Starting January 2015, municipalities will be responsible for youth care, work and income, and care for the chronically ill and elderly. They will need to set up a well-functioning (telephone) contact point for this. Many municipalities are currently asking how to do this effectively. In this article, we address the most frequently asked questions and answers.

Although the measures will take effect in a few weeks, municipalities have been busy setting up the necessary infrastructure to fulfill these new tasks properly.

Many municipalities are discovering that the way telephone accessibility has been handled so far — in some cases literally just a mobile phone carried by an employee — is no longer sufficient.

But how should it be organized? What functionalities are needed? How should they be set up, and how long will it take?

These are just a few of the concrete questions municipal employees are seeking answers to.

Choose a Suitable Number

The first step is choosing a suitable phone number. This can be an existing number, but sometimes it’s necessary to request a new number. That number must, of course, be assigned and connected in time. You have several types of numbers to choose from. Regardless of the type of number you choose, you’ll always have access to the full range of extra features offered by Belfabriek.

What Types of Numbers Are Available?

  • 0800 Numbers Widely used and immediately recognizable to callers as a number that can be called for free. If you assume that municipal services should always be accessible to everyone, an 0800 number is the perfect choice.
  • 0900 Numbers Accessible at a fixed, low rate. You set the rate yourself, allowing you to control the costs of your telephone accessibility. Make sure to clearly communicate the chosen rate whenever your 0900 number is mentioned.
  • 088 Numbers These numbers are issued in blocks of 100, 1,000, or even 10,000. If your municipality already has such a number, you can often easily activate an additional number. If you have questions about 088 numbers, feel free to contact our customer service.
  • 085 Numbers Perfect if you need the number to go live quickly. We have a wide selection of 085 numbers available from stock that can often be connected within a day.
  • A Regular Local Number Do you want a number within your own region while still benefiting from all the extra features? That’s also possible! We offer phone numbers with a wide range of regional options. Even with these local numbers, you can use all our extra functionalities.

If you’re unsure or have questions about choosing a number, feel free to call one of our experts. They’ll be happy to assist you. You can reach us for free at 0800-BELFABRIEK.

Who Will Answer the Calls?

In many cases, one or more municipal employees will need to answer incoming calls during office hours. These could be people from the same department, but they could also be employees from other departments. Some municipalities may use their own or even an external call center to handle calls.

But What About After Office Hours?

Belfabriek offers a convenient and easy-to-use online scheduling system that allows you to manage work schedules for all your employees weekly or monthly. This gives you full control over which employee answers incoming calls at any time. If an employee is unexpectedly sick or otherwise unavailable, you can quickly and easily make adjustments. This can be managed centrally, where an administrator determines where calls are delivered, or decentrally, where employees make themselves available within the system. Our specialists can tell you more about the different solutions and options.

Whatever solution you choose, you don’t need to install additional software on your computers or have it installed by the IT department. Everything can be managed from a browser or with our iOS apps for iPhone and iPad. We offer separate iOS apps for number owners and for telephone employees, ensuring everyone always has the information they need.

Ensure Quality Monitoring

You’ll want to ensure that everything is perfectly organized from day one. Are all calls being delivered to the right place? Are questions being answered correctly and accurately?

The detailed call statistics — included as standard with your subscription — show you exactly how many calls you’ve received, where they were delivered, how long they lasted, and much more. You can even receive these statistics in periodic email reports. This way, you’ll always know exactly how your number is performing.

To determine whether calls are being handled correctly and accurately, you can use our premium feature call recording. All calls are recorded and securely stored in our cloud environment. Only the number owner has access to these recordings. You can easily listen to the recordings from your online control panel. Our specialists can tell you more about this unique extra functionality.

How Long Before I Can Use My Number?

The answer to this question mainly depends on whether you’re using an existing number or requesting a new one.

If a new number needs to be requested, keep in mind that the ACM will take about three weeks to process your request.

If you’re using an existing number or choosing an 085 number, it’s often possible to have your number connected and set up within a few days.

Our staff can tell you more about the procedure and the number of days required in your case.

Want to Learn More?

If you have any questions or want to learn more, feel free to contact us via our free number 0800-BELFABRIEK. Our staff will be happy to assist you.

If you’d prefer to try things out before making a purchase, one of our staff members can set up a test environment for you so that you and your employees can familiarize yourselves with the system.