Case Study: United Way expands 211 reach and achieves statewide coverage with Twilio Flex and Autopilot

United way worldwide expands 211 reach with twilio’s flex and autopilot - Customer Case Study

United Way Worldwide’s 211 network — a decentralized system of 200+ local call centers that handles over 11 million requests a year — faced an unprecedented surge in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily call volume jumped from a typical ~35,000 to as much as 75,000 in early 2020, average call times doubled, and local centers lacked a shared platform to transfer or balance calls, leaving staff overwhelmed and many callers unable to get timely help.

In just three business days the team deployed a Twilio Flex contact center and Twilio Autopilot IVR to create a single 1-800 access point, AI-assisted routing for common questions, and seamless handoffs to live specialists or volunteers across agencies. The Ohio pilot achieved full statewide 211 coverage, opened conversations for additional government funding, and increased the network’s ability to meet surging demand; United Way is now scaling the solution to other high-need states and using Twilio for related outreach like a Census SMS campaign.

United Way

Rachel Krausman

Senior Director