Sometimes, when business is running smoothly, and everything seems to be going right, a company can get complacent. It can decide that there is no need for innovation, that its offerings are perfect, and that it’s time to sit back and rake in the money and accolades. But if the company in question is a communications or technology firm, that attitude is a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, .NET VoIP developer Inventive Labs did not have a complacent attitude and, when one of its developers hit on a good idea, the company decided to run with it. The result was the innovative Voice Elements framework.
In 2007, Inventive Labs was on solid footing. Its CTI32 toolkit had been selling well for a decade and was the platform of choice for many .NET (News - Alert) developers. But when Monroe Comstock, a senior developer at Inventive Labs, approached company president Ron Tanner with an innovative new idea, the executive listened, heard the wisdom in the words, and decided that the potential rewards were well worth any possible risk. In the end, that faith paid off, and Voice Elements platform has been an even bigger success for the company.
What Comstock realized was that he had an opportunity to create something new and fresh. He knew that analog, digital and SIP lines all have inherent differences, but to the end user, they are all about making or taking calls. From this idea he developed the “ChannelResource” base class for any kind of line. The ChannelResource allows .NET developers to design code to work on all systems without changes for different platforms.
Along with this innovation, there are other base classes, from VoiceResources to FaxResources to VideResources, which can all be routed together as the RoutableResource. All of these base classes allow for simplicity but, more importantly, no power has been sacrificed in the process.
Another example of this combination of simplicity and power is found in the Voice Elements Server Bank. Having a server bank allows developers to test applications without purchasing hardware. They can whip up a concept, connect the app to the server bank and have a fully functional IVR in minutes. It’s as easy as pie but still as powerful as ever.
It is because of this combination of simplicity and power that Voice Elements stands out, as a platform used by .NET developers and the recipient of many industry awards, such as the Best of Show at ITEXPO East 2012. It’s a good thing that Ron Tanner had the foresight to give a chance to one man with an idea, because that is how great innovations are made.
Edited by Amanda Ciccatelli
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