The problem we saw
We spent years working with community service organizations—211 call centers, Community Action Agencies, workforce boards, housing authorities. The same pattern everywhere: demand growing faster than budgets. Staff stretched thin. Good people burning out.
Phone lines that should connect people to help were becoming barriers instead. Hold times that eat up phone minutes low-income callers can't afford. Voicemails that never get returned. Language barriers that shut out entire communities. After-hours calls that go unanswered because shift workers can't call during the day.
Every missed call is a real person who didn't get food assistance, didn't find childcare, didn't connect with the job training that could change everything. That's not an operational inefficiency—it's a failure of the system we built to help people.
What we believe
AI isn't a replacement for the human connection that makes community services work. A trained specialist who can navigate a complex housing crisis, advocate for a family, or de-escalate someone in distress—that's irreplaceable.
But answering "What are your office hours?" for the hundredth time today? Explaining SNAP eligibility requirements in Spanish at 9pm? Letting someone know their application is still being processed? That's exactly where technology should step in.
We believe your staff should spend their expertise on cases that need human judgment—not on barriers that technology can eliminate.
How we're different
We're not selling you software and walking away. We're not asking you to become AI experts or hire technical staff. We don't think you should spend months on implementation when you're already understaffed.
AnswerLines is a managed service. We learn your programs, configure the system, train the AI on your specific services, and maintain it as things change. You get the outcomes—every call answered, every language supported, every shift covered—without the operational burden.
We handle the technology. You handle the mission.
Who we serve
We work exclusively with organizations serving communities: 211 information and referral centers, Community Action Agencies, workforce development boards, community colleges, housing authorities, public health departments. Organizations with limited budgets, high call volumes, and a mandate to serve everyone.
If your work is connecting people to the help they need, we want to help you reach more of them.