Vonage > Case Studies > Latin American Youth Center Enhances Telephony System with Vonage for Improved Flexibility and Cost Efficiency

Latin American Youth Center Enhances Telephony System with Vonage for Improved Flexibility and Cost Efficiency

Technology Category

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Public Cloud
Robots - Wheeled Robots

Applicable Industries

Education
Telecommunications

Use Cases

Personnel Tracking & Monitoring

Services

System Integration
Training

About The Customer

Founded in Washington, D.C., in the late 1960s, the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) has grown into a nationally recognized agency serving low-income youth. The organization’s staff of 200 employees and volunteers support over 5,000 youth (ages 14 - 24) and families annually through youth centers, school-based sites, and public charter schools in the District of Columbia and Maryland’s Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. LAYC has four primary sites and dozens of service points through partner schools and organizations. The organization’s guiding principle is “a vision for a future where all youth pursue their dreams, reach their goals, and acquire the skills and self-confidence to live a life of purpose, connection, contribution, and joy.”

The Challenge

The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), a nationally recognized agency serving low-income youth, was facing challenges with its existing telephony system. As the organization expanded, the need for scalability became critical. The existing on-prem, analog lines for telephone and fax services were proving to be clunky, costly, and difficult to scale. Adding or relocating phone installations required in-person, on-site support, leading to mounting costs. Every time a new employee was hired or existing staff turned over, LAYC had to get new lines or transfer older lines, which meant someone had to physically visit their office to do the work. This was not only time-consuming but also expensive as they had to pay for the service provider's time.

The Solution

To address these challenges, LAYC decided to switch to a cloud-based, IP telephony system. After reviewing a variety of options and companies that offered cloud solutions, they chose Vonage Business Communications (VBC). The VBC system offered the flexibility and scalability that LAYC needed. With VBC, LAYC was able to self-manage their telephony system, eliminating the need for costly on-prem service support. They could add and relocate phones with ease, leading to significant cost savings. Additionally, the VBC mobile app allowed LAYC staff to work from home or anywhere else, a feature that proved especially valuable when they had to close their physical offices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operational Impact

The switch to Vonage Business Communications has brought about significant operational improvements for LAYC. The organization now enjoys greater flexibility and reliability in their telephony system. The ability to self-manage their system has eliminated the need for costly on-prem service support, leading to significant cost savings. The VBC mobile app has also enabled their staff to work from anywhere, a feature that proved invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic when they had to close their physical offices. Furthermore, the ease of use of the VBC system has reduced the need for technical support, with the IT director reporting that he only had to call in once in two years.

Quantitative Benefit

Significant cost savings due to the elimination of costly on-prem service support.
Ease of adding and relocating phones, reducing the need for in-person, on-site support.
Flat, monthly rate offered by Vonage, leading to predictable and manageable costs.