Dreams Do Come True for Children and Their Families at Give Kids The World VillageWhere Avaya Powers its Guest Experience Communications

Avaya, a global leader in customer experience solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration, today announced that it powers the technology that ensures dependable communications and emergency preparedness at Give Kids The World Village. This 89-acre, whimsical nonprofit resort in Kissimmee, Florida, provides week-long, cost-free wish vacations to critically ill children and their families from around the world.

For one memorable week, wish children and their families are treated to an all-inclusive dream vacation including transportation, accommodations, meals, donated theme park tickets, nightly entertainment, daily gifts and priceless time together at the Give Kids The World Village, a storybook destination featuring an array of wheelchair accessible rides and attractions.

Give Kids The World’s Village Vacation Planning Services team relies extensively on its Avaya communication system. With more than 800 family members visiting Give Kids The World Village each week, hundreds of daily interactions are required to coordinate details and confirm reservations, with call volume even higher during busier times of the year such as the holidays. Through an in-kind donation, Avaya provides the technology and support required to ensure the nonprofit’s communications system doesn’t miss a beat.

Having the right people taking calls with unprecedented reliability and quality is crucial to creating the Give Kids The World experience. Reliability is also critical for Ian Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at Give Kids The World, and his technology team, who are responsible for managing and maintaining thousands of connected devices across the resort. “We don’t have time to be tied up by our communications systems,” said Cole. “We need a high-performing system that we know will work seamlessly; Avaya has absolutely delivered in this way.”

Reliability at a property that caters to critically ill children and their families where 911 is often called is the highest priority. Avaya provides Give Kids The World with communications speed, accuracy and efficiency in these critical moments. The Village team will soon enhance its robust emergency services with the implementation of NG911 solutions, to enable Give Kids The World to send detailed location information to first responders, down to the specific floor or room. This is an important development that will enhance emergency response time resort-wide.

“Give Kids The World is a unique organization that positively impacts hundreds of thousands of lives, and we hope our corporate donation helps those efforts,” said Tim Sherwood, Global Vice President of Product Management at Avaya. “Avaya provides technology support for organizations who exemplify what it means to deliver experiences that matter and the important role they play in making a difference in the world.”