Support helpline
Setting up a support helpline
A support helpline exists to offer emotional support, advice or help to people facing a difficult situation.
Callers must be able to reach the helpline at any time on a single number, which connects them to an available volunteer, usually on a mobile or landline phone.
This kind of on-call phone service therefore requires an on-call team and a schedule to share the call load.
It also requires a tool that forwards calls to volunteers according to time slots, so that every call is picked up as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Managing a support helpline
Planitel gives you both a single number, such as a free toll-free number, and a schedule that automatically forwards calls from your support helpline to the volunteers on duty.
Call forwarding is automated, which removes the risk of errors or oversights and ensures continuity of service.
The phone schedule is available online from anywhere, either to a supervisor or to the volunteers themselves.
The schedule can be built very quickly, by time slot or by day, over long periods, and updated instantly, with call forwarding changing in real time.
How to secure your support helpline
With automatic call forwarding, Planitel secures your on-call line while making it easy to distribute calls among your volunteers.
If nobody answers, Planitel can escalate the call to another listener when needed, or send it to voicemail with an automatic email or SMS so you can react as quickly as possible.
You can also prevent callers from reaching a listener's personal voicemail by using the call acceptance confirmation key.
Make your organization easier to run
You will be surprised how quickly and easily you can organize and plan your on-call schedule for the weeks ahead!
What's more, detailed statistics on how each call went, wait times and call durations help you adjust the number of volunteers you need to keep the service running, while staying available on your helpline for the people who need help.