Voice Messaging as a Communication and Information Network

Steve Albertson / Jennifer BrandonCommunity Voice Mail National Office

Or…“How Can I Reach You?”

Steve Albertson / Jennifer BrandonCommunity Voice Mail National Office

An Answer to…

• How do you get a job without a phone?• How do you find a place to live?• How do you find safety from domestic

abuse?• How do doctors contact you with test

results?

National nonprofit providing free voice mail and information services to low-income, homeless and

otherwise “phoneless” people in the U.S..

.

Finding A Job Fleeing domestic abuse Finding A Place to Live

115M Households

23M with Income <$10k/yr.

3M (13%) w/out access to a phone – ~ 6M people

Phonelessness in the U.S.

Does not include homeless

Does include mobile phones

40,000servedby CVMper year

(Not to scale)

Spiral to “Phonelessness”

↓ Injury or Illness

↓ Job loss / financial problems

↓ Loss of housing (landline)↓ Living with friends (or in car)

↓ Loss of shelter

↓ Homelessness

↓ Loss of phone (cell)↓ Etc. etc. etc.

HOST AGENCY

ParticipatingAgency

ParticipatingAgency

ParticipatingAgency

ParticipatingAgency

Client

Client

Client

Client

CVM numbers are distributed throughexisting social services.

Case workers utilize CVM to stay in consistent contactwith clients, improving time- and cost-efficiency.

(national office)

How CVM Works

VA

VA Medical Center

VA Social Worker

County Veterans Pgm

HVRP, etc.

Client

Client

Client

Client

CVM numbers are distributed throughexisting social services.

More than 118 CVM agencies in 45 cities provide services to Veterans.

(national office)

CVM Working for Veterans

Clients40,000

• More than 4,000 Veterans/yr.

Agencies

2,000• 118 agencies

working with Veterans

Hosts

45 cities• 23 states

• Local Program• Local funding

Current CVM Agencies + VA Medical Centers

More Than Voice Mail

• Broadcast Voice/Email Messaging (clients)– Single message to all clients (or segments)– 1,800 messages sent in 2008

• Interactive Response– “Press 4 to respond”, Survey capabilities

• Reach into 2,000 social service agencies• Local CVM Manager (“filter”)

Cost-effective communication with a hard-to-reachpopulation that needs and wants information.

Multi-Purposing Information

Broadcast Voice Broadcast Email Blog

One piece of information used in 3 ways

High-tech tools: Voice, fingers (for dialing / typing), and cut-and-paste!

+ +

Value 20%

Dignity, Ownership, Independence, Privacy

30%

A Number to give to others

50%

Information broadcasted, and responses

Client Sources of Information

Information overload, uncategorized, access

Accessible, updated, everything visible

Agency “Info Wall”

Accuracy, scalability, effectiveness

Informal, “oral culture,” trusted sources

Word of mouth / Friends

Expertise “silos”, non-scalable resource,

access

Professional, resource-focused, trusted, local

Case Mgr. / VA

Access, tech literacy, no filter

Vast information, email, blogs, agency sites

Internet

Access, availabilityLots of options,

inexpensiveRadio

Access, availability, mostly entertainment

No literacy problems, fun, entertaining

Television

Fewer papers, less “news”

Local, cheap/free, paperNewspaper

ConsProsSource

~4,400 (Veterans)

880 (kids)

264 (adults)

+ +

= ~5,544 people per year dependent on CVM#

“Phoneless” Veterans88% male / 11% female79% homeless or at-risk

54% unemployed27% disabled

5% in housing (no phone)5% parolee/prisoner re-entry

61% (45-59) / 30% (26-44)6% over 60 / 3% under 25

$562/mo. avg. income52% with no income

10% with children (avg=2)6% with dep. adults (avg=1)

Client Communication Characteristics

• 2008 Client Survey– National, all clients– Voice response

• 2009 Email Survey (preliminary)– “Active” Veterans with email– SurveyMonkey

• 2009 Voice Survey (in-process)– All CVM Veteran clients (45 sites)– Voice response

2008 Client Survey

• How clients check voice mail– “Free” phone (agencies): 71%– Payphone: 19%– Mobile phone: 10%

• 21% own mobile phones– Prepaid, inconsistent access,

limited texting & Internet access

• 59% with email addresses– Access: Public library, agencies

Mobile Phones: Expensive

$20 (200 mins) = 4% of avg. monthly Income

2009 Email Survey (Veterans)

• Phone Access:– “At home” (30%), Agency (21%), Cell (20%)

Payphone (18%),12% VA hospital/agency

• 24% own mobile phones• Internet Access:

– Library (55%), Agencies (15%), Own PC (15%), Other (15%)

• 52% check email at least once a day

2009 Email Survey (Veterans)

• Information Sources:– 45% listed “Internet” as #1 source (30% as 2nd

choice)– Social service agencies, Television, Friends/

WOM, Newspaper– Radio, Staff at VA/VSO

• Information “Wants”– Jobs, Housing, Healthcare, Transportation,

Events/Activities, Social Services, Inspirational

2009 Email Survey (Veterans)

• How does the VA Contact you?– CVM Voice Mail number (27%)– Postal mail (27%)– They call me on my phone (17%)– Email (3%)– In-person at VA facility (3%)– VA doesn’t contact me (no benefits, etc.):

23%

2009 Email Survey (Veterans)

• What do you want to say?

“A lot of veterans who are homeless or in assisted programs such as HVRP don’t have cell phone or hard line phone so they have to rely on messages that might get lost or forgotten, so they would miss a lot of assistance information and employment information without Community Voice Mail.”

2009 Voice Survey

• In-progress - results in December– Email salbertson@cvm.org to get results

• Communication practices and information needs (similar to email survey)

• Data gathered by voice survey• Some comments by clients…

Sound (OLE2) Wave Sound

CVM for Veterans

• VA Medical Centers– Appointment reminders, test results, medication

• Employment (DOL-VETS, etc.)– Job listings, training events, interviews

• VBA– Benefits process, notifications, due-date reminders

• Broadcast messages about “core” VA topics• In existing CVM areas, broadcast messages

about jobs, events, health care and other resources

Why CVM Works

• Local manager (filter)• Low technology

barriers• Accessible• No literacy requirement• On-demand• Scalable• Cost-effective

Q & A

• Questions for you– How big is the basic communication problem

with homeless veterans?– What do you do if you can’t reach someone

(easily)?– How much time & money is spent trying to

reach clients?

Jennifer Brandon / Steve AlbertsonCommunity Voice Mail National Office

(206) 441-7872jbrandon@cvm.org / salbertson@cvm.org

www.cvm.orgcommunityvoicemail.blogspot.com (blog)

@cvmnational (Twitter)

Thank You!

What We’re Seeking

• “Content” Partners– Routine, high-quality information for our

clients and their agencies– Segmentation and syndication?

• Distribution Partners– More communities offering CVM– More “systems” providing CVM to all clients

• Financial Support!– A cost-effective communication network