Less Effort Thanks to peoplefone 3CX HOSTED
Since 1990, the Quellenhof Foundation has been dedicated to supporting people with addiction-related issues, mental health challenges, or difficult life circumstances, enabling them to lead self-determined professional and personal lives. To this end, the Swiss foundation offers a variety of housing, employment, support, and educational programs. These include, among other things, a carpentry shop, several restaurants, two residential groups for adolescents and young adults with social-educational support, an inpatient addiction treatment program, and various educational and vocational training programs. The organization currently employs around 150 staff members.
The Quellenhof Foundation has been using peoplefone 3CX HOSTED for its phone system since June 2023. What were the reasons for switching to peoplefone?
We’ve been using the 3CX software for five years now. Until recently, we handled the hosting ourselves, but we kept running into problems with the system. Calls would sometimes get cut off. Plus, the effort required for hosting was significant. That’s why peoplefone’s hosted service was a perfect fit for us: the internal workload is very low, the service is excellent, and the costs are lower than if we had to allocate our own resources to it.
Why did you decide to partner with peoplefone?
We knew Michele Tremp from the installation company Sidler System from back when he was still working at another company. And as a result, he knew us, our needs, and our processes very well. Together, we explored how we could revamp our phone system—and that’s when Michele Tremp brought peoplefone into the picture. We got to know the company in the summer of 2022, and we’ve recently started using the peoplefone 3CX HOSTED phone system.
How did the transition go?
Absolutely seamlessly. The whole process took only about an hour because the transition was very well prepared by both partners and by us. After the first few weeks, I can say that the system is always running smoothly and the voice quality is significantly better than with the old solution.
What are the specific advantages of the new solution?
The SaaS (Software as a Service) offering is a major advantage for us because we no longer have to deal with operating the system. If something isn’t working, we report it to peoplefone’s support team. Or they spot it themselves, since they continuously monitor their systems. So the whole issue of telephony is much less stressful for us now.
Were there any challenges during the transition?
Well, we switched, so to speak, from one solution to the same solution—from 3CX to 3CX. Many employees who were dissatisfied with the previous solution didn’t understand this at first. It took a great deal of communication, explanation, and persuasion. We had to repeatedly reassure people during our conversations that things would be better with the new system.
The Quellenhof Foundation operates several buildings. To what extent did this influence the choice of telephony solution?
With 150 employees, we’d actually be a classic SME. However, the diversity of our services makes us more like a mini-corporation with varying requirements and individual needs. Some employees prefer a traditional desk phone, while others are satisfied with a cell phone that has Microsoft Teams built in. It’s essential for the foundation that the phone system works around the clock and that emergency response is guaranteed at all times. On top of that, as a humanitarian organization, we rely on the most cost-effective solution possible. 3CX offers all these features and is very affordable.
Honestly: What else would you like to see from peoplefone and Sidler System?
I think it would be good if peoplefone offered a flat-rate plan in addition to the minute packages. We had a flat-rate plan with our previous provider. While it cost more overall, it also gave us a certain degree of budget security.
Would you recommend these two companies to others? Why (or why not)?
Absolutely—otherwise I wouldn’t be giving this interview (laughs). We’re currently driving the further development of our IT and are already looking forward to exploring new possibilities and technologies together with Sidler System and peoplefone.
Interview with Jonathan Heimlicher, Head of Digitalization and IT and member of the extended executive board at the Quellenhof Foundation
October 2, 2023, by Alexia Zufferey