Avaya and NORAD Embrace Christmas Spirit with Annual Santa Tracker

The holiday season has finally arrived, which means Santa and his helpers are quickly preparing to bring gifts to well-behaved kids across the globe. Some children may be anxious to find out when their gifts will be arriving, which is why Avaya and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) have teamed up yet again for the 66th annual NORAD Santa tracker program.

With the support of Avaya OneCloud™ contact center solutions, children can call the NORAD Operations Center at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado to track Santa’s real-time whereabouts on Christmas eve. Because pandemic conditions are still ongoing, NORAD has implemented a virtual call center to permit volunteers in remote locations to help offer call support for updates on Santa’s location.

“Avaya (News - Alert) has provided its contact center solution for over a decade making it easy to connect everything and share Santa’s journey,” said Jerry Dotson, VP, Avaya Government Solutions. “Our participation in what has become a family tradition for millions around the world is something we look forward to every year as do employees who volunteer answering calls from excited children, of all ages, anxiously awaiting Santa.”

Starting at 4 a.m.MST on December 24th, children and parents can call 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to find out which country Santa and his team of reindeers are visiting at the time. With call volumes expected to be high, callers can also visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website to view a virtual radar of Santa’s location, and enjoy holiday music, christmas-themed games, and much more. The program will run until 12 a.m. MST on Christmas Day .

“We appreciate Avaya’s support helping the program continue to expand each year,” added Preston Schlachter, NORAD Tracks Santa Program Manager. “This has become a multi-generational tradition with families. We receive heartwarming feedback about this being one of people’s favorite activities to participate in long after their kids become adults.”

Edited by Maurice Nagle