Avaya Flare Experience in cooperation with Formula 1
The Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team competes in the FIA Formula One World Championship and takes part in up to 20 races around the world each year.
Accepting Avaya Flare Experience
Avaya's relationship with the team goes back to year 2004., when operating under the name of British American Racing, working through an Avaya. Today, partner Avaya supports voice and data communication requirements of Mercedes AMG Petronas' team. Team already uses Avaya Aura Communication Manager to enable voice and video capabilities and to provide a resilent, distributed network of media gateways and analogue, digital and IP-based communication devices.
Besides that they had selected Avaya 9611G IP Deskphones and Avaya 3720 DECT Handsets for onsite staff. Avaya 9611G Deskphones include a context-sensitive graphical interface and company directories and are ideal for those who rely on intelligent communication and productivity of enhancing capabilities; DECT Handsets include large displays and easy-to-use menus. This is an organization that appreciates and invests in effective communication.
In year 2010. conversations on upgrading the communication infrastructure began. They wanted to make the best use of the latest technologies, with the aim in improving collaboration, speed of decision making and optimization in usage of video conferencing. Avaya has demonstrated the solution Flare Experience, implemented on Avaya Desktop Video Device that is capable of running seamlessly video conferences, merging multiple contact lists and switching back and forth between IM, voice and video sessions, e-mail and social networks.
Users can add contacts and content into collaboration sessions and by using the Presence application determine a colleague's calendar, IM, voice and video status; it can easily be clear who from you colleagues is available in particular moment. For an organization that relies on decision making in critical time pressures, Avaya Flare Experience enables Mercedes AMG Petronas localization of experts and with a swipe, bring them into a conversation. Also, it stores the contact's e-mails and IM history, retrieved with a tap on the screen.
"If people are available, you can communicate through the most appropriate or preferred medium-voice call, video conferencing or chat. The problem is solved, signed off. There are no limits as you try to set up a convenient meeting time." Harris immediately recognized the potential, "I've showed it to two of our senior technical experts. They were sold on it. It means that they can easily set up one or more conference calls, switch from IM on video and see who is or isn't available, whatever the device."
Being able to bring specialist via video conference, as and when they're required, means that top decision makers have the best information to hand. On top of the restrictions on numbers, there are times when senior management can't physically attend the race.
"We hold regular meetings after the races here in our factory in Brackley, UK. These involves up to 40 of the most senior people in the organization. In terms of cost per hour of their time, this is about as expensive meeting as you can get. These guys want the best tehnical information to hand, but there is a limit to the amount of people we want on the meeting-in terms of costs and logistics. This solution allows us to have the best minds in our business in attendance, without taking them away from their day-to-day job."-M.Harris
The future is likely to see further pressure on experts' availability and an increasingly hectic schedule. The pressure on resources will remain, but new regulations will have to be met. The teams' communication infrastructure must be able to take the pressure. Avaya Flare Experience helps to speed up the critical decision making and those decisions might help the car to go faster.
Challenges:
- Simplify the communication, set the infrastructure for collaboration and take the maximum value from the experts anywhere in the world
- All improvements need to be made against the backdrop of tightening budgets: all spare funding needs to be channelled into maximizing the cars' performance
Created values:
- Greater access to expertise, that brings faster decision making: being able to bring more expertise during more time and running multiple conference calls
- Potential reduce in travel costs as video conference becomes easier and more viable, savings in budget for race-related improvements
