Dana (She/Her/Hers) joined the iCarol team in 2013 after 12 years of direct service and administrative duties at a blended 2-1-1/crisis intervention/suicide prevention center. As the Communications and Social Media Manager at iCarol, you'll find her presenting Webinars, Tweeting, Blogging, Facebooking, and producing other materials that aid helplines in their work.
Of course that means creating a safe space where everyone is encouraged to live as their authentic selves and express who they are and how they wish to be addressed. That feeling extends to all of our customer organizations and end users of the iCarol software.
In the iCarol Help Center Community, and in responses to our latest customer survey, we received several requests for the ability for volunteers and staff users to note their pronouns within the iCarol system.
We’re excited to announce that sharing one’s pronouns in their volunteer/staff profile is a new enhancement that will be included in our latest release to iCarol. This release is expected to go into affect today, Tuesday, June 14.
Enabling and using pronouns in iCarol is easy. If a volunteer or staff member would like to share their pronouns, they should first edit their profile, then choose their pronouns from the dropdown menu, and click the ‘Save’ button.
Once enabled, a user’s pronouns will appear alongside their name throughout the different areas of iCarol where knowing a person’s pronouns will help you communicate and address them as they wish to be addressed, such as the main Contacts page.
And when viewing shifts.
Learning and then using a person’s correct pronouns creates a healthy and safe workplace environment, conveys respect, and affirms one’s identity. We hope this enhancement will help you and your team support one another and foster inclusion within your organization! If you have any questions, please open a ticket with our Support Team using the iCarol Help Center!
The Autism Society of North Carolina is currently looking to fill the position of Advocacy Database Specialist.
The Advocacy Database Specialist will manage and develop information on resources available to support people with autism, their families and the professionals who serve them in North Carolina. This staff person would be responsible for ASNC’s iCarol database and online resource directory including development, entry, and maintenance of community resource listings, database reporting functions, monitoring quality and accuracy of all database information, and training and supporting users of the iCarol Connection and Resource system. The position supports the Advocacy Departments work by assisting department staff with administrative duties.
This job is a partial work from home, and partial work from one of our regional offices, so you must be close enough to one of our office locations to commute as well. For a list of locations, click on your county and see if a local office location is listed https://www.autismsociety-nc.org/find-help/#
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include:
Operate the web-based information and referral database used by staff as well as the online Resource Directory used by the public. Determines appropriate means by which to accomplish this integral responsibility.
Research, enter and update statewide listings of community resources for people on the autism spectrum and their families.
Contact community organizations by phone and email to verify information.
Review and edit written content for grammar, spelling errors, and length.
Attach standardized classification system terminology to resource entries using the AIRS standardized taxonomy for human resources, as well as develop effective search keywords.
Develop and utilize content formatting and standardization rules, resource updating processes, other database policies, and training materials.
Communicate changes in database program services to staff and public.
Assist staff to help local ASNC chapters and support groups with the publication of local community resource guides.
Develop new and creative ways to use database and its information to further the mission of ASNC.
Review database system contacts entries for accuracy and problem solve with supervisory staff to improve data collection.
Train and support iCarol Connection system users.
Assist staff with development of system reports for internal and external audiences.
Assist Advocacy Department staff with administrative support work including but not limited to preparing and maintaining state lobbying reports, preparing ASNC info packets for elected officials, maintaining evaluation records, chapter volunteer background checks and availability of volunteers, compiling information and updating records, mailing packets of materials including Welcome Packets, securing locations and handling logistics for events, taking notes at meetings, arranging travel and other duties as assigned.
Other duties as assigned in support of the mission of the organization.
Qualifications include:
Attention to detail: is thorough when performing work; double checking for accuracy of information to ensure precision and high quality of work.
Time management and task prioritization skills; can set priorities and adjust them as needed to meet urgent needs.
Ability to problem solve; can analyze, develop solutions, test results, and use feedback to make modifications.
Excellent writing skills with an emphasis on correct grammar and the ability to summarize and edit written content. Skills testing may be a requirement of employment.
Superior computer skills: Use of MS Office Suite and internet research skills required; familiarity with information and referral databases and/or standardized taxonomy is preferred. Computer skills tests may be a requirement of employment.
Able to use excellent customer service skills to interact by phone, email/letter, or in person with a diverse array of community resource organizations, families, individuals on the autism spectrum and other stakeholders.
Acceptance of feedback from a variety of stakeholders and the ability to use to improve performance.
