How Stadtwerke Merzig is meeting the demands of a modern energy provider with XPhone Connect.
Secure communication as the key to daily operations
Energy providers face exceptionally high communication demands – not least because they operate critical infrastructure. Smooth, secure information exchange is vital, particularly in unexpected situations.
In this interview, IT Administrator Philip Wilhelm from Stadtwerke Merzig explains how XPhone Connect helps keep daily operations secure while meeting rising expectations.
“For long-established companies with entrenched structures, becoming more agile is a big but necessary step. With the introduction of XPhone and other digital tools, we’ve been able to modernise and optimise many internal processes.”
How has communication in your organisation changed in recent years?
Today our communication is far more professional. In the past, staff would sometimes use insecure services like WhatsApp to exchange information externally. That would be unthinkable now. All data must be transmitted securely, and our data centres are exclusively in Europe, preferably in Germany. Since introducing XPhone four years ago, our communication processes have improved enormously. For quick internal coordination – sharing screenshots or starting a screen-share – the software is ideal.
What prompted you to choose XPhone?
We had long considered modernising our communication structure. Our previous UC software barely offered updates and no longer met our growing requirements. Above all, we wanted a solution designed specifically for internal communication, independent of large platforms like Skype or Microsoft Teams. In the end, XPhone was the clear winner.
What was decisive in making that choice?
Ease of use and flexibility were key. Today, XPhone is installed as standard across all office workplaces.
How has XPhone impacted daily work?
XPhone has made internal communication much easier. The solution is widely used to share information quickly or to launch a screen-share. For a critical infrastructure provider like us, where seamless communication is essential, we benefit greatly from the software’s stability and reliability. It runs quietly in the background, rarely fails, and ensures we work efficiently.
“Our customer service centre works with the TeamDesk hotline management system, which is fully integrated into the XPhone Client. In addition, we have linked key data from our customer databases directly with the telephony client.”
How do you use XPhone in your customer service centre?
Our customer service centre works with the hotline management tool TeamDesk, integrated directly into the XPhone client. In addition, key data from our customer databases is linked to the client. When a customer calls, the agent immediately sees the name and address displayed. This enables fast, efficient handling. We use TeamDesk a little differently: rather than one central hotline, each agent has their own. For our small team of 8–15 people, this is lean and highly effective. Agents log in and out of the hotline as required. After a call, they get time to process the request before taking the next one. This improves work quality and makes daily operations easier.
Do you evaluate call volumes in the service centre?
Our customer service team manages this entirely on their own. From the IT side, we only set up the TeamDesk analytics tool at the start. Since then, colleagues can clearly see how many calls are missed at what times and how long customers are kept waiting. The tool is so intuitive that we haven’t had to make any adjustments since the rollout.
How are you making your IT landscape more agile?
That’s a major but essential challenge for a traditional company with established structures. Ten years ago, our IT department was still staffed by technicians and engineers – IT was a side task, and little room was left for innovation. That has completely changed. By introducing XPhone and other digital tools, we’ve made many processes more agile. What once relied entirely on email is now handled via chat or screen-sharing. Staff appreciate this, and XPhone makes adoption easy thanks to its intuitive interface.
How important is user-friendliness for you as an administrator?
Very important. We value being able to manage the software ourselves, which saves a lot of time. At the beginning we had a two-hour training session with our partner NTA Saar. Since then, we’ve managed everything independently. XPhone is simple to administer and runs stably. Especially in a critical infrastructure context, it’s vital that communication software is highly reliable.
What challenges do you see in further digitalising your processes?
The greatest challenge is balancing new technologies with proven structures. Many new technologies entering the market show potential, but not all fit our needs. We discuss artificial intelligence a lot, but remain cautious. For us, a telephone bot is still just a bot – not a replacement for experienced hotline staff. We remain open to innovation, but always test carefully to ensure it makes sense for our business.
