West IP Communications Phone Systems Provider
West IP Communications is a telephone systems provider in the United States, focusing on voice and VoIP products and services. The company has been active since 2001, founded by John Shlonsky, with headquarters in Louisville, Alabama. They are one of the largest VoIP providers in North America and primarily sell to small businesses. West IP Communications, LLC was incorporated in 2007.
In 2010, the company went through a repositioning that included a new website, new products and revamped support system. The company has continued to expand and now offers 11 different VoIP services and products. For further information and pricing on phone systems, click here.
Infrastructure of West IP Communications
West IP has its IP infrastructure in the United States, but they also partner with other providers to deliver their services to customers. They have fibre optic connections to all major carriers providing peering points throughout their network. The company has 3 data centres spread across the United States. West IP also runs an egress network in the United States and Canada, providing additional low latency routes for outgoing traffic.
The underlying technology behind most of their service is Nortel VoIP Phones with SIP Trunks, but they also offer traditional analogue phone systems if required. They have a high-speed transit network between Tier 1 and Tier 2 networks, allowing them new peering points with service providers greater distance from their headquarters. West IP has its switching fabric, fibre optic routers and other equipment on the transit network to provide service to all the data centres.
Products and Services
West Ips’ primary product lines are Answering machines/phones, PBXs/diallers, Switches/Gateways (WAN) and LAN-to-LAN connections.
- PBXs/Dialers: West IP offers systems designed to integrate with third-party PBX systems. These products include VoIP phones, fax machines, and traditional analogue phone systems integrated with a PBX.
- LAN-to-LAN Connections: West IP provides LAN-to-LAN connections for both wired and wireless networks. These services include 100 Mb Ethernet connections to external networks and access points from their data centres. They also offer 60 seconds of free WAN bridge connections for each connection to the external network for up to 3 computers.
- Switches/Gateways (WAN): West IPs WAN solutions are very flexible, being designed to work with any internet connection. They currently offer two models for their WAN devices: a basic model that only does bridging and a more advanced model with routing capabilities, firewall capabilities and device management.
- VoIP Packages: West IP offers several VoIP packages consisting of Answering Machines/Phones, PBXs/Diallers and VPN software. These packages include VoIP technical support, in-depth VoIP information and setup support by email. The network offers dedicated IP or shared partitions depending on the service required.
- VoIP Answering Machine: A VoIP Answering Machine is a device that allows the distribution of messages to multiple users through an answering machine. West IP offers several models and options, including analogue and VoIP models.
- PBX, West IP PBX: Polycom, Avaya, Alcatel-Lucent (Cisco), Nortel and other manufacturers make PBXs used in business environments for voice communications. West IP offers a wide range of products designed for small businesses; however, most of their product line is designed for SMBs. They offer traditional PBX systems and SIP-based VoIP systems from various manufacturers, including Polycom, Avaya, Alcatel-Lucent (Cisco), Nortel and others.
- Call Recording: You can record calls on your phone system with Call Recording. You can record multiple lines on a multi-line phone system or individual lines on a single line phone system. The calls can be recorded to a PSTN number or stored in the cloud. This feature also includes the ability to check call recordings online.
PBX/Dialer
The PBX and Dialer product line consists of traditional POTS and Pure Voice. Just like the Answering Machines and Phones product line, the Traditional POTS category provides voice service in a way that might be outdated to some VoIP users. The Pure Voice category, however, is designed just for VoIP technology. A hybrid dialler also offers both VoIP and POTS service support.
The Traditional POTS category has three different models, which vary in price but provide the same service level. The Traditional POTS category provides the most reasonable solution if a small business or organization wants to save money on a VoIP phone system. In addition to saving money, these products feature call transferability (CSR) and voicemail access. Traditional POTS also provides several different options for extensions, such as user-created numbers, Caller ID blocking, and Voice Mailbox reports.
The pure-voice category of PBX and diallers is the more expensive product line because it offers many more advanced features than its counterparts. These PBXs and diallers have video conferencing, auto-attendant services, full call recording capabilities, and caller ID spoofing.
Customer Service and Technical Support
The company employs full-time employees that work with contract customers, such as businesses and small organizations, who need technical assistance from their providers. In addition to West IP Communications’ support centre, they also have a web portal that connects directly to their customers’ phones through VoIP technology. This user-friendly and straightforward connection allows real-time testing or troubleshooting of the VoIP system.
Other useful links about business phone systems
OneSuite Phone Systems
Mix Networks Phone Systems
Mondotalk Phone Systems
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