Challenge
AFL-CIO Community Services is a staple in St. Joseph, Missouri, connecting people in need with critical resources—whether it's utility assistance through the Help Me Hotline, diapers for young families, or matching volunteers with opportunities to make a difference. As a nonprofit, every dollar matters. When their longtime local answering service closed, Nichi Seckinger and the team faced a tough choice: pay $400 a month for a traditional answering service (well outside their budget), or risk missing calls from people seeking help.
"The next human option was $400 a month and we're a nonprofit. So I'm like, yeah, no, that's just not gonna happen." Nichi explains.
Solution
Nichi started searching for something affordable where they could still be of service to their community. When she connected with Upfirst, it was the responsiveness and willingness to work with AFL-CIO Community Services on their situation that stood out. "When I reached out to contact you guys to first talk about it, it was how quick you were to respond to things and how cooperative, I guess would be the right word. And talk about our specific situation and what we needed. You were very service-focused rather than sales-focused."
Upfirst’s AI-powered virtual receptionist made setup easy. The team could upload answers about their services, hours, and common resource requests—making sure their callers would always receive helpful, accurate information. Calls forwarded to Upfirst are answered 24/7 by a friendly, conversational virtual receptionist, who collects details, offers resources, and sends a summary and transcript to staff for easy follow-up.
One feature Nichi didn’t expect to love: full visibility into every call and control. "It really gives you a little bit more control then other situations and we didn't anticipate that when we first started looking into this. So in that pro/con list that we were making, that became a unexpected pro very much so, that we had more control."
Results
The team at AFL-CIO Community Services hasn’t missed a step—and they haven’t missed a call. People seeking help are greeted by a real conversation, not an endless phone tree. Nichi notes, "We’ve been surprised by how many people don’t even realize it’s AI. It can really interpret what someone needs and give them the right resources."
Instead of spending hundreds a month, they pay just $24.95 for 24/7 professional call answering—freeing up funds for programs and outreach. Staff can focus on helping people face-to-face, knowing that every call is answered with empathy and accuracy.
For AFL-CIO Community Services, Upfirst isn’t just an answering service. It’s another way to make people feel seen, heard, and supported—no matter when they call.
If your nonprofit or small business wants to make sure that every caller is answered (without the sticker shock), then give Upfirst a try. Sign up now for a free trial.
