To handle the thousands of calls per week by often frantic callers trying to find the status of an inmate, this busy Florida jail contracted DiRAD to design an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solution. Hosted in DiRAD’s cloud with no hardware or software at the customer location, the system is in constant contact with the jail’s JMS system, receiving pushed files full of new inmate data at regular intervals.
The Challenge: A Deluge of Phone Calls
The Volusia County Division of Corrections (VCDC), with a daily population of 1,400 inmates, sought a solution to reduce the amount of time correctional staff spent handling the high volume of routine phone calls requesting inmate information. VCDC required an interactive voice response (IVR) to handle the call volume while allowing correctional personnel to focus on inmate processing and supervision. The system would need to integrate with the Jail Management System’s database and provide 24x7x365 access to inmate information including criminal charges, bond amounts and types, total bond amount, account balance, next scheduled court appearance, projected release date, current housing location, and other general information.
The Solution: JailAssist™ IVR
DiRAD delivered their JailAssist™ IVR system that provides current information about the status of any one of the inmates. Family, friends, legal teams and bondsmen can search by name, date of birth or booking number, to access the following information in real time:
- Charges
- Bond and fine amounts
- Court date
- Projected release date
- Current housing facility
- Date, time and location of next court appearance
The Results: Staff Can Now Focus On Core Functions
With the IVR working behind the scenes to handle phone calls, staff has been able to refocus attention on their core function – processing inmates. Staff workload has been reduced to a more manageable level.
Staff morale has improved and stress levels have been lowered.
Improved customer service – with the IVR implemented, the public now has access to the specific booking and inmate information they need, 24 hours a day.
“The public now has immediate access to specific booking and inmate information they need without having to wait or be put on hold to speak to someone in booking.” – Sgt. Chuck Josephson, Volusia County Detention