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Volunteering for Disaster Relief -- VisionLink Software Developer Ends Up Using His Own System
June 19, 2008
Boulder, Colorado -- June 19, 2008 "It was great to see firsthand - from a volunteer's perspective, how our software gets used in the real world, helping communities stay informed and organized, especially in a situation like this." - Zac Sackrison
Zac Sackrison, Senior Web Developer for VisionLink, the leading supplier of disaster management software, recently volunteered for the United Way in Larimer County, Colorado. Larimer County was the scene of destruction after a tornado touched down several times on its way through nearby Colorado communities. Sackrison phoned his church and graciously volunteered to help. Through his church, Sackrison learned the United Way was looking for volunteers to help manage incoming calls. Sackrison contacted the local United Way and was placed in the Larimer County 2-1-1 Call Center.
Call center staff member Jenne Snelling, trained Sackrison on the basics of performing call-center operator tasks including caller information, intake of donations of time, money and food, shelter resource referral for victims, and more. Each call was to be entered into the 2-1-1 Call Center online system called Tapestry™. Coincidentally, Sackrison was a lead software developer for the system he was about to use.
The moment of truth had arrived - would the Tapestry 2-1-1 software perform in real-life how Sackrison had envisioned it? He decided not to "reveal his true identity" in hopes of getting the typical volunteer experience. Upon entering the data collected into the system he helped develop, Sackrison discovered a few repetitive tasks and knew he could make a difference streamlining caller intake and referral. The Call Center did an excellent job responding to the high call volume and needs of their clients with an efficient information and referral process.
VisionLink's web-based management suite, Tapestry™, supports I&R with client intake and referral, call management, reporting, and resource directories designed to hold detailed descriptions of the programs and services provided by community, social, health, and government organizations. While assisting people in disaster and crisis situations, I&R Specialists need comprehensive, searchable directories at their fingertips - Tapestry provides them with this cross organizational and community capacity.
In addition to 2-1-1 and I&R solutions, VisionLink supports customers nation-wide in disaster response, homeless management, elder care, crisis hotlines, and other collaborative needs. National clients include the American Red Cross, Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN), Lutheran Disaster Response, United Methodist Coordinated Disaster Response, as well as many statewide United Way led 2-1-1's and regional and local call response centers. Visit www.visionlink.org for more information on their community resource management systems.
