Set Up
Standard Set Up: Volatia assigns a local number to each facility or department in your organization. Your organization simply provides the number(s) to your LEP clients for use as needed.
Optional Set Up: Volatia provides the local number(s) for each facility or department to your IT for them to use in your Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Phone System. An example IVR menu might say something to the effect of "Thank you for calling XYZ. For English press 1, for all other languages press 2." The IVR system then routes the call to the number issued by Volatia.
Awareness Compaign
Once the LEP Call-In Lines are set up, we recommend that a formal communication be sent to all of to your existing LEP clients as part of your awareness compaign. Many organizations have found it beneficial to do a press release and showcase this program to various media outlets as a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiative for the communities they serve.
Thereafter, it is a best practice to add your LEP Call-In Line number on your website and any other marketing information that display your organization's contact information.
How it works
When an LEP individual calls the LEP line, he or she will be able to connect to an interpreter of his or her native language first. The interpreter will greet the LEP caller and then conference a member of your staff into the call.
When your staff answers, the interpreter will introduce you to the LEP caller and begin interpreting the session. If no one answers the call to the facility or department the LEP caller wishes to reach, the interpreter can call as many other contacts as the LEP caller would like to try.
Billing
A work order is generated each time a call is placed by an LEP individual to your organization. As soon as the interpreter connects, your organization will be invoiced for the call per minute at the rate established in our services agreement for phone interpreter services.
The billing starts when the intepreter connects to the call from the LEP individual and it ends when the LEP individual hangs up. A report of the call can be found in your terpX account at any time.
Implementation
LEP Call-In Lines
With Volatia's technology, you can now empower your Limited English Proficient (LEP) clients to access your services whenever they want. With an LEP Call-In line, your client will be able to connect to an interpreter of his or her native language first, and then connect to your staff.
LEP Line Infographic
Direct Volatia Number
Using the number(s) assigned by Volatia is the simplest and fastest way to implement your LEP line(s). Many organization either provide the LEP number to their LEP clients or advertise the number on their websites and other marketing channels. In most cases, your staff is the best channel to distribute the LEP line number whenever they interact with or encounter LEP individuals.
IVR System Routing
If your organization has an IVR system, it is a best practice to add a multilingual channel that routes calls for other languages to the LEP line. This approach ensures that every caller is given the option to connect in his or her native language. The IVR option also reduces the number of access points that your organization has to market as its contact information.
Language Queue Preferences
As a standard, Volatia issues a general queue that accomodates all supported languages. This configuration is recommended for most organizations as it is the most cost effective option. However, organizations that have a very large immigrant population may find it useful to have a unique queue for the top languages used in their community. The primary benefit of having a unique queue per language is to eliminate the need for the LEP caller to choose his or her language at the beginning of the call.
In-house Interpreters
terpX will route calls to your team first if your organization has its own professional interpreters or bilingual team members that you have vetted and approved to serve as in-house language access resources. If none of them are available, either because they are offline or on another call, the LEP caller will then be answered by a Volatia professional interpreter. If the LEP line is answered by an in-house interpreter, he or she will either help the caller or route the call to the appropriate party, as needed.