Calls towards and between Podravka's international offices for HRK "0"

Searching for ways to reduce costs of communication towards its international offices around the world in 17 countries, Podravka is the first in Croatia and among the first companies in the world to implement Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007 and Communicator 2007 technologies.

Implementation started in April this year when the product was still being developed, and by signing EA contract with Microsoft, Podravka was enabled to apply this new technology on its computers at international offices.

This technology enabled that the costs of communication with international locations and among them be HRK "0", because the existing Internet connections are being used for the purpose. Telephone calls can be realized via computers, VoIP and classic telephones and mobile devices.

Apart for telephone calls, this technology enables holding meeting, educations, conferences or gatherings where the participants get connected on line by using a computer. Application of this technology achieves more cost and time savings, because there is no traveling to the destination of such meetings and gatherings, there are no costs of stay, and the working hours are being used more productively.

The technology also enables working outside the office, as the users by connecting to the Internet may receive calls that they receive at office phones. Users may also get an answering machine for their land line, they are enabled to see the status of their potential collocutor before they make the call because they can get the info whether the users are at their computers, away, on a meeting, on holiday and all is connected to Podravka’s phone book.

By the end of this year all employees in Podravka’s international offices and Croatia will be included in this project with the purpose to reduce international telecommunication costs to the highest possible degree.

Podravka has become Microsoft’s reference center for this technology, and the case study is published at:
http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000000898 .