MERFi Masterclass: From Basics to Power User
Q&A Transcript
Question 1: Is inviting guests/sending them a link something you can do in advanced or do you do it as the meeting is beginning?
*Answered Live*
You cannot send guest invite links in advanced. If you require invite links prior to a session you may do so by prescheduling the session and sharing that link.
Question 2: If we have specific FAQs for our group, can those be added somewhere centrally accessible?
*Answered Live*
Absolutely! Send our Customer Success Team an email with the link to the FAQs and they will make the change on your MERFi instance.
Question 3: We have in-house interpreters- We’d love to put them on the platform. Is that possible?
*Answered Live*
Yes! MERFi does support in house interpreter in what we call a Micro Call Center. It does require an update to your contract – so reach out to your account representative and they will get you set up!
Question 4: Are call rating questions customizable (or able to be removed?)
*Answered Live*
No. If this is something you are interested in, let us know via the MERFi Support Hub and we will add the suggestion to our MERFi backlog for consideration. If you would rather bypass the survey, select Skip to return to the home page
Question 5: Can we remove the audio language options- just have access to the video languages?
*Answered Live*
Yes. Send an email to our Customer Success Team to make this configuration change. When removing audio language options, you will be limited to 5 video languages at this time. Additionally, an account owner will need to request this change.
Question 6: Do participants have to download any kind of app to join the meeting?
*Answered Live*
No! MERFi is an entirely web-based. All you need is a laptop, desktop, smartphone, or tablet with a camera and a high-speed internet connection.
Question 7: What language will the text invite go out in?
*Answered Live*
Invites go out in English and Spanish at this time.
Question 8: Is using an iPad the best practice or does MERFi perform just as well on a computer?
*Answered Live*
MERFi is device agnostic – it performs just as well on an iPad or a computer. We do recommend using a larger screen (not a smartphone) for ASL sessions.
Question 9: How many interpreters do you have? Is there ever a time a call can’t be answered?
*Answered Live*
We have over 4000+ audio interpreters available to you 24/7/365 in 230+ languages. MERFi is able to connect to that interpreter pool but we do have limited hours of operation for our video interpreters.
Spanish and ASL are available via vide 24/7. All other video languages are available Monday – Friday 8am – 10pm ET.
We are constantly recruiting additional interpreters to expand our hours of operation and reduce hold times. If you are unable to connect to a video interpreter due to unavailability please utilize the Switch to Audio function.
Question 10: How many languages do you have? Can we request a language to be added?
*Answered Live*
We currently offer 22 video languages and 230+ audio languages. If you need a language we do not have listed, please reach out to our call center – our agents are excellent at secure interpreters for languages of limited diffusion.
Question 11: Are there any plans on the horizon to include the text invite in other languages?
*Answered Live*
Yes. Invites are currently sent in English and Spanish. You may request guest instructions to be translated into additional languages via our Translations Department.
Question 12: Can you schedule a call, or is it on-demand only?
*Answered Live*
MERFi supports on-demand and scheduled connections to interpreters! Join our next MERFi Masterclass for more information about prescheduling – invites should be hitting your inbox soon.
Question 13: Are these services available 24/7?
MERFi is available 24/7 for ASL and Spanish. Other video languages are available Monday – Friday 8am-10pm ET. Our audio languages are all available 24/7 and you can access them via the MERFi platform by switching the Channel field to Audio or selecting Other 200+ Languages in the Language field.
Question 14: If there are no video interpreters available, will MERFi put the video call in a hold queue until an interpreter is available via video? I am thinking about ASL, where audio option isn’t an option.
*Answered Live*
Yes, call requests are queued and answered in the order they are received. We support ASL 24/7 via the MERFi platform. If all our interpreters are busy, we will send notifications to offline interpreters letting them know a call is waiting.
Question 15: Do you need to dial 1 before a number? Or a 9 if we need that to get out of our usual phone system?
No. Enter the desired 10-digit phone number without characters (e.g., 9995552424).
Question 16: What if the family does not have a device with the internet?
MERFi is a web based application, if you need to communicate with someone who does not have a web enabled device please utilize our over-the-phone interpreting system. You can utilize the call center through MERFi by selecting Other 200+ Languages from the Language field.
Question 17: Are you able to help check off internal interpreters? For quality assurance to ensure they are interpreting correctly.
We do not recording video calls through the MERFi platform but our QA department follows up with the interpreter when complaints are received. They also track this information and will respond to your complaint with the action steps that have been put in place. If you regularly have trouble with an interpreter we can block them from answering calls from your organization.
Question 18: Will every client you have a contract with have an access account to this portal?
Every client has a custom URL that they are provisioned with when they add Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services to their contract with CLI.
Question 19: If we choose audio over video, can we still invite guests to the call?
Yes. If you are making an audio call through MERFi and you know you will need to add a guest, select Other 200+ Languages from the Language field to access our call center agents and let them know you need to add a guest. Review Adding a Guest with MERFi for more detailed instructions.
Question 20: If we have changes needed with our login requirements, who do we contact?
Send an email to our Customer Success Team and they will be happy to help. We can only make changes when requested by an account owner so if you are part of a large organization, reach out to your internal team to relay the request.
