Discover how Velocity helped HK law firm Hugill & Ip adopt Microsoft Teams for telephony-helping them consolidate their communications and significantly boosting their efficiency and cost savings.
Founded in 2018 by Adam Hugill and Alfred Ip, Hugill & Ip provides client services and bespoke legal advice to individuals and corporations in Hong Kong and internationally. The firm’s dedicated practice areas include family law, contentious trusts and estates, wealth management, and notarial services.
Over the years, the firm’s solicitors have gained a solid reputation for their integrity, expert legal knowledge, and “out-of-the-box” thinking—winning numerous accolades in the process. These include awards for outstanding pro bono and community work from The Law Society of Hong Kong and multiple recognitions from Asian Legal Business.
From the beginning, Hugill & Ip wanted their IT infrastructure investments to be guided by a fully managed IT service that embraced their values of innovation, creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking. Velocity stepped up to the challenge and established a cloud-based infrastructure that leveraged cutting-edge technologies and cybersecurity approaches.
This forward-thinking approach to tech adoption included integrating Hugill & Ip’s telephone systems with Microsoft Teams. Hugill & Ip wasn’t just Velocity’s first client to adopt Microsoft Teams for telephony; they were also the first organisation to adopt this type of integration in Hong Kong.
Cracking the code on Microsoft Teams for telephony in Hong Kong
Existing commercial and technical restrictions in Hong Kong mean that some European and North American dialling places and turnkey solutions aren’t available in the SAR. This has created significant barriers for enterprises that want to harness Microsoft Teams to PSTN integration.
Velocity has cracked the code on Microsoft Teams for telephony, allowing businesses in Hong Kong to integrate their telephone systems with Microsoft Teams. Velocity has developed a customised solution for local clients using a process known as Direct Routing.
Direct Routing connects Teams customers to local Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or SIP trunk providers via certified session border controllers (SBCs) independent of local carriers. This approach allows customers to adopt a bring-your-own-carrier (BYOC) approach with full voice infrastructure flexibility. It also facilitates coexistence with legacy voice and unified communication (UC) systems.
Direct Routing is suitable for organisations that:
● Require connectivity in countries not covered by Microsoft Teams phone mobile providers, Microsoft Teams calling plans, or operator connect.
● Are subject to regulatory, compliance, or survivability requirements that dictate on-premises connectivity.
How Hugill & Ip adopted Microsoft Teams for telephony
In order to consolidate its internal and external communications, reduce telephony costs, and optimise productivity, Velocity suggested the firm adopt Microsoft Teams for telephony.
“When we originally set up Hugill & Ip’s IT infrastructure, there was no integration between the telephone systems and Microsoft Teams—despite the obvious benefits of such an integration,” notes James Dwyer, Velocity’s COO. “This type of integration wasn’t previously available in Hong Kong due to existing commercial and technical restrictions.
“To overcome these challenges, we developed an integration solution for Hugill & Ip internally. There was no precedent for this solution, and to my knowledge, we’re the only managed IT service provider that offers this service in Hong Kong. This makes Hugill & Ip the first organisation in Hong Kong to adopt Microsoft Teams for telephony.”
This integration ensures that all of Hugill & Ip’s employees have access to low-cost, IP-based international dialling no matter where they’re located.
“Thanks to Microsoft Teams’ advanced calling features, employees now enjoy seamless and high-quality voice and video communication anywhere in the world via Teams,” James said. “Employees also have access to all of their files, legal case management systems, and other systems via the cloud. All of their work and communication tools are secured and consolidated, resulting in greater efficiency and productivity.”
“[To successfully adopt Microsoft Teams for telephony] we developed an integration solution for Hugill & Ip internally. This integration ensures that all of Hugill & Ip’s employees have access to low-cost, IP-based international dialling, regardless of their location.”
James Dwyer
COO at Velocity
The result: greater efficiency and cost savings
According to Marco Raccuia, Chief Operating Officer at Hugill & Ip, his firm has unlocked greater efficiency and cost savings by migrating their telecommunications to Microsoft Teams.
“Another vendor originally handled our telecommunication needs, but now Velocity handles all of our IT infrastructure and telecommunication needs. Having just one provider means there’s a unified strategy and solution to all of our IT and telecommunication challenges,” he said.
“Having a centralised approach to business communications has also resulted in major cost savings for our firm. By reducing our reliance on a traditional phone infrastructure, we’ve significantly reduced our annual spending on phone services. These, and other forward-thinking IT investments, have positively impacted our firm’s efficiency and ability to provide effective legal counsel to our clients.”
Marco also commended Velocity’s commitment to helping his firm make forward-thinking IT investments. “As a modern law firm that is committed to using less traditional methods to grow our practice, we’ve found a reliable partner that has helped us skillfully navigate all tech challenges throughout all stages of our growth.”
“From a basic startup to the mature law practice that we are today, Velocity has helped us scale our IT infrastructure and optimise our workflow processes using innovative and out-of-the-box solutions. This aligns perfectly with our own commitment to agility and out-of-the-box thinking.”
“Having a centralised approach to business communications has resulted in major cost savings for our firm. By reducing our reliance on a traditional phone infrastructure, we’ve significantly reduced our annual spending on phone services. These, and other forward-thinking IT investments, have positively impacted our firm’s efficiency and ability to provide effective legal counsel to our clients.”
Marco Raccuia
Chief Operating Officer at Hugill & Ip
Interested in learning more about Velocity’s bespoke, fully-managed IT services? Get in touch for free consultation.
