When you hear the word “nonprofit,” it’s easy to imagine a charitable foundation or some other such well-meaning organization aimed at making the world a better place. Yet entities that operate as nonprofits fall into two very broad categories: community-serving organizations, which include charitable enterprises, aid and development programs, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and the like; and member-serving organizations, such as professional or industry associations, trade and credit unions, sports clubs, and more. What both kinds of nonprofits have in common, however, is that they are in the business of meeting the needs of their “customers” – that is, their students, patients, target population, or members. And, they typically must do this under strict financial constraints and with an eye towards good fiscal stewardship.

For nonprofits seeking to meet their member-serving or community-serving goals, call recording software can provide valuable insight. By recording calls that come into your organization, you can gain:  

• C-level Insight – Leverage the actual voice of the “customer” to keep senior-level volunteers and staff in touch with the needs and challenges of your patients, students, members, and more.
• Information to Kick off Volunteer or Employee Meetings – Replay select calls at the start of meetings so that your staff can hear best practice calls and discuss what could have been done better with under-performing calls.
• A Chance for Everyone to Learn – Consider sharing two or three carefully selected calls with every employee or volunteer on a monthly basis. This way, everyone in the organization has a direct connection to the customer and his/her wants/needs.

These recorded calls can also help your organization acquire other insights, such as:

• Ideas for new services
• Intelligence about other organizations that operate in your field
• Ways that your organization is meeting (or failing to meet) the needs of your constituents, and perhaps even discover suggestions for improvement

The issue of cost is an important one for most nonprofits. Although call recording software may seem like a luxury for only for-profit entities with plenty of cash to spare, the reality is that these types of systems are growing more affordable than ever. If you’re looking at a call recording system for your nonprofit and are sensitive about costs and the use of your personnel and other resources, here are some questions to ask before selecting a provider:

• Is it expensive? Certain systems can cost you as little as $5 per month per user.
• Does it require costly hardware? Look for an open-architecture, software-only solution that can run on standard industry hardware; or consider a hosted/cloud-based system.
• Is it easy to install or maintain? Some systems can be installed in about 30 minutes and require no maintenance, provided you select the right solution.
• Is it difficult to learn and use? Pick a system that your staff can learn to use quickly – for some, in as little as one hour.

In many ways, the mission of a nonprofit resembles that of their for-profit counterpart – to keep customers happy and to use resources wisely. Let call recording software help your nonprofit accomplish both of those goals.