Education Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree (B. A.) from a four-year college or university in human services, library and information sciences, database management, or related field and one year of experience in customer service, research, and/or data entry; or an Associate’s degree in one of the above fields and two years related experience; or a High school diploma and an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Monitor, coordinate and instruct volunteers and/or interns
This blog was originally published in December 2020. As this pandemic rages on, the message remains relevant, and so we’re sharing it with you again to mark the 2021 holiday season.
Content warning: This post discusses sensitive topics such as suicide and abuse.
In a year as strange and relentless as 2020, I needed a sense of normalcy more than ever this holiday season, and that came in the form of my annual viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In years’ past, the film’s theme of suicide prevention struck me most. But like a lot of things, the experience of 2020 placed a new filter over the movie for me, and I started noticing elements that, while always there, hadn’t been as noticeable to me before.
The crises of 2020 were relentless. And when the bad news just keeps coming and it feels there’s no end in sight, no clear solution or relief, it can be easy to fall into total despair. George Bailey experiences this very thing in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” George passed on his own dreams so the dreams of others could be realized and those he loved could be happy, and for awhile he appears okay with that. Then a series of crises compound, and old trauma and resentments quickly rise to the surface. George, completely devoid of hope and solutions, is now staring into the icy churning waters of a river flowing beneath him. For all his good deeds and sacrifices, look at how bad things are. What was it all for? He contemplates how the world might be better off if he wasn’t here, or if he never existed at all.
George’s scenario got me thinking about the exhaustive work so many people have been doing all throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, only to have things stay the same, or get worse, day in and day out, with no relief in sight. When there’s no clear impact or positive change to motivate you, to reassure you that your sacrifices and work matters, how do you keep going? How do you resist despair and hopelessness?
I think the answer is similar to what we see in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” George can’t see his positive impact until he’s shown a world without him in it. Perhaps we need to briefly imagine what the world would look like without those forces of good working hard to help others.
What would our world look like now if helplines, contact centers, and other community services didn’t exist?
Contact centers and Information and Referral services like 2-1-1 commonly act as their community’s primary source of information about COVID-19, providing information on everything from common symptoms to look for and where to go to get tested. In many cases 2-1-1 became the official state/provincial source of COVID-19 information. Without that centralized information delivery service, health departments, emergency rooms, and medical offices are overwhelmed with people seeking information. Phone lines jam and human resources are syphoned from direct care treating those who are ill. Fewer people know where to get tested. More people get sick, and more lives are lost as a result.
The economic fallout from the pandemic will be with us for some time. Some say the financial recovery may take longer than public health recovery. Thankfully, people looking for financial assistance for their very survival—help with utilities or food—had places to reach. Places where a compassionate and knowledgeable specialist could, in a single interaction, provide ideas and resources that may help with several needs. Without those contact centers, those in need are left feeling lost and overwhelmed. Already worn down by their situation, they must now spend time and effort navigating the network of community services on their own. They don’t know how the systems work. They are frustrated and even more overwhelmed. It takes longer to access assistance. They miss several meals. They only find out about a fraction of the services for which they were eligible.
Quarantines and stay-at-home orders kept people at home more, and for many the people they live with are a source of comfort. For others, it’s a source of conflict or even danger. Suddenly, vulnerable individuals suffering abuse at the hands of a parent or partner, or LGBTQIA youth living with unsupportive family members, were cut off from their daily escapes and support systems. Without services specializing in providing safety and emotional support, they become more isolated. Tensions in the household rise. Abused partners and Queer youth have no professional confidential counseling to access quietly and privately through chats or text messages. There’s no emergency shelter to escape to.
Viruses and physical health have taken center stage this year, but the mental health toll is undeniable. We’ve been going through a collective, worldwide trauma. Everything familiar was disrupted and the entire concept of “normal” disappeared overnight. Many people are experiencing emotions they aren’t sure what to do with, and they aren’t ready to talk to their friends or loved ones. Others lack those connections and are processing things all on their own. Imagine a world without an outlet to help one cope with those feelings. No warmlines or impartial empathetic listeners, no crisis or suicide prevention services. The emotional suffering deepens and spreads, and we lose even more people to a different type of pandemic—suicide—that was present long before COVID-19.
So yes, 2020 was the worst, filled with more crises happening all at once than many of us could have imagined. And in a seemingly never-ending string of challenges, it may feel at times like your contributions, all your exhaustive efforts, aren’t making a dent. If reassurance and evidence of your impact seems elusive, think back to George Bailey’s tour of seedy Pottersville, the bad place version of Bedford Falls. Close your eyes and take a stroll through that scary, imaginary world without organizations like yours, and see that things could actually be much worse. It’s because of the good work of those who care, like you, that it isn’t.
