The WorkPlace, a nonprofit workforce development agency in Bridgeport, was quick to answer the call to help people struggling to pay rent and other bills due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The agency was selected by the Connecticut Department of Housing in February to provide call center support for UniteCT ”“ a program offering rent and utility assistance to eligible households. The WorkPlace then called on its own local phone company, CCi Voice, to power up a call center.
Redding, Connecticut-based CCi Voice works with local businesses, schools and nonprofits to install, maintain and upgrade critical communications infrastructure, voice and computer cabling and video surveillance. For The WorkPlace, CCi Voice secured an easy-to-remember toll-free number ”“ 844-UNITECT ”“ to get the word out about UniteCT, which provides up to $10,000 in rental assistance and up to $1,500 in electric utility payments to landlords and utility companies on behalf of approved tenants. CCi Voice set up a 15-station call center using desktop softphones with separate queues for the staff to assist both English- and Spanish-speaking callers from throughout the state and then direct them to local agencies. The call center went live March 9 and is handling some 1,000 calls a day.
“We went live within two weeks and immediately began helping people access programs that will help them remain in their homes,” said Joseph Carbone, president and CEO of The WorkPlace.
“The WorkPlace is a longtime customer and valued member of the CCi Voice family and we respect the work they do to help our neighbors,” said Michael LeBlanc, president and CEO of CCi Voice, which provides telecommunications and cloud-based solutions throughout the Northeast.
CCi Voice is headquartered at 38 High Ridge Road in Redding with an additional office and warehouse in Holtsville, New York. A Sangoma Pinnacle Partner and Mitel Business Partner, CCi Voice works with top industry suppliers to provide both cloud-based and on-premise solutions with rapid, on-site response times and a service level agreement.
