Superior Court Adopts Speech Technology to Serve Citizens via the Telephone

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Superior Court of California, Napa County, has invested in self-service speech technology by Edify® Corporation and American Telesource Inc. (ATI) that automates jury management and criminal and traffic fine collection, in both English and Spanish.  Residents use human speech or touchtone commands to gain access to updated court information, reserving staff time for questions that require live assistance. 
 
The Superior Court of California, Napa County, serves a population of 132,000.  Every week, the court issues approximately 1,100 jury service summons and handles an average of 500 requests for deferment of service or disqualification.  All of these tasks were being handled manually by jury staff.  Prospective jurors endured lengthy and cumbersome wait times when trying to find out court instructions on the phone during overloaded peak hours.  Staff in the criminal and traffic divisions faced similar challenges.  Napa County looked to Edify and ATI for a solution that would enhance customer service, help court clerks recover from piles of busywork, and cut costs. 
 
"We are 100% focused on providing the best possible service to our constituents, "said Jeanette Vannoy, information technology manager for the Superior Court of California, County of Napa.  "ATI's government expertise coupled with Edify's proven platform and speech technologies enabled us to not only exceed our expectations in process efficiency and service levels, but also allowed us to use public money wisely by lowering costs while improving service." 
 
Two full-time employees used to feel overwhelmed by paperwork and telephone calls. Now, one clerk works part-time, giving personal attention to people who really need it. The criminal and traffic divisions also reported lower volumes of live calls now that the automated system is resolving questions.