Carolina Breast Friends reached out to Apparo for support updating their antiquated telephone system, so that they could provide a higher level of service to Survivors.
The Carolina Breast Friends (CBF) team was using dial up phones and direct lines with the ability to transfer calls, requiring walking through the Pink House to physically hand off the telephone. They did not have conference call or remote voicemail abilities. Though the generosity of a sponsorship from Novant Health and a corporate volunteer team from Rodgers Builders, CBF has received the support they need.
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The volunteers assessed CBF’s current phone technology infrastructure and determining the hardware and wiring that was needed to support a new phone system. This included vetting telephony providers and gathering quotes. The volunteers ultimately negotiated with the current phone and internet system provider and got the necessary service at a reduced rate.
The volunteer team helped CBF configure their phone service provider for the new services provided and installed a phone system and updated wiring. They also assisted the staff with setting up their own portals, including remote voicemail and an auto attendant.
At the close of the project, Lynn Erdman, Executive Director, shared her appreciation: “This project has helped improve connectivity with our Survivors who utilize the Pink House and with our staff who work here. We now have a phone system that allows us to transfer calls to one another and connect with each other no matter where we are in the house. Our new system allows Survivors to leave detailed messages for each one of us so we can better meet their needs and answer their questions and concerns in a much more timely fashion. By having the capability to pick up our individual voice mail messages from the Pink House of elsewhere, our response time back to Survivors has improved dramatically, allowing us to reach even more survivors with our support, education and resources. On top of all of these terrific benefits, our costs have also been reduced. We are extremely grateful for Apparo, Rodgers Builders, Novant Health and Scott for sharing their gifts of time, expertise, patience and compassion with us. We will always sing your praises!
Carolina Breast Friends leadership shares that the support they received is a “blessing,” even more so today faced with the coronavirus pandemic.
We checked in recently with Lynn Edman, Executive Director and Brittany Garrett, Director of Development, Outreach and Education to learn about the impact of their work with Apparo and Rodgers Builders. They have realized all of the benefits anticipated with the new phone system: increased staff satisfaction, improved responsiveness to the Survivors they serve, and $1,000 in decreased annual expenses.
Lynn provided an update on the significance in today’s environment. “The phone system has been a gift beyond words. Today, faced with the pandemic, we are providing many of our services virtually and the number of people we are serving has actually increased. They need to be able to reach us even while we are working remotely. With our new phone system, it’s clear and easy to leave us messages that we can pick up from home. We can continue to provide the level of support needed to Survivors to fulfill our mission.”
Please enjoy video testimonials related to this project from our 2019 Impact Breakfast:
