By David Orwick, Product Development Manager
When it comes to memory, the human brain can be limited, and that has big implications for the customer service industry.
Empower your Security Team When an Emergency Strikes
Your security team can play a vital role during an emergency situation; however, they need to be aware that there is an emergency in the enterprise, the nature of the situation, and its precise location. With West’s Desk Alert solution, you’ll empower your security team with tools that help them to be of assistance in ways that were previously impossible.
Overcoming Common GIS Challenges in a Next Generation 9-1-1 System
By Dave Peck, GIS Director
Earlier this month I attended the NENA 2017 conference in San Antonio, Texas. As always, it was a great event to see old friends in the industry and meet new people doing extraordinary work in public safety.
Throughout my many conversations, four challenges emerged as the most common areas where PSAPs seem to struggle with GIS and its role in Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) systems.
The common GIS challenges I heard at NENA 2017:
Behind the Scenes at West’s Emergency Call Relay Center (ECRC)
By: Tricia McConnell, Sr. Marketing Communications Manager
On a Friday afternoon in the Emergency Call Relay Center (ECRC) at West, call volume is steady but manageable. A vehicle collides with a bus, which triggers a 9-1-1 call from the car’s telematics system. A registered nurse from a 24-hour hotline reports a caller complaining of chest pains and nausea. The ECRC call takers identify the location and nature of these emergencies then conduct warm transfers by contacting the appropriate public safety answering point (PSAP) and confirming that the dispatcher and caller can communicate before dropping off.
The mood in the room back in October 2012 was significantly more intense. Then, as Hurricane Sandy surged up the east coast, PSAPs in impacted areas struggled to manage the overwhelming 9-1-1 call volume. The ECRC staff and other West employees worked extended shifts and through scheduled days off to help PSAPs respond to incoming 9-1-1 calls.
Using your IoT Investment to Improve Your Enterprise’s Emergency Responses
The Internet of Things, or IoT, is one of today’s hot topics in tech. IoT will change how enterprises are built and operate internally. While the concept of having different types of devices interconnect and communicate wirelessly seem futuristic, many enterprises are already incorporating IoT sensor devices into their buildings’ infrastructures. As enterprises deepen their investment in IoT, though, many aren’t aware that they can also leverage it for 9-1-1 to improve emergency situation outcomes.
Congratulations to New York City on the Passage of Kari’s Law
West commends the New York City Council for the recent passage of the new law, “Requiring direct telephone access to 911 service.” The passage of this law ensures that New Yorkers using multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) in certain businesses and City agencies have easy, direct access to 9-1-1 service in an emergency.
The law is modeled on Kari’s Law, so-named in honor of Kari Hunt whose tragic passing in 2013 alerted the nation to the dangers of requiring a dialing prefix to access 9-1-1. Simply, this new NYC law will allow users of these MLTS to dial 9-1-1 without requiring any prefix, post-fix or trunk access code. In addition to the direct dialing provision, the law also requires that on-site notifications be issued when 9-1-1 is dialed and that calls must be directly delivered to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).
West’s Emergency Gateway Now Offering Additional 9-1-1 Management Automation for ShoreTel Connect Onsite
West is pleased to announce that its Emergency Gateway (EGW) has achieved ShoreTel TechConnect certification with the latest release of ShoreTel Connect Onsite.
EGW is an on-site appliance that streamlines and optimizes 9-1-1 management, allowing enterprises to maintain accurate and up-to-date data for 9-1-1 purposes, with minimal manual intervention. Previously integrated with ShoreTel ShoreGear, this new certification includes expanded 9-1-1 management functionality for ShoreTel Connect. Read More >
Optimizing Performance with Champion Challenger Testing
Unrelenting customer evolution demands unrelenting customer experience (CX) optimization. In traveling along this line of thinking, inspirations to integrate the latest and greatest technologies often emerge before decision-makers take more obvious and immediately beneficial considerations into account. Sometimes, it’s the thoughtful, yet subtle investments that garner the highest returns. And solid consultative partnerships can help ensure these “ah-ha” moments don’t slip through the cracks.
For example, West recently identified two opportunities to increase self-service within a client’s interactive voice response (IVR) system. By making a few tweaks to this leading financial services company’s call flow, West set them up to save an estimated $5.4 million in the next year.
Read this case study to explore how conducting two strategic Champion Challenger tests has positioned West’s longtime partner to save big while providing a more rewarding CX — all while avoiding the need to sacrifice an abundance of organizational resources.
Using GIS Data to Improve Alarm Monitoring Center Operations
By: Mary Jo Lakhal, Sr. Program Manager
As I mentioned in a previous post, to optimize alarm monitoring center performance, you need AHJ contact data that is highly accurate and available in real time. Of these two attributes, I believe data accuracy is the more difficult to achieve.
I know from experience that even with a dedicated, full-time staff, creating and maintaining an agency contact database is challenging. Frequently, the consolidation of jurisdictions or adjustments to jurisdictional boundaries result in hours of work tracking which subscribers must be assigned to a new agency.
Five Steps to get the most out of GIS in your NG9-1-1 system
By: Peter White, GISP
One critical component of the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) systems is a shift from the use of tabular Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) and ALI data to a reliance on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data for location identification, validation, and call delivery. For agencies that are ready to progress to a GIS-based NG9-1-1 system, the process can seem daunting. Fortunately, West has gained significant experience in helping agencies create and deploy GIS data through our methodical, no-nonsense approach. This process has proven to reduce complexity and the risks associated with this substantial shift in 9-1-1 systems.
