VoIP keeps communications up during Ike

Mitel, J&J Communications and Natural Convergence teamed to provide uninterrupted communications during Hurricane Ike through the use of hosted VoIP. Residents using legacy TDM services lost their service during the storm and had long waits to get reactivated, while J&J's hosted customers in the Galveston area maintained their service throughout the hurricane's onslaught, according to CEO Scott Kellogg.

"The customers that had set up twinning were able to maintain business as usual and continue to take calls, even though their offices in Galveston were destroyed," Kellogg said. "It's been really important in our relief effort to maintain the communications through the VoIP service."

One of Galveston's largest insurance companies, Galveston Insurance Agency, moved its operation inland, and, with the help of Mitel's 3600 platform's remote worker and twinning functionality, the agents were able to plug their phones into different locations and communicate with clients during and after the storm.

J&J, which serves roughly 5,000 customers along the Gulf Coast of Texas including Galveston County, reported that hosted customers maintained service throughout the destructive storm. J&J had ten test customers of the service, and was on the cusp of launching a marketing push before the storm struck. After the uninterrupted coverage, its likely that others in hurricane-prone areas will realize the benefits of VoIP capability to maintain communications during disasters. 

For more:
- see the joint press release here

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