The StandOjo video phone is an example of the type of phone used in Project Endeavor to help deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals make phone calls.

Private nonprofit Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD; Sioux Falls, SD) has picked communications software provider CosmoCom (Melville, NY) in the fulfillment of a multi-million-dollar government project to provide video communications services for the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH).

Using the CosmoCall Universe (CCU) virtual contact-center platform, CSD’s nationwide initiative, Project Endeavor, provides discounted broadband services, premises equipment, and technology training to underserved DHH persons. By placing public-access videophones in key locations, DHH individuals currently without broadband access will be able to connect with CSD’s contact center at various public facilities to register and qualify for Project Endeavor. In addition, the contact center helps consumers learn various ways to benefit from broadband equipment and services.

Earlier this year, the state of California awarded CSD a contract for the statewide Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program that provides specialized telecommunications equipment to deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, and speech-impaired individuals who face difficulties communicating on the telephone. Consumer requests for equipment are qualified and serviced through CSD’s contact center locations in Stockton, CA and Sioux Falls, SD.

CosmoCall Universe is an all-in-one unified contact-center suite that includes ACD, IVR, CTI, predictive dialing, multimedia recording, and administrative tools.  By replacing its legacy analog technology with CCU, CSD is able to use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and gains greater flexibility in the types of incoming contacts it can accept along with better reporting capabilities, long-distance toll avoidance, and intra-company communications.

CosmoCall Universe enables different calls to reach the different contact centers. Steve Kaish, vice president of product management and marketing at CosmoCom, said, “The technology is in the cloud and it can serve contact centers at numerous locations on demand. This ensures people aren’t idle at one location while there’s a queue at another location. The idea is to pool resources to provide better customer service.”