Alpharetta 911 Rolls Out Automatic Callback Tool

ALPHARETTA, GA -- The Alpharetta 911 center recently implemented a new technology that improves the safety of citizens and increases the overall efficiency of the 911 operations.

The 911 center has implemented the VIPER 911 phone system. A main feature of the phone system is the automatic 911 abandoned callback feature. This feature was activated on Sept. 21, and according to AT&T Alpharetta is the first in the nation to have this capability, the agency said Friday.

An abandoned 911 call is when a caller hangs up before the call taker answers the phone. This happens all the time and puts a real struggle on the operations of your 911 center. For example, in May 2016, 911 operators answered a total of 466 abandoned 911 calls, which equates to about 12 percent of the total calls received.

Since the average call volume is around 4,000 911 calls per month, 911 abandoned calls impact the usage and deployment of Alpharetta police and fire resources from real emergency calls "because we must send police and fire responders to the abandoned calls," the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety notes.

To alleviate this issue, with the automatic callback function, the phone system will call back the abandoned calls, instruct the caller to press 1 if they have an emergency, press 2 if they need non-emergency assistance or press 4 to disregard the call.

If the caller doesn’t respond to the recording, or if they press 1, it will send the call back to the 911 operator.

"We would like to remind people to always stay on the line when they call 911, even if it was a mis-dial or help is no longer needed," the agency added.

The goal of the technology is to negate the thousands of 911 mis-dialed calls each year.

"Ultimately this technology will allow your public safety department to respond more efficiently and effectively to actual calls for service," Alpharetta public safety officials said.

---

Image via Shutterstock