VCO Voice Carry Over

People who can speak clearly, but are hard of hearing can place or receive calls through the Voice Carry Over (VCO) service, which means the hard of hearing person's voice is "carried over" to the hearing person.

When the hearing person speaks to you, a Communication Assistant (CA) will serve as your “ears” and type everything said to you on a TTY or text display.

When you dial our dedicated VCO number, the CA will already know you are a VCO user.   

Select a call type below to view the step by step instructions for each type of call:

1. Dial 1-866-734-2303 (VCO).
2. A Nordia CA will answer by typing CRS, Nordia, CA “1234” (CA’s ID #), “F” or  “M” (for CA’s Gender), “VCO ON, NUMBER CALLING TO PLS Q GA.” (This message will appear on your display screen).
3. If you do not see the “VCO ON” message then, type “VCO PLS GA” on your TTY or Ultratec Uniphone.  If you have the Ameriphone VCO phone, hit the “RLY MSG “ button.
4. When the CA types “VCO ON GA”, pick up the telephone handset and speak to the CA, give him/her the area code and telephone number of the party you want to call.
5. When the call is connected, speak directly to the hearing person.  The Nordia CA will type to you what the hearing person says, then “GA” (Go Ahead”), indicating it is now your turn to speak.  Unless you are using a TTY (non-direct connection), keep your handset up to your ear and speak directly into the receiver.
6. The person you have called will hear you.  When you have finished your message and are ready for a response, say “GA”.
7. Continue this process throughout the duration of your call. When you are ready to hang up, say "Signing Off" then hang up. 

This service is similar to standard VCO, except that the Nordia Relay CA does not hear the VCO caller.  The CA hears only the hearing person and types their response to the VCO user.

Although relay calls are always confidential by law, you may feel more comfortable if the CA is not listening in while waiting for you to say "GA."

If this is the case, follow the instructions for VCO. Then, when you are speaking, request "Privacy VCO." The CA will disconnect their headset while you are speaking. When you're finished speaking, type "GA" and the CA will come back on line to relay the hearing person's reply.  If you are using the Ameriphone VCO phone, you need to program a function key to type “GA”. 

2-line VCO is for callers who have 2 separate telephone lines (two different telephone numbers) and 3-way or conference calling capability on one of the phone lines.  The VCO user will use one line for speaking directly to a hearing person while the other line is used to receive the hearing person’s typed response at the same time.  This enhanced feature provides a more natural flow of conversation without the pauses of single-line calls and without using “GA” and “SK”. 

1. Dial 1-866-734-2303 to reach a dedicated VCO CA.  
2. A Nordia Ca will answer by typing "CRS, Nordia, CA “1234 (CA’s ID #), “F” or “M” (for CA’s Gender), and “VCO ON, NUMBER CALLING PLS GA" will appear on your display screen.  You will speak directly to the CA, inform them that you are making a 2-line VCO call, and provide them with the area code and telephone number of your second line. 
3. You will connect to a CA who will call your second telephone line. When your second line rings, pick it up and ask the CA to hold.

Follow the following instructions according to the phone feature you are using:

For telephones with conference calling:

• Press the conference button, then dial the number of the hearing person you want to call.
• Press the conference button again to bring the hearing person on the line with you and the CA.

For telephones with 3-way calling:

• Press and release the receiver button, or FLASH key if you have one; you may hear beeps and a dial tone.  Wait a few seconds then dial the number of the person you want to call.
• Press and release the receiver button to bring the hearing person on with you and the CA. When the person you have called answers, speak directly to them over the phone. The CA will type everything they say for you to read on your display screen. The CA will not announce the call or ask for repeats during the conversation; you may do so directly at your own discretion.
• Continue this process throughout the duration of your call. When you are ready to hang up, say "Goodbye" to the person you have called then hang up.

In this situation, the Nordia CA types what the VCO user says to the TTY user called.  The CA then types the TTY user’s text to the VCO user’s TTY or text display equipment to be read. The TTY users will type “GA” when they are ready for a response. 

1.  Dial 1-866-734-2303 to reach a dedicated VCO CA.

2.  A Nordia CA will answer by typing CRS, Nordia, CA “1234” (CA’s ID #), “F” or “M” (for CA’s Gender) and “VCO ON, NUMBER CALLING TO PLS Q GA.” will appear on your display screen.

3.  If you do not see the “VCO ON” message then, type “VCO PLS GA” on your TTY or Ultratec Uniphone.  If you have the Ameriphone VCO phone, hit the “RLY MSG “ button.

4.  When the CA types “VCO ON”, pick up the telephone handset and speak directly to the CA, informing him/her that you are making VCO to TTY (VTT) call and provide the area code and telephone number of the party you want to call. 

5.  The CA will now dial your call. When the TTY user answers, the CA will announce the call as VTT then type the TTY user’s reply back to you.

6.  Once the CA finishes relaying the TTY user’s message to you and types “GA,” speak into the receiver and say “GA” when you are ready for a response. Continue this process throughout the duration of your call.   When you are ready to hang up, say “Signing Off” then hang up.

In this case, the Nordia CA will serve as both parties “ears” and type both ends of the conversation.  Both persons will need to say “GA” when they are ready for a response.

1.  Dial 1-866-734-2303 to reach a dedicated VCO CA.

2.  A Nordia CA will answer by typing CRS, Nordia, CA “1234” (CA’s ID #), “F” or “M” (for CA’s Gender), and “VCO ON, NUMBER CALLING TO PLS Q GA.” will appear on your display screen.

3.  If you do not see the “VCO ON” message then, type “VCO PLS GA” on your TTY or Ultratec Uniphone.  If you have the Ameriphone VCO phone, hit the “RLY MSG “ button.

4.  When the CA types “VCO ON GA”, pick up the telephone handset and speak to the CA, informing him/her that you are making a VCO to VCO (VTV) call and provide the area code and telephone number of the party you want to call.

5.  The CA will now dial your call. When the other VCO user answers, the CA will announce the call as VTV and inform them to speak directly into their receiver.

6.  Once the CA finishes relaying the other VCO user’s message to you and types “GA”, if you are using a TTY (non-direct connection), pick up your handset and speak directly into the receiver.  Please say “GA” when you are ready for a response.

7.  Continue this process throughout the duration of your call. When you are ready to hang up, say "Signing Off" then hang up.

If one caller is deaf or hard of hearing and prefers to use his/her own voice and the other caller is speech-disabled, the Nordia Relay CA will facilitate the telephone call.   Please contact a Customer Care specialist for more information on this service.

For people who do not have a provider of choice when dialing 711 in California, the calls are distributed among 3 different Relay Service providers. 

If you want your provider of choice to be Nordia, simply fill in a 711 choice form, which is accessible from our homepage.  You can also talk to a CA who will do this for you - just dial 1-866-734-2833 (TTY/Voice) and tell the CA you would like to create a 711 choice form and select Nordia as your provider of choice.  You may also dial any of our 800 numbers to connect directly to the call type of your choice.