How to set up Emergency 911 calling in Talkdesk Express

Emergency calling is a critical capability for any phone system. In Talkdesk Express, E911 support ensures that calls to emergency services are routed to the appropriate public safety authorities with accurate location information. Here’s how E911 works in Express and what you need to do to activate it.

What is E911?

E911 stands for Enhanced 911. It enables emergency responders to receive the caller’s phone number and registered location automatically when someone dials 911 from your Talkdesk Express system. This ensures the call is routed to the correct local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), whether you're in New York, California, or anywhere in between.

How to set up E911

To ensure emergency calls are properly routed and your team stays compliant, follow these steps to configure E911 settings in Talkdesk Express:

1. Open the Admin app in Talkdesk Workspace and select Emergency Calls.

2. Fill out the “Default Address” — this is your organization’s primary address, used both for E911 routing and for taxation purposes:

   1. Country (required)

   2. House Number (required)

   3. Street Line (required)

   4. Street Line 2 (optional)

   5. City (required)

   6. State (required)

   7. ZIP (required)

   8. Plus 4 (optional)

3. Click "Validate Address" to confirm the address is recognized by the system before proceeding.

4. Add “Emergency Contacts”, i.e. the email addresses of the people or distribution lists who should be notified whenever a 911 call is made.

   1. Click the + icon after each email to validate it.

   2. You can add up to 10 email addresses.

   3. After a 911 call is placed, each contact will receive an email with the caller's emergency info (display name, callback number, and device location).

5. Set a “Callback Number”, i.e. this number will be shown to emergency responders in case they need to follow up. Please add the following details:

   1. Display Name (letters and numbers only)

   2. Callback Number (a Talkdesk-registered phone number)

   3. Preferred Language (used by the PSAP if they return the call)

   Click Save to validate the callback number before continuing.

6. Enable "Emergency Calls", i.e. once all required fields are completed and validated, toggle on the Enable Emergency Calls option.

If an agent places a 911 call before their emergency info is defined, the call will still go through. However, it will be routed to a specialized emergency center for location sorting.