Rockwell FirstPoint Contact forms partnership with AST Networks

Rockwell FirstPoint Contact Corporation, a global provider of complete call centre and contact centre solutions, has formed a business partnership with AST Networks, a business unit of the AST Group, combining its market-leading contact centre offering with AST Networks` service-focused approach, to provide clients with optimised, value-added solutions.

Keith Matthews, General Manager: Customer Contact Solutions at AST Networks, says the company`s customer contact solutions business unit, which provides call centre and related technology offerings, will take both FirstPoint Business Edition and FirstPoint Enterprise 2002 to market.

"In fact, AST Networks has already initiated a number of projects with high-profile clients in the financial services and healthcare provision sectors, encompassing both these solutions."

The financial services implementation provides Rockwell FirstPoint Contact and AST Networks with a national footprint and is a true solution offering, since it includes integration into other client business systems.

"AST has significant system integration capabilities and such implementations will predominantly be performed by ourselves, although the close partnership enables the two companies to work together where required."

AST Networks is currently taking part in Rockwell FirstPoint Contact`s sales and technical training, or 'energisation`, programme on FirstPoint Business Edition, as well as an extensive certification process on FirstPoint Enterprise 2002.

"By February 2003, AST will have more than 10 trained engineers on Rockwell FirstPoint Enterprise 2002 and three on FirstPoint Business Edition," confirms Matthews.

Matthews says AST has clearly identified the specific market that it can penetrate and compete in effectively, providing a focused approach to the Rockwell FirstPoint Contact solution offering.

"Moreover, having concentrated extensively on our IT outsourcing service in the past, AST Networks` service culture is well established, and the partnership provides an excellent product set for our service mindset."

An important differentiator for Rockwell FirstPoint Contact - and a great benefit to AST - is the fact that it has a local presence, continues Matthews.

"Our relationship with Rockwell FirstPoint Contact leverages the company`s vast local experience, with its local technical and engineering support being of the utmost importance to AST`s current and potential clients.

Also, Rockwell FirstPoint Contact`s thought leadership in the Automatic Call Distribution environment and the fact that the company has, to a large extent, defined the modern contact centre, mean that AST and its clients deal with a true market leader."

Both the partnership and Rockwell FirstPoint Contact`s solutions have generated much excitement and enthusiasm with new and existing Rockwell FirstPoint Contact clients, according to Matthews.

Gert Botha, General Manager: South Africa at Rockwell FirstPoint Contact, says AST Networks` excellent skills in both the implementation and the service phase are of great benefit to Rockwell FirstPoint Contact.

"This means AST is capable of engaging effectively with a potential client when an opportunity in the contact centre arena is initiated, and optimises the value-add, once implementation has been concluded."

Botha says AST Networks` `LIVE` philosophy - Lifetime, Improvement, Value-added Enhancements - ensures that the contact centre technology implemented really augments the client`s business.

In addition, he says, the AST Group`s credibility as a major player in the market offers a lot of weight to AST Networks` offering.

"The partnership encompasses very close collaboration between the two companies, making our penetration of the contact centre arena much more effective," Botha concludes.