The iCarol Support Team holds monthly trainings on topics that our customers want more information about. These trainings are offered on the third Wednesday of every month at 2pm Eastern.
Our topic for the December webinar is ReferralQ & Capacity Tracking and Provider Portal features.
ReferralQ and Capacity Tracking enables you to document and track referrals to a particular service that you work closely with, including information such as the service’s capacity to accept referrals. The Provider Portal is a separate product that complements ReferralQ by inviting your partners secure, direct access to view and update authorized ReferralQ information. With the Provider Portal your partners can input their program’s capacity to take referrals, obtain Contact Record or Intake information about the help-seekers referred to them, and update the status of a referred help-seeker as they work with the CBO.
We’re excited to share more information about these products with our customers on our next monthly training webinar!
Date: Wednesday, December 15
Time: 2pm Eastern
During this webinar, participants will learn:
What is the ReferralQ & Capacity Tracking feature?
What is the Provider Portal feature?
How can these features be used together?
What are some use cases for the features?
We welcome and encourage our customers to attend! You can find the registration link on the Admin Dashboard or in our Help Center announcements.
Did you know that iCarol’s Resource Database API is now fully bi-directional?
What does this mean? iCarol Resource database records can now be created and/or updated using the API.
iCarol was a pioneer among the I&R and Contact Center Software vendors with our Resource Database API, which was first released in 2013.
We’ve done it again with these new enhancements that can now be done outside of iCarol, directly into to your iCarol Resource database using the Resource Database API:
Update, create, or delete resource records from external software systems
Save time, increase efficiency, get new records from your partners quicker than ever—when time is of the essence
Decide to have new records and updates happen automatically, or as part of an automated verification process
Maintain necessary control of how you want the partnerships to work, while having flexibility to change quickly as needed
And we’ve continued with the ability we’ve always had where you can provide different partners different key access with different permissions
Here are just some possibilities that have been discussed with this new enhancement:
Open the door to partnership ideas and revenue streams that were not possible before
Feed data to warehouses and/or reporting tools and accept changes to the records in iCarol from those external sources
Partner with other referral partners who may be on other information and referral software, in more ways than ever before
Allow more options to health and human service partners who need direct access your resource database and need to let you know of new additions and changes themselves
Make yourself more marketable to healthcare providers/for healthcare partnerships who may be interested in access to your resource database, and may want easier options to let you know of changes to resources
Collaboration, coalition and Community Information Exchange (CIE) efforts can be even more streamlined
An overview of capabilities that have been available for some time with the iCarol Resource API:
And here’s what’s NEW:
Now is the perfect time to explore what iCarol’s Bi-direction Resource API can do for your organization and your partners.
Are you a current iCarol user? As we’ve previously shared, our November Support Training is about the API! Join our webinar Wednesday, November 17th at 2:00pm Eastern. Register by signing in to iCarol and opening the iCarol Help Center where the webinar description and registration link is posted as an Announcement.
Director of Business Development and Marketing – Remote
We are currently accepting applications for the position of Director of Business Development and Marketing.
The team member in this position is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Sales department, including Marketing and Communications. This position manages all employees of the department and is responsible for the performance management, hiring and training of the employees within that department.
What your impact will be:
Gather and analyze market data and industry trends.
Develop relevant annual sales strategies that are congruent with market analyses of a competitive sector
Build and execute against aggressive growth plans
Build strong prospect/customer relationships
Generate leads through all necessary channels
Build a strong pipeline of qualified prospects
Attend sales presentations
Achieve sales goals and enable team to achieve targets through efficient management and constant support
Prepare reports detailing the status of all accounts
Prepare and maintain the monthly sales bookings forecast
Work to create a marketing brand
Oversee conference attendance and participation to help drive new business and grow the market awareness of the company.
Manage/realign territories as needed
Understand and monitor the win/loss rates to be able to determine ROI for each activity. Understand the sales cycle within each vertical and design sales strategies that drive organic growth.
Handle the financial resources (revenue and spending allocated to the department, cost control, etc.) and provide forecast updates and reporting as required.
Make sure customers are satisfied during and after service delivery and process complaints, if any
Be an ambassador for the use of iCarol and suggest best practices for its use
Some travel is required.
