How cloud tech helped Rhode Island build a fast, efficient COVID-19 hotline

The state of Rhode Island partnered with Verizon to create a high-volume virtual call center in days

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Rhode Island citizens can now reach experts from the state’s Department of Health 24 hours a day. Image: Pixabay

When the state of Rhode Island needed to quickly build a COVID-19 hotline to handle the coming rush of calls from concerned citizens, they turned to Verizon.

“The cloud-based system was easy to stand up for those of us working from home, and enabled calls to be routed to people with the right skill set using just a browser and a phone,” said Brian Tardiff, the state’s chief information security officer.

https://twitter.com/RIHEALTH/status/1235308549628145668

While projects of this size and scope normally take between 45 and 60 days to complete, “together we did it in 48 hours,” Tardiff continued. “We also trained the agents on the system, completing the entire scope of work and taking calls from Rhode Islanders in a matter of hours, not weeks.”

“We are grateful for our partners at Verizon, who assisted the state of Rhode Island in its efforts to set up a virtual contact center on a quick turnaround in our state’s greatest time of need,” he said.

Learn more about how Verizon is aiding local government response to the COVID-19 crisis.

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