Flexibility and security were crucial when Stockholm Pride chose Telavox
Flexibility and security were crucial when Stockholm Pride chose Telavox
“Telavox is great for the app generation, gathering all communication in one app.”
Daniel Sörlöv, Deputy Festival Director for Stockholm Pride
The Stockholm Pride Association is a non-profit and member-run organization whose purpose is to make LGBTQ issues visible and create a free zone for homosexuals, bisexuals, trans and queer people, and the gender expressions that exist within the LGBTQ movement. The Stockholm Pride festival, which has been the Nordic region’s largest Pride festival since 1998, is held annually. All work with the festival takes place on a voluntary basis.
Safer volunteering with Telavox-numbers
Stockholm Pride is an entirely volunteer-run organization. For a long time, people, therefore, used their own mobile phones and contracts when volunteering. But for safety reasons, this was something that Daniel and the other managers were looking to change. Normally working as an information security specialist at Microsoft, Daniel quickly realized that the old ways just weren’t up to par when it came to safety.
“There is a certain risk of getting targeted that comes with being involved in HBTQ issues, and there have been incidents of volunteers receiving unpleasant phone calls at night. We needed a better solution for our communication, so people wouldn’t have to use their own phone numbers anymore”, he says.
In a voluntary organisation, the roles and levels of involvement are often more fluid than in a business, meaning telephony and communication solutions need to tick a different set of boxes.
“Because not all volunteers are involved at all times, traditional contracts just didn’t work for us. Telavox is based on licenses that can be transferred between users, which is ideal for us”, says Daniel.
Flexibility and security were crucial when Stockholm Pride chose Telavox.
“As a bonus, we got a handle on our costs and a super-fast support,” says Daniel.
Telavox is perfect for the app-generation
Pride is an organisation with many young volunteers, and Daniel believes there is a clear difference between how the various generations prefer to communicate.
“Younger people prefer to use chat rooms. If an organisation or company doesn’t provide a current solution, they’ll find their own. Telavox is great for the app- generation, putting all communication into one app”, he says.
At the same time, Daniel points out, everyone in the organisation quickly learned how to use Telavox. The intuitive and user-friendly interface made the onboarding process short and painless, even for those with less tech experience.
“We received incredible support from our Customer Success Manager at Telavox, but most of it was so straightforward, we were able to do it on our own”, he says.
Several features in Telavox have even become more popular than Daniel predicted.
“For example, it’s easy to change your profile setting from ‘Available’ to ‘Away’. Maybe this is particularly important when you’re a volunteer, donating your own time – you need to be able to take a break every now and then”, he says.
Better overview and full cost control
Daniel stresses how much easier Telavox makes administration, both of licenses and PBX itself.
“It’s quick and easy to create your own interactive voice response, call transfers, and groups. For a voluntary organisation, that flexibility and simplicity is priceless”, he says.
To Daniel, the transparent business model and easy-to-understand invoices are other significant benets of using Telavox.
Daniel Sörlöv, Deputy Festival Director for Stockholm Pride
“We love the detailed invoices that tell us exactly where the money goes. Suddenly, accounting for every penny spent is a no-brainer, as is making sure that each entry is matched with the right cost center.”
Working with Telavox has exceeded Daniel’s expectations, and he especially appreciates being able to choose a supplier who supports the core values of his organization.
“It means a lot for us to be able to work with values-driven organizations. You can tell that Telavox is genuinely conscious of CSR, inclusivity, and HBTQ-issues”, he says.