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ALICE Receptionist
Jitasa improves efficiency with a user-friendly and dynamic way to manage their lobby.
Boise, Idaho
Born in a Boise incubator in 2008, Jitasa is the first and largest accounting firm that works solely with non-profit organizations. The name Jitasa, which means “The Spirit of Serving Others” was chosen to show their dedication to being a force for good in the world. Headquartered in Boise Idaho, they have 215 employees globally across four locations. They currently rank Best in Governance among Certified B Corporations globally.
Summary
The receptionist retiring resulted in a search for a replacement hire or new approach to visitor management. Without a receptionist to greet visitors, employees close to the office entrance would have to pick up the slack and be frequently interrupted. A visitor would have difficulty in finding where they should go when they arrive. Maintaining visitor logs would be challenging. On the other hand, because of the low number of daily visitors to the office, hiring a full-time employee for this role was not seen .
Challenge
Improve efficiency using technology while providing a user-friendly and dynamic way to manage their lobby at low recurring cost.
Many companies today want to stand out to their clients, be memorable, and move forward with the times. Jitasa is one such company. When they needed to replace their receptionist – who was retiring from the company – they started hunting for a different solution.
Because the number of visitors to the Jitasa office on any given day is not partially high, hiring a replacement receptionist to dedicate to this role was something management questioned. They considered the option of not filling the position at all and having office staff listen for visitors when they arrived. They determined fairly quickly that this approach would be disruptive to the staff and would also feel less professional for the visitor.
At one point during these discussions, a comment was made about hiring a robot to do the job. Someone took that idea and did a quick search on Google to see if there was a technology solution that actually addressed these issues. It wasn’t long before they were reviewing ALICE Receptionist.
“We didn’t really want to fill a full-time position for just fielding visitors so we looked at other options. When we found out there was an automated solution, we were pretty excited about that.” Says Aaron Tevis, Manager of Quality Assurance. Aaron received an MBA from Boise State and spent a year as a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints before joining Jitasa as an accountant seven years ago. “We looked at similar products, but it seemed like Alice Receptionist was better suited for our needs than the others.”
Summary
By choosing an automated receptionist solution like ALICE Receptionist, Jitasa no longer needed to dedicate a staff member to greet visitors. ALICE Receptionist provided the futuristic feel and user-friendly interface the company was searching for at a price that was more appropriate for the front desk duties it performed. With ALICE greeting visitors, providing information and connecting guest with employees, staff members could remain productive and focused.
Solution
Why ALICE? They wanted a high-tech, future forward solution that had a low recurring cost and involved a simple implementation process. ALICE gave the the ability to have a fully functional receptionist for much less than the cost of a traditional one. ALICE greeting and managing visitors allowed staff members to stay productive — only being interrupted when ALICE notified them that a visitor had arrived. ALICE could also track visitors activity on visitor reports that were self-maintained and easy to review.
They did have some reservations: how long would the hardware last? How often would new hardware have to be purchased? Was maintenance difficult or expensive? Do they go with a big wall mounted screen, or a sleek kiosk Where do they put it in the lobby so guests know to come and interact with ALICE? ALICE staff was on hand to help Jitasa answer these questions and give advice on the best options for their lobby. They even worked with staff to train them on how to manage the employee list, maps and other content on ALICE. In addition to the training, product software was included at no additional charge and ALICE’s support team is available to assist when needed.
The implementation process for ALICE was smooth. The ALICE system was preconfigured and tested prior to being sent to Jitasa. When ALICE arrived, Jitasa simply needed to plug in the 24” all In One Nye desktop and work with the ALICE Support team to finalize configuration settings and testing once the system was connected to their network. It was an easy process. With ALICE’s image gallery widget configured to show guests the building layout, visitors are able to find where they need to go with ease. Ring groups were also added for guests that do not know who to see. Visitors simply click a “Receptionist” button that dials a list of staff members who are able to assist them.
Summary
Over $20k saved annually with no front desk staff and low subscription costs
Enhanced lobby space that looks professional and technologically advanced
Employees are more efficient, no longer leaving their desks to check for guests in the lobby
Easy set up and maintain
Improved visitor experience – visually dynamic and easy to use software
Results
With ALICE Receptionist managing their lobby rather than a full-time employee, Jitasa is saving over $20,000 annually while simultaneously allowing their employees to be more efficient. Staff can continue working at their desk and are notified and connected with guests only when needed, eliminating multiple trips to the lobby and interruptions from salespersons and unexpected visitors. This allows employees to screen guests quickly and remain productive.
Clients of Jitasa are impressed with ALICE’s technologically advanced look and feel. Jitasa took advantage of ALICE’s highly configurable abilities and widgets, implementing the ALICE weather widget and a map of the building layout, providing guests with important information in easy to understand visuals
In summary, ALICE Receptionist has provided company employees with the ability to control how and when they interact with visitors without the need for hiring someone to direct traffic or putting additional duties onto their staff. With ALICE’s easy to use, visually dynamic technology, Jitasa has enhanced their lobby and visitor experiences while maintaining an efficient and productive work environment for staff members.