A Roman Catholic Parish Case Study
Fusion Connect Broadband & Managed WiFi keeps everyone connected at a large Catholic parish.
Modern Technology for a Modern Faith Community
A large Catholic Parish in Fair Oaks, CA hosts worship, teaching, and fellowship for all ages; a school for 300 K-8 students; and a 10,000 sq. ft. parish center. This center - with its commercial kitchen and state-of-the art audio/video system - hosts events for the parish, the community, and the Diocese.
Increasingly, parishioners, parents, event guests, and staff expect to connect to the Internet wirelessly. “Wedding reception guests are eager to upload photos to social media. During services, people access the day’s prayers and readings from the Catholic Register, online,” explains the Parish Center Coordinator. “Communication devices are the new prayer books.” The church’s consumer-grade wireless access points simply could no longer handle demand.
At the recommendation of the Parochial Administrator, the Parish Center Coordinator contacted Fusion Connect to inquire about replacing an expensive onsite phone system. He discovered that Fusion Connect also offers high-speed Internet and Managed WiFi. After a thorough side-by-side comparison, the Parish selected Fusion Connect Hosted Voice, as well as, Managed WiFi and Internet from Fusion Connect.
WiFi Access Points provide a fast connection from anywhere in the Parish Center and the school. The WiFi even extends to the school parking lot for parents waiting to pick up their children. The connection is “solid and reliable, even when we host hundreds of guests in the Parish Center,” according to the Parish Center Coordinator. “Fusion Connect Managed WiFi helps us address the trend in our culture to always be connected, always communicating, everywhere.” The same access points provide both a public WiFi hot spot for visitors and volunteers, and a private, secure network for staff.
Better Service for the Church and the Community
Using the advanced features of cloud-based Fusion Connect Hosted Voice helps the Parish improve its service to the congregation and the community at large. For example, Pastors and staff can have voicemail delivered conveniently to their email Inbox, which they can access on their choice of device. “Right away, Parish priests can see who called, determine the urgency, and respond accordingly,” says the Parish Center Coordinator.
The Parish can now accept and forward calls for St. Vincent de Paul, a ministry that annually assists thousands of people experiencing crises. “We couldn’t do that before,” says the Parochial Administrator, “so Fusion Connect Hosted Voice makes it possible for us to better serve our hungry and homeless neighbors in the Fair Oaks community.”
Users could barely understand voicemails left on the previous system. “Calls and voicemails with Fusion Connect Voice are crystal clear,” says the Parish Center Coordinator. “This is a huge improvement for callers, staff, and volunteers, who no longer need to listen to a voicemail multiple times to decipher what is said.”
Trusted Technology Partner
With WiFi fully managed by Fusion Connect network specialists, the Parish Center Coordinator doesn’t spend valuable time configuring or troubleshooting WiFi access. “My duties pull me in many directions, so it is nice to apply my expertise elsewhere, and rely on Fusion Connect, completely, for WiFi.” With training and ongoing support included, the Parish no longer has surprise charges on its invoices.
“I needed some refresher training on the phone system,” the Parish Center Coordinator adds. “Based on my experience with our previous providers, I expected there would be a charge. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Fusion Connect would provide as much training as we needed, at no cost to us.”
Working with a single provider offers significant benefits as well. “I used to spend hours resolving technical issues or billing discrepancies. Working with Fusion Connect, I only need to sign into the Fusion Connect Customer Portal or make a quick call when I have a question or need support. Fusion Connect is prompt to answer, and quick to solve our needs.”
Secure WiFi Solutions
“Fusion Connect Managed WiFi helps us address the trend in our culture to always be connected, always communicating, everywhere.”
– Parish Center Coordinator
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“Fusion Connect Managed WiFi helps us address the trend in our culture to always be connected, always communicating, everywhere.”
– Parish Center Coordinator
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