Originally published in the Savannah Business Journal
Savannah Business Journal Staff Report
October 12, 2017 – Georgia Relay, the free public service that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or have difficulty speaking to place and receive telephone calls, recently welcomed Royal Oaks as the newest Georgia Relay Partner. Staff at Royal Oaks, an affordable housing community located in Hinesville, Ga., completed their Georgia Relay Partner program training earlier this year, and are now equipped to place and receive calls from Georgia Relay users.
The Georgia Relay Partner program seeks to improve communication between local businesses and residents who use Georgia Relay to place telephone calls. Georgia Relay Partners receive free training and materials to learn to answer and place Relay calls with confidence, making it easier to serve customers who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or who have difficulty speaking. Georgia Relay Partners also receive marketing materials to let Georgia Relay users know the company is Relay friendly.
“When customer service representatives are unable to recognize a Relay call, they may accidently hang up on a current or potential customer, which is defeating to the business and frustrating for the caller,” said Brendan Underwood, Georgia Relay outreach coordinator. “The goal of Georgia Relay Partner program is to eliminate these missed connections. Now, Royal Oaks is better prepared to serve more customers, and Relay users can be assured community representatives are equipped to answer their calls.”
“We’re proud to be a Georgia Relay Partner,” says LaKisha Velize, office manager at Royal Oaks. “It is important for our community to provide equal access to all of our current and potential residents, and it’s rewarding to know that our staff is now trained to converse with individuals who rely on Georgia Relay.”
To date, more than 200 local companies have become Georgia Relay Partners. To view a current list, or to request Georgia Relay Partner training for your business, please visit https://georgiarelay.org/relay-partner-program/.
