Managing Information Technology

Case Study I-3 • The VoIP Adoption at Butler University 153

important system information to users in person via
departmental staff and management reminders for attend-
ing training sessions were emphasized. Although much of
the communication was done via e-mail, other media
included all-campus voice mails and printed materials
distributed throughout the campus.
Messages sent out to the university community
included why a new system was being implemented,
where and when training would occur, how to transition
from the old voice mail to the newer version, who to call
with problems, the date and time of cutover, and how to
return old phones after users began using their new
equipment (see Exhibit 4B).

Pilot Program

Before a full-scale dissemination of the new VoIP phones,
a pilot program was implemented to help test features and
gain user feedback. In April 2005, approximately six
weeks before the system was to “go live,” 40 phones were
issued to high-volume phone users, such as department
coordinators and high-level secretarial staff. Over roughly
three weeks, the users helped to test the various features of
the new system and to fine-tune any other aspects that pilot
users had noted. The overall goal of the pilot program was
to gain buy-in from the user community. Ideally, pilot
users would not only share their enthusiasm for the new

system with their coworkers, but would also become a co-

ordinator and trainer within their department.

IR needed input from the people who would be using

the phones the most. They wanted someone from

Admission involved because of our large call vol-

ume. Since I manage the team that handles incoming

calls, it made sense for me to volunteer to be a phone

coordinator.

—Susie Bremen, Senior Associate Director of

Admission

The pilot program began with an information ses-

sion, followed by a series of training sessions that took

place in three labs and were run by a firm that Berbee

had contracted with for the training. Members from the

implementation team and consultants from Dietrich

Lockard and Berbee were on hand to facilitate informa-

tion sharing and initial training. Pilot users were pro-

vided with the opportunity to try various features of the

new phone and interact with the new capabilities through

role-playing.

They made the training fun. They had gift bags and

giveaways, and encouraged questions and discussion

from the very beginning. They started out with a

EXHIBIT 4B Example of Communication Message to Staff