Collaboration with other iCarol teams and departments to seek out and share ideas for process improvements to help guide the company’s growth and ensure a quality product for our client base.
What we are looking for:
3 to 5+ years of experience in software or institutional sales management
Superior oral and written skills
Demonstrated ability to determine and then transform customer needs/requirements into an opportunity for the company
Strong business development experience
Experience in client prospecting or seeking funding or partnership opportunities
High level of problem solving and analytical skills
Experience carrying a sales quota and achieving success of this quota Experience building out a high-performance team
Ability to work in a team and be hands on with customers in achieving their success
Strong critical thinking skills, decisiveness, and willingness to appropriately accept risk
Experience in industry, technology needs associated to industry, and in introducing new products is an asset
Experience with Zoho CRM and managing a CRM as an administrator.
What will make you standout?
iCarol software experience
Previous experience selling to charitable or non-profit organizations, securing funding, or building successful partnerships/programs, for a non-profit is preferred.
Client Support Implementation Specialist (CSIS) – Remote
Are you a current or former user of iCarol Software with a belief in and passion for the missions of non-profit helplines and contact centers? Would you enjoy guiding new iCarol users through their onboarding process as they prepare to use iCarol at their not-for-profit helpline? Do you enjoy troubleshooting problems to find solutions, and guiding people to answers that will help them? If you answered “yes” to these questions, you could be the next member of the iCarol Support Team!
We are currently accepting applications for the position of Client Support and Implementation Specialist
The Client Support and Implementation Specialist 1 (CSIS1) is responsible for implementing new name and back to base sales, answering complex questions, contributing to a knowledge base, and advocating for the needs of the client. The CSIS is accountable for ensuring continuity of computer system services by providing the technical expertise, the assistance and project coordination necessary to maintain computer software products, and resolve technical problems.
What your impact will be:
Configure new systems and features and train clients how to use iCarol to best meet their organizations’ needs
Monitors and answers incoming support chats and tickets, working directly with customers to help solve problems
Resolves issues or escalates issues to CSIS2 when more expertise is needed
Assists with release management by testing bug fixes and software enhancements, and other upgrade rollout tasks as required
Stay abreast on the latest developments in software through self-learning/training
Uses discretion to effect timely solution of problems to ensure customer satisfaction, eliminate downtime and prevent cost overruns
Maintains client relationships
Aids in creating and providing support documentation
Identifies solutions for customers related to potential up sales, escalating to the Sales Team when needed
Exercises sound professional judgment in analysis of problems to: (1) attempt hardware/software solution by screenshare, or (2) decide proper level of maintenance required to solve problem
Other duties as assigned
What we are looking for:
Honesty, patience, and motivation are core values of the iCarol team
A passionate belief in the mission of help lines and respect for their callers
A high degree of responsiveness to client requests and issues
Strong proficiency and comfort using computers and the web
General to intermediate knowledge of computers, internet browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) and Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Project management skills will be a plus
Due to the nature of the work our clients do (ie. you will have access to client ePHI), our policies require you to sign a confidentiality agreement and pass a basic criminal background check in addition to annual HIPAA security training.
What will make you standout?
At least 2 years of experience working at a help line, preferably both on the phones and in an administrative role
Even with increased awareness and understanding about mental health and mental illness, mental health care, particularly psychiatric care, can still be difficult to access. This often leaves Primary Care Physicians (PCPs), nurses, and other healthcare workers on the frontlines of mental health care in the United States.
However, in Utah PCPs can access specialized psychiatric consultations through the Consultation Access Link Line to Utah Psychiatry (CALL-UP) Program. This legislative funded program is designed to address the limited number of psychiatric services in Utah and improve access to them, and serves patients at no cost to providers or patients in the state of Utah.
iCarol is proud to play a role in the service delivery of CALL-UP, through CALL-UP’s use of iCarol for psychiatrist on-call shift sign up, CALL-UP program documentation to maintain state funding, and through iCarol’s Public Web Forms.
Here’s how iCarol fits into the service delivery workflow of the CALL-UP program in Utah:
The on-call service for psychiatry consultation is available Monday through Friday from 12:00pm to 4:30 pm. Participating psychiatrists are invited by the CALL-UP program administrators to sign into the iCarol system to sign up for shifts where they will be on-call for consultations.
Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) are instructed to contact the CALL-UP program to request a consultation. If the PCP calls in, CALL-UP staff collect basic demographic, needs, and other important data from the PCP in order to comply with state funding requirements, which is input by the phone specialist into iCarol, using an iCarol Contact Form. Then, they can forward the call to the on-call psychiatrist for the consultation to occur.
