HOSTED – The Solution for Small Businesses and Organizations
The Association for Parental Responsibility (VEV – www.vev.ch) has been using Peoplefone’s HOSTED virtual phone system for eleven years. Using the Peoplefone app, the advisors turn their personal cell phones into association phones that operate through the hotline at 056 552 02 05. The association values this solution, which is tailored to its needs and is not only affordable but also low-maintenance and easy to use.
You are the managing director of RN IT-Unit AG, an installation partner of Peoplefone. Your clients also include organizations from the nonprofit sector. Which ones are these?
They include the Swiss Association for Shared Parenting, the Zwüschehalt Association, the Foundation Against Racism and Anti-Semitism, and many others. Since I’m personally involved in nonprofit work, I have a large network.
How does working with these associations and organizations differ from working with companies?
NGOs and associations operate very differently from businesses. Of course, they also need to think like businesses, but their structures are different. There is a president and board members, as well as usually numerous volunteers, many of whom work part-time. Since these organizations often finance their activities with donations, their financial resources are limited. Yet they, too, need infrastructure—such as a phone system—that is tailored to their needs.
Could you please give us an example?
Gladly. Let’s take the Association for Parental Responsibility (VeV – www.vev.ch), for which we’ve been working for eleven years. If you’re not divorced or separated, you might not be familiar with it. The association provides professional counseling to children and parents during and after a separation. You don’t necessarily have to involve lawyers right away. The association’s so-called separation counselors are absolute professionals and focus entirely on the needs and well-being of the children, who need both their father and mother and shouldn’t suffer as a result of the separation. The VeV offers in-person and telephone counseling daily. Eleven years ago, the organization had only a single cell phone at its disposal. As you can imagine, this was very cumbersome given that there were five counselors at the time, spread across all of German-speaking Switzerland. Then the organization reached out to me.
What solution did you propose to the VeV?
There should be a single hotline number through which the counselors can be reached. The association receives the most calls in the winter and after the summer vacation. There can be up to 200 calls a month, or 10 a day. For data protection reasons, the association’s separation counselors should not be contactable directly by those seeking help. But it’s also about protecting them.
How did you tackle this challenge?
We configured a Peoplefone HOSTED virtual PBX system for the association. This system routes calls directly to the approximately ten call agents in German-speaking Switzerland. They, too, work on a volunteer basis and at irregular times. We had to program the system so that the Peoplefone app rings on the mobile phone of the agent on duty. The agent arranges a time with the caller for a conversation with a counselor. The counselor then calls the person seeking help at the agreed-upon time. When the call is returned, the caller’s private number does not appear on the display; instead, the VeV hotline number is shown.
What sets the HOSTED phone system apart?
It’s affordable and reliable, which is especially important for small businesses and organizations. At the same time, the system offers all the essential phone features that SMEs need. They don’t want a system that offers 500 features when they only need three or four of them.
Is the customer satisfied with the system?
In the eleven years that VeV has been using HOSTED for its phone service, there have never been any significant problems. The customer is satisfied and can fully provide its services for the benefit of those seeking help.
How long have you been working with Peoplefone as an installation partner?
RN IT-Unit has been in business for 30 years. We provide IT services and telephony solutions for small businesses. We’ve been working with Peoplefone since 2013. The two companies are a good fit. We like each other—both in terms of our philosophies and how we execute projects.
www.rnitunit.ch
Interview with Oliver Hunziker, Managing Director of RN IT-Unit AG