“We’ve seen a surge of both for-profit and non-profit organizations using hotlines as a crucial form of communications since the pandemic started,” said Peter Schroder, CEO of Telzio. “The demand for hotlines has more than tripled since 2019 and we are seeing large call volumes.”

Non-Profits Turn to Hotlines For Low-Cost Solution

With the U.S. presidential election less than two weeks away, non-profits have set-up hotlines to inform and educate voters on real-world concerns, like registration basics, absentee voting, voter fraud and intimidation, general misinformation and other important topics that have surfaced. Now more than ever, these non-profits are serving a critical role as people turn to trusted resources for education, guidance and reassurance before they cast their votes.

Non-profits are utilizing hotlines as one of the most important low-cost tools they can deploy. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in partnership with Alabama Civic Engagement (ACE) Coalition and the Hispanic Federation have all launched voter hotlines. For example, the ACLU-WV is using a Telzio hotline to help resolve voters’ problems they encounter at the polls and provide voters with information on how to cast their ballot. The NAACP in partnership with the ACE Coalition launched a voter protection hotline “Reclaiming My Vote Hotline” where West Virginians can talk to a live person about restoring their right to vote, registering to vote, polling locations, and ways they can be civically engaged beyond voting.

“There is one non-profit alone that is averaging more than 50,000 calls per month with volunteers spread all across the country. These calls can as easily be routed, managed and monitored without the need for a physical call center location,” said Diana Chu, COO of Telzio. “This is ideal for how everyone has had to adapt in 2020.”

Supporting Remote Employees Across the Globe: Low-Cost, High-Touch Entry Point Technology

Because these hotlines are so easy to set up and can be brought online with very little investment, the technology is actually quicker and more efficient than setting up a microsite. Companies like Samsung, Marriott and Ulta have all set up hotlines to keep employees informed of COVID-19 updates and protocols or to provide support as employees have adapted to new remote worker scenarios in 2020.

One of the significant advantages of cloud-based hotlines is the ability to easily send calls to anywhere across the country. This has never been more relevant than the pandemic, which has forced employees to work from home for months on end. Volunteers or company employees can work from their homes anywhere while still answering hotlines. In the past, without VoIP phone systems, it was most efficient to have call centers with everyone working in the same room. Freeing up the budgets associated with physical call centers has helped non-profits better allocate their funds.