NFCC: video counselling for a national network of agencies

The challenge

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is a membership organisation in the United States. It supports non-profit agencies that provide financial counselling and education.

NFCC runs a locator service. The service directs consumers to a member agency, so they can get the financial counselling they need. NFCC wanted to add video to this service. The aim was to make counselling more interactive and easier to access.

This was not a simple change. The video service had to work with NFCC’s existing systems. It needed input from several vendors and internal teams. It also had to work for many member agencies, and each agency had its own technical set-up.

NFCC needed a partner to manage the technical work. It also wanted strategic guidance and practical support from start to finish. The change had to work well for consumers and for member agencies.

What we did

We planned the project carefully, integrated the video service with the existing platform and supported everyone who used it. We worked in four stages.

Assessment and vendor coordination

We started with an assessment of NFCC’s existing systems. We identified the best way to add video to the locator service. We then researched and selected the technology partners.

This included close work with Twilio, the channel partner behind NFCC’s existing locator service. We also identified the most suitable video options. Every choice had to fit NFCC’s needs and its current infrastructure.

We coordinated all the vendors involved. We managed the technical set-up, from licensing to authentication. We held regular calls with NFCC’s internal technology teams and other stakeholders. On these calls we reviewed progress and solved problems early. This kept the project on schedule and to specification.

Integration across different agency systems

Next, we built the video service into NFCC’s existing locator platform. Consumers had to reach the video service easily. Member agencies had to be able to manage it.

NFCC’s member agencies use a range of customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Their technical environments are different too. We customised the video service so it worked across these platforms. Agencies did not have to change how they already worked. Every agency could take part, whatever its internal systems.

“What stood out most was how Postremo IT handled the complexities of our diverse agency setups. They adapted the video service to work seamlessly across different platforms, ensuring everyone could participate without technical difficulties. It’s been a game-changer for us.”Megan Stout, Director, Enterprise Programs at NFCC

Training and onboarding

We ran training sessions for NFCC staff and member agencies. We also wrote documentation for them. Our team joined the onboarding sessions to fix technical issues and answer questions.

We set up a clear support route. NFCC could contact our support team whenever a problem came up, and we worked on it straight away.

Managed IT after the project

The video project built a strong working relationship. NFCC then invited us to become its managed service provider (MSP). We now support NFCC’s wider IT, working remotely with its teams and suppliers.

The impact

• Video is now part of the locator service, so consumers have another way to reach financial counselling
• Member agencies with different CRM systems can all take part, without technical barriers
• NFCC staff and agencies received training and documentation, and had direct support during onboarding
• The new service has started to create new opportunities for NFCC, including interest from donors in funding it
• NFCC appointed Postremo IT as its managed service provider after the project

The video service was still in its early stages when this case study was first written. Even so, it had already helped NFCC connect consumers with member agencies in a more interactive way.

“Working with Postremo IT has been incredibly refreshing. They’ve been so responsive and proactive, often resolving issues faster than we expected. Their ability to coordinate with our internal teams and vendors made the video integration process much smoother than we anticipated.”Megan Stout, Director, Enterprise Programs at NFCC

Why this matters for other organisations

Many projects depend on several vendors and on partners who use different systems. The technology is often the easier part. The harder part is coordination: one plan, one owner and regular contact with every party.

We work this way on IT consultancy, and we continue it in managed IT support. We support clients in the US remotely.

Much of our work is with mission-led organisations. See how we support charities and non-profits, or read how we helped the Debt Free Advice coalition move to remote working within a week.