InterCall Announces Professional Services and Support for Microsoft Lync

CHICAGO, Nov. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- InterCall, the world's largest conferencing services provider, today announced a portfolio of unified communications (UC) consultation and systems integration services in support of Microsoft Lync 2010. The services are designed to help companies successfully plan and use Lync within their existing environment.

Lync is the next generation of Microsoft Corp.'s UC software that enables people to connect in new ways, anytime, anywhere. Lync makes every engagement a virtual face-to-face meeting through video and audio conferencing, application and desktop sharing, instant messaging and telephony. This new interactive tool has been designed from the ground up to work with Microsoft Office, SharePoint and Exchange, which helps reduce end-user adoption hurdles and increase return on investment.

"Microsoft Lync delivers a UC solution that will help customers control costs, improve productivity and increase efficiency at their organization," said Bob Wise, executive vice president of Unified Communications Services, InterCall.  "From assessment and design, to deployment and adoption, we provide the tools and solutions for our customers to use Lync."

InterCall's services include:

• Planning – companies interested in using Lync can work with InterCall to build a business case for deployment with emphasis on demonstrating the value of the solution and developing a strategic implementation plan. Unified Communications consultants work to analyze current infrastructure, set up pilot programs and create a roadmap for a successful Lync deployment.
• Enablement – InterCall's UC team will oversee the entire deployment process including migration to Lync from legacy applications, detailed project architecture documentation and expert training and adoption services.
• Management – once deployment is complete, InterCall offers services to help maintain and monitor UC systems, provide IT strategy and support long term UC goals.  

"Microsoft Lync delivers a powerful, integrated user experience that revolutionizes the way businesses communicate" said Kirk Gregersen, senior director of product management, Microsoft Lync. "Intercall's growing collaboration with Microsoft Lync technologies, from audio conferencing to professional services to the Cloud, helps our joint customers realize the power of Lync by providing integration and deployment services to their network and desktop environments."

In addition to providing Lync users with dedicated UC specialists to assist with their UC needs, InterCall has developed an integrated global audio conferencing solution that will be available within the Lync platform. Built upon InterCall's award winning ReservationPlus® audio conferencing platform, this solution is expected to be available in U.S. markets in Q2 of 2011.

About InterCall

InterCall, a subsidiary of West Corporation, is the largest service provider in the world specializing in conference communications. Founded in 1991, InterCall helps people and companies be more productive by providing advanced audio, event, Web and video conferencing solutions that are easy-to-use and save them time and money. Along with a team of over 500 Meeting Consultants, the company employs more than 1,500 operators, customer service representatives, call supervisors, accounting, marketing and IT professionals. InterCall's strong U.S. presence, which includes four call centers and 26 sales offices, is bolstered by a global reach that extends to Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. For more information, please visit www.intercall.com.

About West Corporation

West Corporation is a leading provider of technology-driven, voice-oriented solutions. West offers its clients a broad range of communications and infrastructure management solutions that help them manage or support critical communications. West's customer contact solutions and conferencing services are designed to improve its clients' cost structure and provide reliable, high-quality services. West also provides mission-critical services, such as public safety and emergency communications.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, West serves Fortune 1000 companies and other clients in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, banking, retail, financial, technology and healthcare. West has sales and operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America. For more information on West Corporation, please call 1-800-841-9000 or visit www.west.com.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

SOURCE InterCall