"Communication System in a Box" Enables Seamless Disaster Recovery for Family Abuse Hotline

The Avaya Mobile Communication System (MCS) offers full-featured voice and data capabilities that can be deployed at a moment's notice to a temporary office, remote location or disaster site. The unit supports analog, digital and Internet protocol (IP) communication devices and provides seamless connectivity over a phone line, data network, cellular system, satellite, radio or Wi-Fi network, the Internet and more.

The MCS can be delivered in a rugged, mobile case on wheels or installed in a vehicle ready for transport. Regardless of the packaging, it offers the same sophisticated communications applications used by today's largest global enterprises, made accessible from even the most remote site.

The Florida Family Abuse Hotline using Avaya's mobile system is a service of the Department of Children and Families, a high-profile, state-level agency. The 24-hour Hotline fields calls from citizens, case workers and law enforcement officers who are reporting the suspected abuse or neglect of children and elderly adults.

On a typical day, nearly 300 contact center agents handle between 1,000 and 1,500 contacts at the Tallahassee-based service center. Tallahassee is in the central part of the Florida Panhandle, a region plagued by hurricanes. That makes disaster recovery a critical component of the agency's information technology plan.

"We deliver a critical public service. If the offices need to close due to hurricane damage or even a bomb threat, it is imperative that we can continue to take calls," said Cindy Kirkland, information technology manager for the Florida Abuse Hotline.

In the past, backup phone lines installed in a remote office building were used for disaster recovery. But without the sophisticated software needed to route and manage calls, service levels suffered.

"With the Avaya Mobile Communications System, we have a full-featured contact center on wheels," Kirkland said. "All we have to do is power up and we're ready to go. Our callers would never know the difference."

The Florida Abuse Hotline's primary contact center is a high-tech, multimedia operation. Avaya Contact Center Express software allows the team to manage contacts from a wide range of media -- from voice and email to instant messaging. Abuse reports submitted by phone, fax or Web are all routed and tracked by the same contact center software, with screen pops to provide agents with the information they need to handle interactions quickly and accurately. An Avaya Interactive Response platform allows the department to make general information readily available around-the-clock, without an operator's intervention.

The Avaya MCS the hotline selected for business continuity and disaster recovery purposes mirrors the capabilities of the primary contact center, with computer-telephony integration, the same announcements, user names and logins, and even the same statistical reports. It also provides the department with greatly expanded recovery capabilities.

"Our contact center infrastructure not only supports the Abuse Hotline, but also a Crime Intelligence Unit hotline that handles calls from investigators and caseworkers. These are individuals who are pursuing abuse reports and child placements that need a criminal background check on the parties involved," Kirkland said. "We previously lacked a backup plan for the Intelligence Unit, so they would be out of commission if our systems were down. With the Avaya Mobile Communication System, though, we can support their calls as well."

Since the Abuse Hotline is required by state law to record and report on all incoming calls, it uses an Avaya-compatible call recording application from Verint Systems Inc., a member of the Avaya DeveloperConnection program. The same application has been added to the hotline's new Avaya Mobile Communication System so the state mandate can be met, even if agents need to relocate.

"We soon will get a unique opportunity to give it a test drive," Kirkland said. "We're upgrading the Verint Systems call recording software used by our center, and we plan to use the Avaya Mobile Communication System to record calls while we do so."