Case Studies

CCSW IT Case Studies

MGY Logo

Bringing Seven MGY Branches Up to Date

Infrastructure audit, hardware replacement, full fibre connectivity and cloud telephony across Cardiff, Penarth and Barry for MGY.

The Client

MGY, an estate agency operating seven branches across Cardiff, Penarth and Barry, with staff who regularly work across more than one office.

The Brief

They came to us wanting a clear picture of what they actually had, and a plan to bring it up to date. Specifically:

• A full audit of the existing IT infrastructure across all seven branches
• A hardware replacement programme, so ageing equipment was dealt with on a plan rather than when it failed
• A review of the internet connection at each branch, and an upgrade to the fastest service available
• A replacement for their existing cloud telephone system
• Integration of their new CRM with both their website and their new phone system

Working across seven sites, with staff moving between them, meant nothing could be looked at in isolation. The connection, the phones, the CRM and the hardware all had to work together.

What the Audit Found

The most significant finding was in the network hardware. The main routers at each branch had reached end of life, which created three separate problems at once.

They couldn’t handle the connection speeds now available. Upgrading the lines without replacing the routers would have meant paying for bandwidth the hardware couldn’t deliver, a common and expensive mistake.

They couldn’t properly prioritise voice traffic. This matters more than it sounds. Without quality of service configured correctly, a large file upload or someone streaming can degrade call quality on the same connection, and the calls are usually the thing that suffers first. For an agency where negotiators are on the phone all day, that’s a direct commercial problem.

And they had no capacity for 5G failover. With the business increasingly dependent on cloud systems and cloud telephony, an internet outage at a branch would have meant that office losing both its phones and its systems at the same time.

Replacing the routers wasn’t part of the original brief. It came out of the audit, and it was the thing that made everything else possible.

What We Did

  • New network hardware at every branch – We replaced the end-of-life routers with hardware capable of handling the new connection speeds, prioritising voice traffic properly, and supporting 5G failover. The failover matters for a business running its phones over the internet. If a branch loses its fixed line, the connection switches to 5G and staff keep working, rather than an office going dark until the line is restored.
  • A planned hardware replacement programme – Rather than replacing everything at once or waiting for failures, we built a replacement schedule based on the age and condition of each machine. That turned an unpredictable cost into a planned one, and meant the oldest and slowest equipment was dealt with first.
  • Full fibre at every branch – We reviewed what was available at each site and migrated all seven offices to 1000/115 Mbit/s FTTP connections. That matters for more than browsing speed. Cloud telephony, cloud applications and staff working across sites all depend on the connection being fast and, more importantly, stable. Getting the connectivity right first meant everything else could be built on solid ground.
  • A new cloud phone system – We replaced their existing cloud telephone system with CCSW CallOne. The practical difference for an agency with staff moving between branches is that calls follow the person rather than the desk. Staff use the CallOne app on their mobile, a desk phone in the office, or both, switching between them as needed. Someone working out of the Penarth branch on Tuesday and Cardiff on Wednesday takes their calls with them. For an estate agency, where negotiators are frequently out on viewings or covering another office, that removes a genuine daily friction.
  • CRM integration – We integrated their CRM with both their website and the new phone system. The website integration keeps property data flowing between the two without anyone rekeying it. The telephony integration connects the CRM to their calls, so negotiators aren’t switching between systems or looking up numbers manually while a client is on the line. For an agency, the CRM is effectively the business. Connecting it to the phone system and the website means the tools work as one rather than as three separate things staff have to bridge themselves.

The Result

All seven branches are now on modern hardware with a replacement plan in place, full fibre at every site, and a phone system that works wherever staff are.
Because calls follow the person rather than the desk, staying in touch with clients has become easier. Negotiators covering another branch, or out on viewings, take their number with them. The additional speed at each branch has removed the slowdowns that came with everyone working at once.

The other significant change is administrative. MGY now have all their services on a single monthly bill, and every support ticket goes through one channel. Previously that meant working out which supplier to call, and often being told the problem sat with one of the others. Now there is one number and one point of accountability.

We have worked with CCSW for many years and they have become a trusted and important partner to MGY.

With seven branches across Cardiff, Penarth and Barry, our IT requirements are increasingly important to the day-to-day running of the business. CCSW have taken the time to understand how we operate and have continuously helped us improve our technology, most recently modernising our infrastructure, upgrading connectivity across our offices, introducing CCSW CallOne and integrating our CRM with our telephone system and website.

What we value most is their ongoing support. The team are knowledgeable, responsive and proactive, and we know that when an issue arises they will take ownership and get it resolved.

We see CCSW as much more than an IT supplier; they are a trusted technology partner to MGY and a team we can rely on. We would have no hesitation in recommending them.

James Thomas, Director, MGY

Services Involved

Considering Something Similar?

If you run multiple sites and aren’t confident your hardware, connectivity and phones are working together, get in touch or call 0333 014 4544.

Obtain further information by making contact with our experienced IT team.

Contact us to discuss your requirements.