2-1-1 California Selects Five9 for Network Call Center Operations
2-1-1 California, the statewide network of local 2-1-1 information and referral providers, has selected the Five9 Virtual Call Center as its call center platform.
2-1-1 is a free phone number and online database that connects Californians quickly and effectively to existing health and human service programs, unemployment support, and disaster response information in their communities. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and in 150 different languages. Currently, 93 percent of the state'ss population in 27 counties has access to 2-1-1.
2-1-1 California needed an infrastructure that would support the 27 counties individually but still allow for statewide coordination in critical situations such as disaster response support. Beyond the complexity of managing day-to-day operations, 2-1-1 California was also looking for a solution that would connect the network into one single system and could extend 2-1-1 disaster response services to rural areas, in anticipation of a forthcoming ruling from the Public Utilities Commission.
"Five9 will allow us to extend our services across the state at much lower infrastructure costs," stated Nancy Findeisen, co-chair of 2-1-1 California.
As a non-profit network dedicated to public service, 2-1-1 California was conscious of the high costs associated with traditional premises-based call center systems, which can run into millions of dollars, plus ongoing maintenance fees. The 2-1-1 California network chose Five9's cloud-based technology to avoid those costs.
"We have been looking for a telephony solution that will bring more reliability and business continuity for our multi-county 2-1-1 call center. Five 9's unique capacities will make that a reality for us," said Erik Sternad, executive director of Interface Children & Family Services, and responsible for 2-1-1 Ventura.
Additionally, powerful and flexible call routing capabilities to support all 27 counties were a key requirement satisfied by Five9's technology. Many counties transfer after-hours call handling according to capacity, and Five9's ability to change call routing on-the-fly allows individual counties to back each other up in the event of a disaster. Further, with these capabilities, 2-1-1 California can more easily provide disaster response information to counties that currently have no access.
"Call routing is critical for 2-1-1 California to successfully deliver information and referral services across the state, in many different situations," said Mike Burkland, CEO of Five9. "The business flexibility provided by Five9, both financially and operationally, as a cloud-based call center solution, allows counties across the state to deliver much greater service, optimizing the resources available to them as non-profit organizations."