As the nation's largest nonprofit, full service organ donation agency and tissue banking system, LifeNet defines the term "mission-critical communications." When seconds count, the organization relies heavily on voice communications in carrying out the vital and sensitive work required to help patients in need of organ transplants and tissue donations. With an innovative, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and Unified Communications solution from Avaya, LifeNet speeds communications and reduces stress in its busy Donor Center.

The LifeNet Donor Center is on call every hour of the day, handling approximately 250 to 300 calls every day of the year, linking donor families, doctors, transplant teams and LifeNet field personnel. The organization requires rock-solid reliability to ensure consistent communications service, and when LifeNet decided to add communications capabilities, they also looked for a solution that would allow more mobility options to help reduce stress in these time-sensitive jobs.

"The ability to communicate effectively at the office, on the road or from home provides our people with tools to do the jobs that we feel are so important while offering the opportunity for well-needed mental downtime," said Kevin McPhee, manager of Telecommunication and IS Help Desk Services, LifeNet. "When you're in the midst of a potentially critical medical situation, it is very helpful to have the option of handling communications from home or other locations. The rapid pace of the healthcare world means we really benefit from these types of advancements."

LifeNet turned to Avaya, a leading global provider of communications applications, systems and services, for a cost-effective solution that provides LifeNet workers with the flexibility needed to communicate anytime, anywhere. With Avaya Communication Manager telephony software as the primary voice platform installed at LifeNet headquarters, the Donor Center has advanced call routing to help make sure that calls get to the right person as quickly as possible. Avaya Unified Communications Solutions serve LifeNet field workers throughout the United States, delivering calls, and access to directories, conferencing tools, voicemail and Microsoft Outlook messages and features on their mobile cellular devices, making communications on the road and at home instantly accessible. Avaya in-building wireless phones provide the mobility needed for campus workers, with all the features and functions of their office phone through an easy-to-use portable handset. A solution from Avaya DevelopConnection member NICE Systems enables LifeNet workers to capture, archive and analyze important lifesaving communications both at the headquarters and from the road.

LifeNet continues to evolve its communications, eyeing Avaya VPN phones for home or remote office-based field workers. Avaya VPN phones connect to LifeNet's virtual private network the same way a remote computer would, providing secure call connectivity quickly and easily, and eliminating toll charges.

McPhee added: "We have recently implemented Avaya VPN phones for some of our field workers, and the early success we're seeing points to further expansion of Avaya unified communications in our organization" - Avaya.