Manager of the Emergency call centre in Yad Sarah – Arie Kahan (in photo) answers 7 questions about this distinctive call centre which imparts a sense of security to those who are connected and to their families.
Seven Questions, One Answer – A Call Centre Full of Heart!
1) I read and heard in the media that connection fee to the call centre is only 54 NIS. Is that so?
Yes, it’s true. It is one of the services provided by Yad Sarah – the leading voluntary organization in Israel. This service connects elderly and sick people to a dedicated and reliable team, which works from a hi-tech call centre in Yad Sarah House in Jerusalem.
Every call is immediately responded to, and simultaneously, the computer presents all the necessary information about the caller, caller’s condition, and relatives to call. The immediate information helps the volunteer in the call centre to decide, quickly and efficiently, which service is urgently needed – be it an ambulance, or someone to take care of a water flood in the flat.
2) Does the connected customer need some special equipment, in order to enable the connection?
No. The connected customer can make his call from any phone – stationary or mobile. If a customer wishes, there is an upgrade possibility to the basic service: a distress button for a low cost. This upgrade is only upon the customer’s request.
3) What else is included in the upgrade package?
Yad Sarah can connect the caller to an ambulance and physician service, or to a house repair service in case of a problem in the caller’s residence. Yad Sarah acts as a mediator between the caller and the suppliers of the services and offers all these services as a low-cost package.
4) What characterizes the team in the call centre?
The call centre team follows Yad Sarah’s tradition – a vision which turned into reality – 36 years of prompt responding to every call, with a lot of heart, compassion and listening. The team is dedicated and reliable. The volunteers are a part of an organization driven by reciprocal social guarantee, and not by business aspirations of making money.
5) We are religious and keep the Sabbath (Saturdays). Does the call centre respond to holiday and Saturday calls?
The call centre is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, only on Saturdays there is a different team. As for communication methods and conveying messages during emergency cases, the call centre acts only according to the instructions and guidance of our religious mentors.
6) What is there in this call centre, which is absent in others?
Yad Sarah offers the public a supportive call centre for cases of distress. The volunteer in the call centre, once responding to the call, grasps the situation immediately. Instantly, he knows what to do and with whom to connect, in the most responsible way. It often happens that the conversation itself with the volunteer is enough to decrease the anxiety and loneliness. The conversations are best handled when a volunteer is a person who knows how to listen, and a willing spirit by nature.
7) Is there a possibility to call the call centre due to national security tension?
Definitely. Yad Sarah has a vital part of the civil defence system. Its reliability also plays an important role when supporting those with functional difficulties. Connecting to the call centre often provides relief of the caller’s distress and informs staff as to which service the caller needs immediately. This is especially important during times of national insecurity.
Thousands of subscribers are already connected to a call centre full of heart. Arie Kahn and the call centre’s dedicated team are waiting for you.
