WLLO Village has a dedicated staff and a main phone number for inquiries, service requests and questions about Villages in general. We have four volunteers, 3 of whom are well trained. I volunteer to be the office volunteer at least two days a week.
Our hours are 10:00 am til 2:00 pm although I respond up until 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm, if I'm near my computer. I can receive the phone calls wherever I am (they are translated by Google Voice and sent to all office volunteers as an email), and return the phone call, get clarification then enter it as a service request when I get to my computer.
Google Voice does a pretty good job but there is still a lot to be desired. Ellen sounds like Alan. Some members leave messages that don't quite have all the pertinent details ... like "this is Hazel and I need to go to the foot doctor on Thursday." Of course we need to ask her the doctor's name and address and what time her appointment is. Sometimes they have forgotten that they already requested that ride. Often they don't have the street address so we put on our detective caps while they explain it's near Home Depot near that McDonald's just off the highway and look online while talking with them.
Once we enter a service request in our Village software, we choose which Volunteer to email the request. For instance if it is a ride to Dr Norton for an 11:00 appt, the office volunteer checks the typical time from Hazel's house to that address and asks for driver to pick her up at 10:45, wait or return when appointment is over, then drive her back home. Sometimes one driver can do the morning part but another needs to do the return trip. Oh yeh! We aim to please!!
The Office Volunteer calls the member to tell them WHO is picking them up. The driver calls the rider the day before the appointment to confirm everything is still on. Some members call to ask who is driving two or three days before. They just need that reassurance someone IS coming.
We can enter a note for drivers ... Hazel uses a walker, is very slow and needs help opening the door to the doctor's office. Many riders ask the driver to made additional stops ... pick up a quart of ice cream, or a prescription. We usually ask the rider ahead of time if there will be additional stops because sometimes drivers only plan a specific amount of time.
So far we have a 100% record of accommodating each request. One request that we did not have success filling was less than 4 days notice (one of our rules)(and we have often done next day requests). A pretty good track record.
Best of all? Members have no idea that I am not working in an office complex, with my own desk, equipment, assistants and file cabinets. This is how I run my office day ...
That's quite an great system you have. You're helping a lot of people with your volunteering but it's also keeping you updated on your computer skills.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love learning new technology. Our city wide Village software, Club Express, is amazing and allows each Village to track volunteer hours, service requests, calendars, newsletters, and more in the exact same format for our mothership, Villages NW. Pretty awesome for a start up.
DeleteWhen we lived in Montana, I volunteered for Dress for Success (wonderful organization). We had a shop for the clothes for women, but all the phone answering and administrative stuff was done at people's homes. I would answer the phones for them. The lines could be transferred to my phone. People would often ask if I could check if they had this thing or that thing in the shop and I would then have to explain I wasn't actually at the shop. Technology is great how we can work at virtually any location and most people have no clue where we actually are. Seems like you are doing a great service with your volunteer efforts!
ReplyDeletebetty