GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Consolidating voice and data networks

Local governments in many parts of the country are ahead of the private sector in using computer networks for both voice and data communication. Many cities and counties are finding that voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology can cut their spending on telecommunications services, which is helpful in the current economy.

Despite cutbacks in information technology budgets, VoIP investments have grown quickly — 37 percent in 2002 compared to 2001, according to Parsippany, N.J.-based InfoTech, a market-research firm. By consolidating voice and data on a single network infrastructure and eliminating voice-service contracts, the technology can pay for itself very quickly. With VoIP, moves, adds and changes for telephone services that used to require extensive time and effort from providers can be done in a few minutes by remotely located network administrators. Similarly, new sites and VoIP locations can be added to the network quickly and for relatively little cost.

All voice and data communication in a VoIP system consists of packets riding on the same network. That keeps all information — such as voicemail and e-mail messages and self-service Web forms — together and easily accessible during a telephone conversation.

For example, when a resident calls a local government that has a VoIP system, the network automatically recognizes the caller and delivers account information and any history of previous interactions to the computer screen of the government employee by the time the individual picks up the phone. All prior communications — including e-mail, voicemail messages and faxes — are listed and can be accessed with a mouse click.

If the resident calls after hitting a snag when trying to complete a form on the government’s Web site, the VoIP system already knows about that and can link the government employee to the correct Web page. There is no need to try and reconstruct the problem.

With VoIP, employees easily can escalate the response if the problem cannot be resolved immediately. VoIP networks can automatically sense the “presence” of all users — whether they are logged on at their desks, on the phone or out of the office and accessible by cell phone or through instant messaging — and match accessible users to a list of contacts the clerk works with regularly. The clerk then knows who can be conferenced in to help resolve a problem, or whether sending an instant message might be the best action.

Local governments can use VoIP to establish a single call center that can answer or automatically route calls from residents to the appropriate departments for resolution. By using voice-recognition technology and information accessed through the data network’s directory services, the voice system can figure out where to send calls after just a few words from residents.

VoIP “is letting us have our cake and eat it too,” says Larry Rittenberg, assistant town administrator for Burlington, Mass. Without any additional appropriations, Burlington recently installed a VoIP phone system for the town’s 16 facilities, including office buildings, schools, fire houses and police stations. The project was funded largely by the savings on the outdated phone service it replaced. Burlington’s IP-based phone system allows even its remote offices to have voicemail, caller ID and advanced call-processing capabilities.

The move to VoIP is not an all-or-nothing proposition for local governments. Although a complete upgrade is one way to accomplish the move to VoIP, governments can choose instead to migrate gradually. Either way, they can use the technology to improve services to residents while saving money.

The author is vice president for government and education solutions for Reston, Va.-based Siemens Information and Communication Networks.