Why the first contact on the phone is crucial

Many victims of violence find it difficult to contact victim support. Our reception staff know what is important here. To create an atmosphere of trust from the very first moment.

“Victim Support beider Basel, my name is Roberta Buzzi”. It sounds like that very often. We receive 60 to 100 phone calls a day from people affected by violence, relatives or specialists. The victim support telephone service is the first contact and first impression for people who have experienced violence. For many people, picking up the phone and calling is not an easy step. With just a few specific questions, the employees on the phone try to find out which advisor is the most suitable contact person. They pay attention to the subject area, language, gender and previous experience.

A very emotional situation
“Some people can barely get a word out on the phone,” says Roberta Buzzi. She heads the reception team with two employees and two students. “The situation stresses them out so much that they feel ashamed and cry immediately. Some can also be very aggressive. Others are so relieved that someone picks up the phone that they can’t stop talking. We try to stop these people. After all, we don’t want them to have to tell their story several times.”

The individual calls and fates are very moving. As the phone rings so often and the next person affected by violence answers, the sad topics and experiences cannot resonate. Between telephone calls, it is sufficient to write a telephone message. Then it’s already “Victim support beider Basel…” again. That’s why the employees also receive psychological training, recently on how to deal with mentally distressed clients, for example.

Building a relationship
Roberta Buzzi knows what is important when contacting people who have experienced violence and are calling. She worked in a hospital for many years and was confronted with all the issues and aspects of life. “We thank the callers for coming forward. We encourage them to speak up. And we try to build a rapport with them, listen to them and even endure a few seconds of silence.”

In order to fulfill this task, a modern infrastructure and a competent partner for IT and communication solutions are required. We have developed this with baselnetgroup AG. So that someone is always on hand to help us quickly and find a solution if something doesn’t work as it should. Because once a person affected by violence has plucked up the courage to contact us, reception must be available. In this way, we can provide some initial relief because someone is taking her seriously and listening to her.