Athens County

With the Wildix solution installed for the government offices and managed by FreedomLinx, Athens County now enjoys more consistent uptime and, in the event of errors, reliable customer service.

“FreedomLinx is always the same quality of service for us,” Ms. Rockhold said. “It’s being able to get a hold of someone when you need them, whether that’s on a Sunday night or in the evening or on the way home. It’s someone answering the phone to help you when you’re in need.”

When it comes to regular day-to-day operations, the county offices have found greater convenience in call handling through Wildix Collaboration, especially the address book within the tool.

“We always have to be able to send incoming callers to someone we don’t know,” Ms. Rockhold explained. “Before, if I got a call for someone, I would have to call the auditor’s office and say, ‘somebody’s looking for Don Smith, what department is that?’, and then she’d say ‘children’s services,’ so then I’d have to tell these people, ‘you got to call this number, blah blah blah.’ “Now, when the caller says who they’re looking for, I can handle the process myself by putting them on hold and sliding the call over,” she said.

The nature of the Wildix system has changed the exact working procedure for most of the offices, but with the solution’s greater efficiency, it’s safe to say those changes are for the better. As Ms. Rockhold described:

“I use my desktop every day and send callers to the direct line they need instead of having to send them to the main line, who then is going to answer the call again and put them on hold to try to send them to the next department — so it’s convenient. Now we don’t have as many irate citizens calling because we can get them who they need right away.”

This increased convenience and satisfaction was cited on top of increased efficiency and workplace satisfaction from the system.

“If you call me right now and I’m busy, I can right click on that in the history and call you back,” Ms. Rockhold explained. “Before, if you called me, you’re going to get someone taking a message, writing it down, they’re telling me you called, and then I’m going to try to get to you. Whereas now, I can just go into my history, right click on that number and call them. If I’m busy, or if someone sends me a message trying to get a hold of me while I’m on a conference call, I can multitask. “I would say it saves me at least an hour or two a day. The average employee probably has to save time as well.”

Additionally, as an unexpectedly important benefit, the Wildix system also brought the offices the ability to implement smart working.

“We got this going during Covid, which was a lifesaver for us,” Ms. Rockhold said. When we had to start to scale back, the problem was how to get people working from home and using cell phones. But we got [Wildix] up and running, which made it 10 times easier, because at least you could still continue to take your phone calls without giving out your personal cell phone number. You can take it right on your cell phone.”

Regarding the setup of the system, Mr. Basset had input as well.

“I think efficiency is the key: that’s the big difference maker versus traditional systems, the ability to give you the agility to meet whatever the situation you’re facing, from having to work remotely or take a call on the road or and not be limited by a sidecar on a physical phone,” he explained.

Asked if she would recommend Wildix and FreedomLinx, Ms. Rockhold had an easy answer.

“Absolutely,” she said. “The phone system is very user friendly. The conference calls are great, and transferring calls is wonderful. “It’s the convenience of using this system that makes it worthwhile. It’s the convenience of finding your employees, logging them by department or sending them a message or transferring a call that’s come into their direct line. It’s getting the right person.”

For getting the right person more quickly and consistently, Athens County’s clear choice is still Wildix and FreedomLinx.