In May 2024, Leon County, Florida faced many significant challenges when three tornadoes, including two F2s and one F1, struck the area causing extensive damage. This natural disaster resulted in 725 severely damaged structures, 175 of which were destroyed. In response, the county declared a local state of emergency and quickly established the TEAM Leon Program (Targeted Emergency Assistance Microgrants) to provide short-term financial assistance to citizens and businesses impacted by the disastrous events. This program proved critical to the community, given that Leon County is home to Florida’s capital, Tallahassee, and serves approximately 300,000 citizens and various public sector offices and agencies.
The TEAM Leon Program offered up to $3,500 for individuals and $10,000 for businesses in unicorporated areas of the county, to help them cover critical needs and property damage. After founding the program, the Leon County team quickly realized the need for a contact center to manage inquiries for the new $1 million microgrant program. As an Avaya customer of over 15 years, Leon County turned to the Avaya Experience Platform™ (AXP) to materialize their plans to quickly deploy a contact center to handle the large volume of inquiries and applications. The entire TEAM Leon Program was designed and launched within just six days: AXP enabled the county to establish the contact center within its existing Emergency Operations Center, staffed by 13 agents who managed voice and email inquiries from multiple channels.
This contact center played an integral role in the wider program’s success by processing the high volume of applications and thus providing immediate assistance to those affected by the tornadoes. Applications were approved within the same day if all required documentation was provided, in which case checks were issued within a few days. This efficiency was monumental in providing timely support to those in urgent need,
Tim Fike, Avaya Administrator for Leon County, noted the significance of Avaya’s technology in these emergency situations: “Leon County is well-versed in setting up emergency contact centers, particularly during hurricane events, thanks to Avaya’s flexible, on-premises system and the Avaya Experience Platform solution. The TEAM Leon contact center was set up with within minutes and empowered us to address the needs of our community effectively.”
Michelle Taylor, CIO of Leon County, praised Avaya’s role in the crisis response, highlighting the ease of remote contact center set-up with Avaya’s technology and noting “The TEAM Leon program was set up within a few days after the tornadoes came through: it provided funding for emergency unmet citizen and business needs such as property damage, utility disruption, and loss of food or medication. Avaya’s systems contributed significantly to the County’s success.” Taylor emphasized the profound impact of the relatively small grant, noting that the assistance provided was enormous for the affected individuals and businesses.
The results of the TEAM Leon Program were impressive: the Avaya-powered contact center handled nearly 2,000 calls within the first four days, and more than 2,100 applications were submitted, which led to 472 grants awarded, totaling $1 million dispersed across the community. Avaya’s flexibility and efficiency were instrumental in the successful implementation of the TEAM Leon Program.
The swift and effective deployment of emergency contact center services in Leon County – powered by the Avaya Experience Platform – reflects Avaya’s role in improving government response capabilities during critical situations. This rapid response not only provided immediate relief to impacted citizens but also demonstrated Leon County’s commitment to supporting its residents during a crisis.
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