Verizon Business and Caltrans Take Home GTC West 'Best Solution Award' for Voice Response System

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Business and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) were recognized today with a Best Solution award for modernizing and improving an automated, toll-free highway information phone system. The award, from the Government Technology Conference (GTC) West, was announced at the conference here.

Last year the department was looking for a way to quickly update recorded messages about current highway conditions such as road work, lane closures and detours. Verizon Business implemented a solution that uses a state-of-the-art Hosted Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) system to provide the latest highway information for motorists dialing the toll-free number -- 800-427-ROAD (7623) -- for the Caltrans Highway Information Network (CHIN).

The system, which rides on Verizon Business' network-based, Internet protocol (IP) platform, uses voice extensible markup language (VXML) technology, speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities. The solution was introduced under a three-year agreement valued at more than $2.25 million and awarded under the state's CALNET II communications procurement program.

Automated System Eliminates Time-Consuming Updates

Caltrans headquarters previously received updates from its districts, which were then written into scripts, recorded, and loaded into the system. This time-consuming, manual process often resulted in outdated broadcasts.

Verizon Business worked with Caltrans to implement an automated system that pulls highway-condition-data updates once a minute from the Caltrans Web site, processes the data into a speech format, and distributes the update to be accessed by the motoring public. Callers dialing into the toll-free number can prompt the system by speaking or punching in the highway number of interest.

"The automated interactive system is a great example of how Verizon Business works with its government and business customers to develop solutions that improve performance and efficiency,'' said Steve Young, Verizon Business group president for corporate and government markets. "This truly is a win- win. California motorists benefit and so does the agency.''

Caltrans manages transportation needs for more than 30 million residents using more than 45,000 miles of California's highways and freeways as well as the state's inter-city rail service.

The Verizon Business Hosted IVR suite of products and services, a key offering within the innovative Verizon Business Contact Center portfolio, uses speech technology and touch tone commands to provide sophisticated call treatment and transfer capabilities while enabling caller self-service transactions. The Hosted IVR product line includes Enhanced Call Routing (ECR), Global ECR, Speech Services and Internet Protocol (IP) IVR.

A demonstration of Verizon Business's Hosted IVR capabilities can be viewed at the Connected Government Pavilion at the Government Technology Conference (GTC) West May 14-16.

Verizon Business is one of the largest providers of advanced communications and information technology services globally. The company offers local-to-global network capabilities coupled with a broad range of telecommunications products and services -- including advanced Internet protocol (IP) services, managed network services and systems integration -- to all levels of government. With this broad portfolio of services, Verizon Business' government and education organization offers state and local agencies and institutions of primary and higher education one-stop shopping for their communications or connectivity needs. The company has built the next-generation services that are helping to transform the way government customers -- and their constituents -- do business.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications , is a global IP leader and network-based partner for delivering integrated communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large-business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed reach with managed services, security, mobility, collaboration and professional services capabilities, Verizon Business delivers global solutions that power innovation and enable its customers to do business better. For more information, visit http://www.verizonbusiness.com/.

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