E911 and Emergency Locations
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| Feature Area | Telephony Infrastructure |
| Navigation (Sites / Number Plans) | Admin → Telephony → Sites → [site] → Number Plans tab |
| Navigation (E911 Kari's Law) | Contact Genesys Cloud Voice support directly to configure Kari's Law notifications |
| Navigation (HELD for Poly phones) | Admin → Telephony → Trunks → External Trunks → [trunk] → General → Outbound → Location Conveyance |
| Navigation (Location Details) | Admin → Telephony → Locations (for physical address configuration) |
| Primary Function | Route emergency calls (911) to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) based on the caller's location, and comply with Kari's Law requirements |
Study Notes
| Topic | Explanation |
|---|---|
| E911 | Enhanced 911 — automatically transmits the caller's address and telephone number to the emergency dispatcher when 911 is dialed; no need for the caller to state their location |
| Traditional 911 | Caller must identify their location manually |
| PSAP | Public Safety Answering Point — the regional emergency services dispatch center that receives 911 calls |
| Kari's Law | US federal law (effective February 16, 2018) — requires multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) to: (1) allow direct 911 dialing without a prefix, and (2) send a notification to a designated person when 911 is dialed |
| MLTS | Multi-Line Telephone System — any phone system with multiple lines; contact centers are MLTS operators |
| Location Details | Configuration in Genesys Cloud that stores a physical location address — used for E911 routing and Kari's Law notifications |
| HELD | HTTP-Enabled Location Delivery — protocol that allows Poly phones to query a Location Information Server (LIS) for their precise network-based location at call time |
| LIS | Location Information Service — a server that maps network location data (IP, MAC) to a civic address for E911 purposes |
Kari's Law Requirements (US Only)
Kari's Law applies to Genesys Cloud Voice customers in the United States.
| Requirement | Genesys Cloud Voice Behavior |
|---|---|
| Direct 911 dialing (no prefix) | Automatically satisfied — no customer action required |
| Notification to designated location when 911 is dialed | Requires configuration — must be set up with Genesys Cloud Voice support |
How to Configure Kari's Law Compliance (Genesys Cloud Voice)
- Contact Genesys Cloud Voice support
- Provide the following:
- Full location address (US addresses only — Canadian addresses do not support notification)
- Email addresses or email-as-text addresses to notify when 911 is dialed (e.g.,
[email protected],[email protected])
Notification is triggered based on the physical location address configured in Location Details.
Configuring Emergency Numbers in Sites
For all telephony options, emergency numbers are configured at the site level.
| Step | Path |
|---|---|
| Open Admin | Admin → Telephony → Sites |
| Select site | Choose the appropriate site |
| Open Number Plans tab | Click Number Plans |
| Select Emergency plan | Click on the Emergency number plan in the list |
| Enter emergency number | Type the emergency services number (e.g., 911 for the US) |
| Kari's Law note | US users must not alter the 911 number with a prefix or any other modification |
Warning: Do not assign an emergency number plan to a BYOC trunk unless you have verified with your carrier that they provide emergency services and that the carrier has the correct location for your phone numbers.
BYOC and Emergency Services
Genesys Cloud Voice includes built-in E911 support. BYOC customers must arrange E911 separately:
| Option | E911 Approach |
|---|---|
| Genesys Cloud Voice | E911 included — configured through Location Details and Kari's Law setup with Genesys support |
| BYOC Cloud | Must check with your carrier — carrier must support E911 for your numbers and locations |
| BYOC Premises | Must check with your carrier — same requirement; also need to verify site-level number plan configuration |
For BYOC E911 setup: Admin → Telephony → Trunks → BYOC trunk → configure as directed by your carrier
Reference article: "Set up emergency services with BYOC" in the Genesys Cloud Resource Center.
HELD — HTTP-Enabled Location Delivery (Poly Phones)
HELD allows Poly phones to retrieve their precise network location from a LIS server and include it in the SIP INVITE when a 911 call is placed, enabling more accurate emergency routing.
Supported phones: Poly VVX, Poly CCX, Poly Edge E
HELD Configuration Steps
| Step | Where |
|---|---|
| 1. Enable Location Conveyance on trunk | Admin → Telephony → Trunks → External Trunks → [trunk] → General → Outbound → check Location Conveyance |
| 2. Enter Emergency Routing Service Account ID | From your emergency service provider (or token ID if token authentication is required) |
| 3. Enter Location Information Server URL | URL to send HELD requests to |
| 4. Enable HELD in phone Base Settings | Admin → Telephony → Phone Management → Base Settings → [Poly base settings] → enable HELD |
How E911 Works — Genesys Cloud Voice
Agent dials 911
↓
Genesys Cloud Voice looks up the physical location address associated with the agent's number / location
↓
Call routed to appropriate PSAP for that address
↓
PSAP receives caller's address and telephone number automatically (E911)
↓
Kari's Law notification sent to designated email/SMS addresses
Locations Configuration
Physical location addresses are configured in:
Admin → Telephony → Locations
Each location stores:
- Full physical street address
- Used by E911 routing (Genesys Cloud Voice)
- Used by Kari's Law notification configuration
- Assigned to sites, phones, or users as appropriate
E911 for Remote Workers
Remote workers present a challenge because their physical location is not fixed. Genesys Cloud Voice provides E911 configuration options for remote workers — the physical location address must be kept current for accurate PSAP routing.
| Consideration | Detail |
|---|---|
| Accurate location data required | Inaccurate location may route the 911 call to the wrong PSAP — potentially causing delays |
| National fallback | If E911 cannot locate the caller, the call may route to a national emergency response service (less accurate, slower) |
| Remote workers | Must have their location updated when they change physical locations |
Key Takeaways
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| E911 vs 911 | E911 automatically transmits caller address and number to PSAP; traditional 911 requires caller to state location |
| Kari's Law | US federal law — MLTS must allow direct 911 dialing AND notify a designated person when 911 is dialed |
| Kari's Law — Genesys Cloud Voice | Direct 911 dialing is automatic; notification requires setup with Genesys Voice support |
| Kari's Law — BYOC | Customer must check with their carrier |
| Emergency number config | Admin → Telephony → Sites → Number Plans → Emergency plan |
| BYOC warning | Do not assign emergency number plan to BYOC trunk without verifying carrier support |
| HELD | Protocol for Poly phones to deliver precise location to E911 — configured on trunk + base settings |
| Supported HELD phones | Poly VVX · Poly CCX · Poly Edge E |
| Locations | Admin → Telephony → Locations — stores physical addresses for E911 and Kari's Law |
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