Real life is catching up to the Jetsons.
In telecom, sometimes the most important buyer consideration is the great relationship you’ve always had with a vendor.
In July 2010, Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD; Sioux Falls, SD) was awarded a $14.9 million grant as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to implement a nationwide initiative to provide discounted broadband equipment and services for under-served deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals. CSD named its initiative Project Endeavor, which in addition to providing discounted broadband services and premises equipment for DHH persons, enabled training and life skills in how to use the technology.
When it came time to choose a vendor for the communications software for Project Endeavor, CSD picked software provider CosmoCom (Melville, NY). “The CosmoCall Universe (CCU) virtual contact-center platform allows us to connect a large number of video calls,” says Rick Norris, senior director for communications at CSD. “Not many companies have that kind of expertise or technology. We have been working with them since 2000 to perfect it. We were one of the first to launch a 24/7 video relay service with a call-center environment,” added Norris. “CosmoCom was the most flexible and dedicated providers that we found.”
Norris says the relationship with CosmoCom was the most important factor in the company’s decision to use the CCU platform. “Of course cutting-edge technology came into play, but we’ve had a long and very successful relationship with them, and that was the primary factor in our decision. CosmoCom and the platform they’ve delivered have been great for our deaf and hard-of-hearing clientele.”
Video-relay is a third-party interpreting service that enables DHH individuals to use a webcam or mobile phone to connect with a video sign-language interpreter to help them call for a pizza or call their doctor. “It has also been very beneficial to hard-of-hearing people, even though they might not necessarily use sign language, because video can augment a conversation with body language, facial expression, and lip movements, which can significantly improve one’s ability to understand the message.”
The investment in a good relationship can really pay off if your customer’s dreams turn into reality. Added Norris: “We ideally see video phones available on a wide scale that anyone could use—a kind of futuristic sci-fi world that would also help deaf and hard-of-hearing people everywhere.” Maybe there’s hope for the Jetsons’ flying car and robo-maid.
