Albuquerque Public Schools fortifies security and CX, without disrupting its existing estate.

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving approximately 70,000 students across 143 schools. With its vast infrastructure and nearly 14,000 employees, the district faced significant challenges in maintaining security compliance and providing a seamless customer experience for stakeholders. The growing reliance on digital solutions and the need for timely, accurate responses to emergencies highlighted the need for modernization.

Brian Thompson, Director of Network Infrastructure at APS, was pivotal in driving the district's transformation through its partnership with Avaya. The key motivation for expanding the partnership came from the district’s need to comply with RAY BAUM’s Act, which requires accurate location information during emergency 911 calls. In addition, the district wanted to enhance customer experience, enabling new digital channels throughout their contact center infrastructure. Each of these needed to be achieved without disrupting the existing UC estate – with over 235 miles of fiber connecting sites.

14,000

Employees

143

Schools

70,000

Students

The challenges that APS faced included:

Compliance with RAY BAUM’s Act: APS needed to ensure that 911 calls, whether from landline or cell phones, could provide precise location information to first responders – including the school district’s own police force. As Thompson explained, “We were using crisis alert for desk phones, but with 80% of 911 calls now coming from cell phones, we needed a comprehensive solution.”
Fragmented Communication Systems: The district’s legacy contact center was struggling to manage increasing call volumes, especially during peak times, such as the start of the school year. Thompson mentioned, “It was difficult to scale our on-premise call center to meet demand, and our reporting system was not giving us the insights we needed to improve service.”
Integration with Multiple Platforms: With 143 schools and several administrative sites, integrating a new emergency response system across all campuses required a solution that could accommodate the district’s unique setup, including its internal police department and dispatch center.

Innovative Solutions Powering APS’s Next-Generation Safety and Communication Systems

To address these challenges, APS expanded its partnership with Avaya and implemented a comprehensive, cloud-based solution:

911inform: This tool ensures that emergency calls from any device within the school district’s geofence, including mobile phones, are automatically routed to the appropriate responders and school staff. As Thompson noted, "911inform pinpoints a caller’s location within 20 feet, making it easier for us to send help exactly where it’s needed." The implementation of 911inform required a monumental effort to map and verify all phone extensions across 165 sites. “It took months to collect and verify all the data, but now our system covers both desk and mobile phones” Thompson shared. The tool integrates with APS's own Police Department and the County Sheriff's Department, ensuring rapid response during emergencies.
Avaya Experience Platform (AXP) Public Cloud: APS upgraded its contact center to AXP, allowing staff to handle calls remotely, analyze call data, and scale services during peak periods. This move also provided powerful reporting features, helping the district better manage call volume and agent performance. “With AXP, we now have call recording, more reporting options, and we can expand our number of agents without delay,” Thompson noted. The ability to manage calls remotely became crucial during COVID-19 and continues to provide flexibility for APS today. Thompson explained, “We wanted agents to seamlessly log into the contact center from anywhere, and AXP made that possible.”
Avaya ACES Services: Avaya Customer Experience Services (ACES) team worked closely with APS to ensure a smooth implementation of AXP and 911inform, tailoring the systems to meet the district’s unique needs. “Avaya’s ACES team has been fantastic,” Thompson commented. “They helped us customize our contact center and continue to support us as we expand our use of AXP.”

AXP allows APS to deliver a better experience and gives them a platform to add further channels as needed.

“Avaya’s ACES team has been fantastic…They helped us customize our contact center and continue to support us as we expand our use of AXP.”

— Brian Thompson

Director of Network Infrastructure, APS

With these solutions in place, APS is already beginning to realize key benefits:

Enhanced Safety and Compliance: The implementation of 911inform ensures that APS is fully compliant with RAY BAUM’s Act, significantly reducing the risk of delays in emergency response. The district’s ability to provide precise location data from both mobile and desk phones will improve safety across all campuses.
Improved Customer Experience: AXP allows APS to deliver a better experience and gives them a platform to add further channels as needed. The advanced reporting features help the district optimize staffing and reduce hold times, ensuring callers are connected to the right agent. Thompson emphasized the importance of these improvements, saying, “Parents have already provided positive feedback on how quickly they can reach the right person to get their issues resolved.”
Scalability and Flexibility: With AXP, APS can easily scale its contact center operations to meet seasonal demand. This flexibility reduces the district’s reliance on physical infrastructure, allowing agents to work from any location, and providing a future-proof solution for the district’s evolving communication needs.
Ongoing Support and Innovation: The district continues to work with the ACES team to refine its solutions. APS plans to integrate more features, such as chat and enhanced dashboards, to further improve the customer experience. “We’re constantly evolving our systems with Avaya’s support, and we’re excited about what’s next,” Thompson stated.

Looking to the Future

APS is already looking ahead to future innovations. The district plans to expand the use of virtual agents and chat features within AXP to offer parents and staff even more communication options. As Thompson pointed out, "We want to open up more options for our community, and the analytics we’re getting from Avaya are helping us make informed decisions about where to go next."

With Avaya as a trusted partner, APS is well-positioned to continue enhancing both security and customer experience, ensuring that its vast network of schools and administrative sites is prepared for whatever challenges the future may hold.

"We want to open up more options for our community, and the analytics we’re getting from Avaya are helping us make informed decisions about where to go next."

— Brian Thompson Director of Network Infrastructure, APS

Learn more about Albuquerque Public Schools

About Albuquerque Public Schools

Albuquerque Public Schools is the largest of New Mexico's 89 school districts, serving about a fourth of the state's publicschool students in 143 schools scattered across 1,200 square miles. We are educating and caring for our diverse student population, supporting their families, and partnering with the community with the promise of a better future for all.

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