"The Tandberg system is sweeping our clients off their feet.  They're astonished at how easy and fast it is to connect to an interpreter, without any deterioration of voice or image quality."  Ismail Akinci, CEO

Challenge

Established in Melbourne in 1990, All Graduates Interpreting & Translating, provides services to state and federal government departments, hospitals, schools, and business.  The company has a pool of more than 2,000 interpreters and translators who speak more than 100 languages and dialects, including Auslan.

InterpreterLine, an ancillary company, was set up in 2004 to manage the growing demand for telephone interpreting services- a faster alternative to sending interpreters onsite.  They wanted to move away from the telephone and introduce a web-based video conferencing service to expand its business nationwide and make better use of the interpreters' time.  However it struggled to find an all-in-one system that matched the quality of face-to-face communication.

IT Situation

"We trialled webcam software from several well-known brands, on and off for several years, but in the end our staff were reluctant to use it," explained Ismail Akinci.  "The quality of the sound and image was patchy and the two often fell out of sync, which hampered the way our interpreters work because they don't only listen- they sometimes need to observe visual cues and body language."

The company sought to expand into Victorian and NSW regional and rural areas but was restricted by the long distances interpreters had to travel to attend jobs in person.  Interpreter's travel time is charged to the client, making the service less competitive with price.

Solution

InterpreterLine's new suite of 12 Tandberg executive desktop video conferencing units are managed by the Management Suite, which lets the company centrally manage its entire VC network and infrastructure from the Melbourne head office- including directories, booking and software updates for onsite and remote video systems through a web interface.

The systems are set up at client sites at a fraction of the time and cost of sending an interpreter in person.  "Our interpreters can be linked from any InterpreterLine office in Australia to a regional location with a Tandberg system, which means the client and the interpreter can be linked more quickly and at shorter notice than ever before," Akinci explains.

Business Impact

Through more efficient use of interpreters' skills due to decreased travel time, the company expects to boost its job capacity from 400 to 600 daily bookings by the end of 2009.  Clients enjoy reduced costs through the elimination of travel expenses from their bill.

In addition the new communication method gives clients the peace of mind that was missing from the telephone interpreting service.

"People often get edgy, especially in medical emergencies or complex legal situations.  They wonder, 'Who else is listening in?  How can I be sure the interpreter really understands me?' explains Akinci.  "Video conferencing reassures them because it's as if the interpreter is actually there."

In 2009, the company plans to introduce Tandberg's PC-based webcam, Movi, to connect interpreters to its clients using video conferencing system from any location, further increasing their job capacity.