911: Looking for options

[linhawaii]

Customer with newly installed IPO's. Four sites, all IPO 500 v 4.0.14, VM Pro 4.0.18. Previous phone sytems, two sites were Magix, the others were an IPO 403 and the other a IPO 406....

For some reason, even though the customer have always had to dial 9 for an outside line, they are having issues with 911 being called. Police have come out twice to the Main office...

Ten users got new 5420 phones, they used to have 4412 D+ phones. One of head executives with a 5420 has dialed 911 and feels we have to take out the ability to dial 911 and only have 9911. Exec thinks the IPO is the problem.

Our company does not want the liablity of doing this. Is there a way to maybe create a shortcode/voicemail something or other that once someone dials 911 displays on the phone, "To continue press 1" or something like that...

Suggestions are appreciated. If anyone has a disclaimer we could have the customer sign in case we have to turn it off for them, that would be appreciated also.

 

[ronromano]

What I did for a customer was sett 911 as a short code that went to a VM pro module. The prompt said "You have dialed 911, to contiune with this call press 1, to disconect press 2" on a loop.

When 1 was pressed it dialed 911, and 2 was set to disconnect. I instructed everyone to dial 9911 when needed, but thee 911 still still was there just in case,

 

[kwing112000]

what i usually do when this happens is remove the 11 code from the ARS. this forces them to dial 9911. the issue goes right away.i have had this on a ton of sites.

 

[aarenot]

First off I would would suggest that you never, ever take the liability of removing the ability to dial 911 yourself, EVER!

What you should do is get a disclaimer signed.

After they sign it, still refuse to make the change yourself, and simply verbally walk them through the change, and make them do it without you actually touching the change personally. You can then testify that you never made that change when you are testifying at the coronoers inquest for the vendor who was there for just one day, had a heart attack, dialed 911, and passed out before they could press the additional (1) to get the VM module to kick the call to EMS.

ronromano,
At least change the module to time out to call 911, so if they cannot hang up, or press 555 to cancel, all your module did was delay them, not kill them if they were incapacitated. Maybe play " you have 10 seconds to press 555, or EMS will be called, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0...." You do not want them accidentally canceling the EMS call, but to be able to intentionally cancel it.

 

[kwing112000]

When we have made this change we have always given the customer the option to remove it first. we dont remove it without them knowing or explaining it to them. We give them the options. I think this becomes an issue most of the time because the system dials so fast when it sees 911. it does not give you a chance to hang up before the call completes. this has been happening since 3.2 came out with a lot of customers. most of the time they will inform the employees to dial 9911.

 

[ronromano]

That was discussed with the client. I see your point but in this one client where I had to do this, that would have defeated the purpose as explained by the customer. If the user hangs up, the 911 never goes thru. What if the user doen't hang up because they're stupid or flustered or somthing and the call goes thru? Then I have to hear about how the town sent them a bill because they called 911 too many times. If this is what the customer wants this is what I do.

And who is to say the delay didn't kill them? We could go on and on.

The fact is I leave it in default and let the customer deal with the way it works. If they ask me to make a change, I ask them how they want it to work, they describe it to me in an email, if it can be done I do it, and the email goes in the file as a record.

 

[aarenot]

I see your point Ron, and sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I do prefer having them make the change so I am not as liable.

 

[ronromano]

I hear you on that!

 

[linhawaii]

Thank you all for your input. I will be talking with the customer tomorrow and I appreciate the options you've given me to protect our company.