Debt Free Advice: remote working for 16 charities within a week

The challenge

Debt Free Advice is a coalition of 16 charities, led by Toynbee Hall and funded by the Money and Pensions Service. It gives face-to-face advice to nearly 20,000 people each year.

Many of its clients have complex problems. They often need many appointments before an issue is resolved. The advice centres were central to how the service worked.

Then the COVID-19 lockdown closed those centres. At the same time, demand grew, because more people were worried about money.

Staff across 16 charities in London had to start working from home, quickly. They needed new laptops and a new telephony service. They also needed the same reliable IT set-up across every charity. Without this, advice would stop for the people who needed it most.

What we did

We helped Debt Free Advice make decisions quickly. We moved from planning to action within four days. The rollout followed within a week.

Zero-touch deployment for new Mac laptops

In-person IT support was not possible during lockdown. So we set up zero-touch deployment for new Mac laptops, using mobile device management (MDM).

Each laptop went straight to the adviser in its box. The adviser switched it on and connected to the internet. The laptop identified itself by its serial number. It then installed the correct settings and software automatically. No one had to set up a laptop by hand.

One consistent set-up across 16 charities

We configured every new device in the same way. This avoided a mix of different set-ups across the coalition. We also integrated the telephony platforms and webcams. Advisers could then deliver the service from home without interruption.

Direct, personal support

Debt Free Advice staff contact our team directly. They speak to a person, not a ticket system. This gives them fast support that fits their situation, and it built trust between our teams.

“The personalised support from Postremo IT has been a game-changer for us. Their ability to turn things around quickly and provide a personable phone call, instead of making us rely on impersonal ticket systems, has been invaluable in our operations. We can contact them around the clock, and they always deliver.”Matt Dronfield, Managing Director, Debt Free Advice

Video advice kiosks

Our work continued after the first response to the pandemic. We helped Debt Free Advice plan and deploy video advice kiosks. Each kiosk is a self-contained iPad. It lets people receive secure advice remotely, in locations where face-to-face advice is difficult. We also worked through the approvals needed to put the kiosks in place.

The impact

• New laptops were with advisers within a week, so the service continued without interruption
• Advisers kept helping people with money problems during a critical period
• Every device had the same set-up, which made remote working reliable across the coalition
• Fast, direct support raised staff morale
• Telephony and iPad video kiosks gave staff new ways to reach clients

“There’s no over-promising and under-delivering. They provide clear, layman-friendly explanations and only recommend what we truly need.”Matt Dronfield, Managing Director, Debt Free Advice

A long-term partnership

Our work with Debt Free Advice started in a crisis. It is now a long-term partnership. We continue to improve and expand its IT, so it can adapt as its needs change.

If your organisation needs a similar service, see managed IT support, Mac IT support and Apple and Jamf. For more on our work in the sector, see IT for charities and non-profits.