Rapid Circle overhauls Village Roadshow's legacy phone system with Microsoft Teams

Village Roadshow has streamlined its internal communications by implementating a Microsoft Teams Phone solution across its nationwide entertainment empire, provided by Rapid Circle.

The entertainment giant's previous communication infrastructure, spanning 32 sites across Australia, had reached the 15-year mark, requiring daily system restarts across six different PABX systems.

The modernisation project, delivered by technology firm Rapid Circle, has now consolidated Village Roadshow's communication channels into a single unified platform for voice, video, and messaging.

Special consideration was given to unique facilities like Sea World Resort, where the new system needed to integrate with existing infrastructure supporting guest communications across more than 400 apartments.

"Our main reception phone was so plagued by issues that around half of external callers trying to connect with us were successful," Ben Parker, IT operations manager at Village Roadshow, said.

"Not only was it requiring cumbersome daily restarts, but our handsets operated on six different PABX systems. This complex, legacy environment was costly to maintain, and it wasn't conducive to providing a reliable service," Parker added.

The new system enables staff across field operations, customer service, and administration to manage calls from any location, enhancing operational flexibility and customer service capabilities.

"Iconic Australian powerhouses – with long histories and a broad range of output – typically build their empire so organically, it's easy for a simple cog such as communication to get lost in their greater machinery," George Stavrakakis, managing director for Australia at Rapid Circle, said.

The Microsoft partner appointed Stavrakakis as its managing director in January this year.

Rapid Circle's implementation included comprehensive change management support, ensuring Village Roadshow's employees could effectively transition to the new system while maintaining service quality across its diverse portfolio of cinemas, theme parks, and entertainment venues.