’s Zoo and IT Manager