In crisis work, every ring is a moment of trust. With a custom system its advocates love, RCFC answers everyone in Western Massachusetts.
RCFC's Goals
Running a 24 × 7 domestic and sexual‑violence crisis line means RCFC is always working harder to support its community. In 2025, the team set two ambitious goals:
RCFC’s crisis‑line team set out to remove every barrier between a survivor’s call and a helpful voice. That meant finding a platform that could mirror their live on-call calendar in real-time, keep calls crystal-clear even in Western Massachusetts’ patchy reception zones, and surface live dashboards that spotlight workload imbalances long before burnout appears—turning raw call data into fuel for more innovative staffing and stronger grant reports.
How RCFC achieved their goals
When RCFC flipped the switch to Helpline Software, the platform instantly synced with the built-in live on‑call calendar and began ringing the right advocate once before cascading to backup and then voicemail, all in under sixty seconds. Guided safe‑callback prompts and automatic number masking meant no one needed a personal phone, while real‑time dashboards displayed unanswered calls, pinpointed when weak reception (not human error) caused a drop, and highlighted advocates edging toward burnout. If a shift changed or a shelter bed opened, staff could blast a group text to the current on‑call crew. RCFC has seen their tailored prompts, routing rules, and survivor‑first safeguards deliver 100% uptime, lightning‑fast follow‑ups, and an interface every advocate praised within days.
“This is the first software that I’ve encountered that actually takes the survivors’ safety into consideration… that feature is already built in, which is just amazing,” says Gabi Sanchez, Administrative Manager
Impact — measurable and immediate
| Since July 2025, go-live | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Service uptime | 100 % | Every call connects—day or night, every holiday. |
| Ring-to-voicemail | 60 % shorter | From ~180 s to <60 s; callers reach help, voicemail, or crisis callbacks faster. |
| Callback speed | 50 % faster | One-click tickets return most callback requests within five minutes. |
| Staff adoption | 100 % | Easy to use for all RCFC advocates. |
| Troubleshooting time | Hours → Minutes | Detailed and real-time call logs pinpoint reception and scheduling issues instantly. |
“I’m loving this system. It’s incredibly easy to tailor, and it does exactly what our advocates need,”
says Annie Pollak, Program Director.
“Instead of troubleshooting, advocates are spending that time with survivors.”
World‑class support
Helpline’s interface is so intuitive that RCFC rarely needs to submit a ticket. “It’s incredibly easy to use, and it does exactly what our advocates need,” says Annie Pollak. But on the rare occasions a question arises, support is responsive and thoughtful.
“The quick response is amazing and just knowing that it's seen—even if it can't be resolved right in that moment—that it's actually taken seriously,” notes Annie Pollak, Program Director.
Administrative Manager Gabi Sanchez adds that support is high quality and flexible, in addition to responsive: “There’s definitely an awareness with the customer service team that every agency is different… It’s very ‘meet us where we’re at.’”
What survivors experience
Immediate connection, safer conversations, and prompt support.
- Always answered: 100% uptime means survivors never hit a dead line—day, night, or holiday.
- Faster help: Calls route in under 60 seconds, and most callbacks arrive within five minutes.
- Built-in safety: Caller-ID masking and survivor-controlled safe-callback options protect privacy from the first ring.
- Focused advocates: With troubleshooting off their plate, advocates can focus on listening and supporting callers.
Pollak notes that she really loves how Helpline’s structure keeps advocates organized, and that this significantly impacts survivors – “When advocates are organized, survivors receive the best service."