PCPs can also request a consultation online, using an iCarol Public Web Form. The form has a built-in screening element that first ensures the requestor is a physician, as this is a requirement for program access. If they are not a physician, a prompt instructs them to please contact their doctor.
If the requestor is a PCP then they continue to use the form to provide the information needed to obtain a consultation, including the demographic and other information required to maintain state funding.
Once the Public Web Form is received by CALL-UP staff, they have the information they need to contact the PCP requesting consultation, and connect them with the on-call psychiatrist. Because the iCarol Web Form is simply a publicly available iCarol Contact Form, they already have the data they need, automatically submitted to iCarol with the form, to meet their reporting requirements.
According to a recently published report in USA Today, the child care industry in the United States has been one of the industries hit hardest by worker shortages. The closing of most day care centers early in the pandemic resulted in over 373,000 employees laid off or furloughed. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the industry has only recovered 70% of its pre-pandemic workforce.
The childcare staff shortage has caused childcare centers to be stretched thin, forced to reduce capacity and often increasing costs for parents and caregivers. Childcare workers bear a heavy workload due to the shortage, and parents unable to find affordable and reliable childcare must often leave the workforce themselves.
Postpartum Support International (PSI) is searching for a qualified candidate to join their team in the role of Data Manager/Quality Improvement Specialist.
PSI is looking for someone to manage the Case Management Software and HelpLine reporting. This is a work-from-home position and is fully remote. You are the sole Data Manager/Quality Improvement Specialist in the organization, providing database and quality improvement management, and communicating with non-technical staff and board in our non-profit organization.
Resourcefulness is a necessary skill in this role. You should be able to diagnose and resolve problems quickly. You should also have the ability to communicate with a variety of interdisciplinary teams and users, and the ability to show patience along with a clear understanding of technical issues while explaining in clear terms to non-technical staff. Candidates must be comfortable in an environment that priorities diversity, equity, and inclusion, and in an organization that works to address systemic inequities.
Your goal will be to ensure that our technology and network infrastructure runs smoothly and efficiently, and to coordinate with a variety of internal stakeholders regarding the specifics of their web pages, database information, and related technical systems.
The Data Manager/Quality Improvement Specialist reports to the Hotline Project Director and works collaboratively with other staff, board members, and Case Management System vendor to implement strategic solutions.
Primary responsibilities include:
Manage and optimize Case Management Software application, status, and improvements for HelpLine/Hotline Operation
Devise and establish database management and quality improvement systems to support the implementation of organizational strategies
Oversee database management and quality improvement, monitor key performance indicators, and evaluate them according to established goals
Research and implement technical improvements and solutions to database system and communication integration
Monitor performance and maintain systems according to requirements
Make recommendations to improve key performance indicators
Troubleshoot issues and outages, work with team to respond to surges or natural disasters
Develop expertise to assist in staff and volunteer training in case management system
Assist in the development of internal documentation of database case management systems
Resolve technical issues, detect patterns of occurrences and coordinate with staff regarding handling resolutions to persistent problems
Manage data collection, surveys and reports, including monthly and ad-hoc reports, as needed
Contributes to the interpretation of data analysis and reports. Presents findings in easy-to-understand terms.
Use on demand and ad hoc queries and reports to review, monitor, and report on evaluation outcomes
In order to qualify for the role, the ideal candidate will possess the following experience:
Database management: 2 years (Required)
Quality management: 2 years (Required)
QA/QC: 2 years (Required)
English (Required)
US work authorization (Required)
Bachelor’s (Preferred)
Microsoft Excel: 5 years (Preferred)
Survey design: 1 year (Preferred)
Network monitoring: 1 year (Preferred)
One to three years of related experience is required
Experience working with data management systems and reports. Experience with iCarol CMS preferred.
Experience with data collection, entry, quality assurance, visualization, and reporting
Experience with survey and assessment design
High level of computer proficiency
Degree in social science, statistics, or a related field
This remote work position pays a salary of $70,000 USD per year and benefits include: Health and Vision Insurance and Health Savings Account; Tuition Reimbursement; Employee Discount; Retirement; Paid Leave, and more.
iCarol is posting this career opportunity on behalf of Postpartum Support International. Postpartum Support International is an equal opportunity employer. Postpartum Support International will not discriminate and will take measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. www.postpartum.net
