Testimonials
On my way home I needed to pick up some items and dashed in a liquor store and about half way through I found myself crying! A homeless man asked me what the problem was and I said, “They are going to pull the plug on my dad tomorrow and I can’t even contact the doctor to talk to him about it!” The homeless man, said “Oh, you need to call 211, they will help you.”
And I said “They can’t possibly help me with this.” The homeless man said “Oh yes, they help with just about everything!” So the next morning I called 211 and someone on the line said they would help me. He called somewhere on my behalf with me and right after that the doctor called and we made a plan for my dad to recover…he is 81 years old now, in a wheelchair, but I have my dad… and I have 211 to thank.
Newsroom Press Releases 2-1-1 California on Track for New Technology Solutions
2-1-1 California on Track for New Technology Solutions
Los Angeles, CA
March 16, 2011
2-1-1 California continues its progress to add call-routing and data-sharing applications for its referral network.
Since January 2011, 2-1-1 California has been testing and evaluating data-sharing and call-routing solutions. Our goal is to present a set of recommendations to the 2-1-1 California Board, and eventually for consideration to the statewide collaborative network.
Data-sharing Solution – Testing Phase to Begin
2-1-1 California has received "Request for Information" submissions from five vendors. Four were selected to participate in a thorough testing and evaluation process. It was the Committee’s belief, given the discussion at the September 2010 Summit, that live testing was an essential aspect of the selection process.
Starting the week of March 14th, volunteer evaluators from throughout the State were gathering in the Bay Area, Fresno, and Los Angeles to view live demonstrations and tests of the selected software.
Broad participation was an important part of the design, and we are happy to report that every 2-1-1 referral provider in California has participated in this process in one form or another.
The results of the live testing phase will be collected and summarized by the data-sharing committee. A committee meeting will be scheduled for early April.
Technology Platform – Request for Information Sent Out
Since the contracting of Steve Parker from Active Strategies Inc, great strides have been made to determine the best possible solution for a more integrated technology platform.
In January and February, Steve Parker and Associates gathered information from 2-1-1s to establish a basic set of technical requirements. These were used to develop a Request for Information that was sent to selected vendors based on our Network's needs and vendor capacity. Four vendors responded to the Request for Information: Transera, InContact, Five9 and Telax. The best two will be selected to start a formal negotiation process.
As of March 10, 2011, all four vendors have confirmed that they will be responding to the RFI. 2-1-1 California has scheduled vendor presentations for the 16th, 17th and 18th of March. Based on these presentations, and a negotiated rate, a recommendation will be made to the 2-1-1 California Board for consideration.
2-1-1 California plans to develop a process through which grant funds from the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) will be used to help transition the 2-1-1s interested in a robust call-routing solution.
Administrative and technical design issues will be addressed through a technology committee workgroup. Meetings will be scheduled in April.