Opportunity Resource Services (ORS) is a Texas-based non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating generational poverty through education. The organization is strategically spread across the Johnson, Tarrant, and Dallas counties in Texas, and holds nine Department of Education grants, which allows them to empower vulnerable teens and adults — especially first-generation college students, low-income individuals, and those involved with the criminal justice system.
We talked to two ORS representatives: Erin Dugan, the Director of Finance and HR, and Hannah Sutton, Program Director, who were responsible for finding and implementing the right communication solution for ORS from the very beginning. In their journey, they compared multiple communication solutions, eventually deciding that MightyCall was the winner. Since that decision in 2021, they’ve been MightyCall customers. Let’s see why!
Communication touch points
ORS’s communication needs are diverse. Once contact with a prospect is established, ORS places significant emphasis on follow-ups. For instance, after initial meetings or community events, team members reach out to those who have shown interest to guide them further, helping them navigate the application process or providing additional information about educational opportunities. This follow-up communication includes incoming calls and messages about program criteria and details. All this helps maintain engagement and assists individuals in taking concrete steps toward their educational goals.
Communication is key. But we’re passionate about answering phone calls, about replying to texts, emails, and I just think it builds trust with clients and participants and the community at large.
ORS’s long journey on their way to find the right solution
For Opportunity Resource Services (ORS), the journey to find an effective communication system was fraught with challenges and learning experiences. The quest for a platform that could offer user-friendly, cost-effective, and comprehensive communication services led ORS through various trials with different providers.
After grappling with various platforms, ORS finally settled on MightyCall. This decision was driven by MightyCall’s comprehensive suite of features, including an intuitive user interface, easy setup, and competitive pricing. MightyCall offered a seamless integration of voice and text communications on a single platform, which was exactly what ORS needed. Now let’s look at each benefit that Opportunity Resource Services highlighted in their MightyCall experience.
The MightyCall benefits highlighted by Opportunity Resource Services
Call routing
What is one way to exclude all the barriers on the way of connecting customers to the right department or person? Setting up a voice menu. Opportunity Resource Services allows their callers to choose one of the options and lets MightyCall’s IVR (Interactive Voice Response) do the rest.
We have a greeting that we recorded and then they have options to choose which program they want to be routed to. And then we also have it set up so that if they’re not sure which program, they just go directly to the main office, which really is Erin and I and we can route them.
In case of ORS, their voice menu is based on the programs they offer, although other common routing options are the location or department. This often leads to the need for a multi-level IVR menu, another great feature MightyCall offers.
Call to group routing option
To have the best call flow, routing calls to the right place is one thing and choosing the best call routing option for each destination is another. Opportunity Resource Services chooses the call to group routing option, which means multiple users receive a call at the same time, which minimizes the risks of missing the call.
We do have it set up so that teams all get the call. If they are routed, if somebody calls and goes through the phone menu, then they reach anybody who’s available. So that’s been really nice. We love that [Call to group routing option], that’s very helpful.
With MightyCall, call routing can be tailored to any need as it has 9 options available in store: call queue, call to user, call to group, play audio, voicemail, call to any phone number, voice menu, disconnect, and dial by name. Choosing the most suitable option is crucial for daily communication operation and leads to better engagement and call center performance.
Ease of communication across remote teams
The Opportunity Resource Services team has a physical office space, but even if their actual desk is located in that physical location, they may not be sitting at their desk all the time–they work with clients and participants at schools or outreach events, and they’re doing all sorts of things at various hours.
I would say most probably 90% of the team are using primarily just the mobile app. But I do think some team members are discovering or maybe rediscovering that the web version is pretty user-friendly too, especially if you’re trying to make outbound calls.
With MightyCall, everyone can choose a designated workspace: a web platform, desktop, or the mobile app. This level of flexibility meets every team member’s need and allows everyone to stay connected from anywhere, even if an employee is working on the go.
Competitive pricing
For the nonprofit sector especially, it’s important to find solutions that won’t stretch their budget. Making sure the software has all the features necessary for top-notch communication management and not exceeding the budget can be hard for many. Erin commented:
We knew remote teams for sure needed the app, so that was really important to us and the price was important to us. Those were some of the biggest things.
Hannah added:
Price was one of the big deciding factors and it’s still unbeatable.
One of MightyCall’s most appealing factors is its pricing, as it’s designed specifically for small and medium businesses in mind. We have built a solution that can be customized to any business needs, taking communication management to the next level and not requiring a fortune to do so.
Easy scalability
Any business is looking to scale and get better results and more opportunities. Given that, the team should always be prepared to account for a new scope and have the business tools ready to enable that growth. Erin said:
When we switched over, we still didn’t know for sure if we were growing, if we were going to have new programs outside of the county that we were in. I’m pretty sure on the timeline that we were still in the county with just the five grants. it’s super important to be able to grow.
In the past few years, Opportunity Resource Services has earned more and more achievements, and now has secured a total of 9 grants for their organization. No matter how quickly or how large a business grows, MightyCall scales alongside them. There’s no need to spend time looking for a different solution, it’s possible to just adjust the settings for the new requests and keep the success going.
Main takeaways about business communication
There’s always a direct connection between the level of communication a company offers and its overall trajectory. This case study of an educational nonprofit also proves that treating customers right leads to long-term victories. Opportunity Resource Services has been expanding and helping more and more people to overcome poverty with the help of its accessible educational programs. Erin said:
I think that’s what builds trust. If you’re not reachable, they’re not going to call back. Calling is so hard anyways in this day and age, no one wants to pick up the phone and call. Sometimes I feel like you even have one shot with them.
Hannah added:
We don’t want to be another barrier in someone’s way, we want to be available and responsive.
MightyCall is deeply committed to supporting nonprofit organizations like Opportunity Resource Services (ORS), aiming to make a significant impact within these vital sectors. We wholeheartedly echo Erin’s thoughts that effective communication is the key to organizational success, especially when the goal is as ambitious as eliminating generational poverty through education.
MightyCall is eager to continue playing a pivotal role in the nonprofit sector, recognizing that every improvement in communication is a leap forward in organizational achievement and community impact.
