When companies are trying to make a name for themselves in a particular space, it helps to get positive endorsement from a number of avenues. Receiving positive customer feedback is certainly important, as it lets businesses know that they are satisfying their most important constituents. But getting recognition from an analyst firm tells both customers and competitors that the company in question is providing a strong product and excellent service. Such is the case for West Interactive (News - Alert), the contact center transformation specialist, whose IV solution recently received a “positive” rating from analyst firm Gartner Research.

According to Bruce Pollock, vice president of strategic growth planning at West Interactive, the company has been striving to improve its voice platform, which is used internally and sold to clients. He feels that the recognition from Gartner is reflective of the excellence of the West Interactive’s voice platform as well as West’s commitment to customer service. He stated that clients who already have the platform are buying new ports and that new customers are flocking to West as well. Not only do clients appreciate the fast and efficient customer service, but they know that West offers a carrier-grade, VoiceXML (News - Alert) standards-based platform.

The West Interactive platform is VoiceXML 2.1 approved, which sets it apart from most other platforms on the market, allowing it to support any number of applications. In addition, the platform has a host of integration capabilities. It can interface with all kinds of ACDs and other contact center technologies, so clients with disparate systems from different brands can achieve flexible integration. According to Martha DeGraw, vice president of product management at West Interactive, other providers expect clients to use their products exclusively across the contact center, but West’s technology can work with legacy systems, a feature that is especially useful for businesses in transition.

The voice platform is available in an on-premise and a hosted basis, giving West clients even more flexibility for integration. They can take some calls on a hosted basis and some on-premise, depending on their needs. Once again, this gives companies with legacy telco infrastructure lots of flexibility. In addition, West’s offering is a high-capacity platform as it is targeted at the service provider market and is used by some of the largest telcos in the world, though it can be used by carriers and enterprises as well as service providers.

West Interactive is a company that helps contact centers transform into modern hubs of customer interaction, and this voice platform can play a large role in that process. Since many companies that are going through the transformation process have varying legacy technologies and requirements, the platform’s ability to function as in an on-premise or hosted model is important, giving flexibility in the transition stages. But even more importantly, West is able to advise its clients on how to move to standards-based technologies, like the West platform, as moving from legacy technology to standards-based technology is a key part of the transformation. And, of course, it’s the blend of high-quality products and excellent customer service that put West in the position to win the Gartner (News - Alert) award, and will allow it to continue to help contact centers around the world transform themselves for the better.

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