300,000 patients reached with help of Whitesmith product team.
Musicians On Call (MOC) is an NGO based in the United States, whose mission is to bring live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients and to caregivers. MOC have been delivering the healing power of music into healthcare settings for nearly 25 years. To date MOC's dedicated volunteers, composed of talented musicians and music aficionados, have already impacted over 1 million people, providing comfort, therapeutic benefits, and human connection through music.
people reached through virtual programming
Previously around 20 people per monthvolunteers enrolled
hospital partners in the platform
Musicians On Call has a custom platform to manage their volunteers and programs, playing a key role in their mission. As they sought to scale their operations, they needed a tech partner who could align with their vision and navigate the challenges that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. It required a quick pivot to virtual formats, and then a seamless transition back to in-person programs as restrictions were lifted. Partnering with Whitesmith enabled MOC to transform their platform into an efficient, user-friendly tool capable of managing both virtual and in-person programs, while successfully onboarding new volunteers. This collaboration has not only enhanced their operational capabilities, but continues to position them for future growth.
"I think we all just clicked right away, our goals were aligned, it made a lot of sense and we're happy ever since."
Elizabeth Black, VP of Operations at Musicians On CallWhen COVID-19 hit, MOC faced the need to pivot their in-person programs to virtual formats almost overnight. Their existing tech platform, designed primarily for managing their in-person program, had to adapt quickly to this new reality. Whitesmith focused on what was needed to make that possible: introducing new features that were needed to scale the virtual program fast.
"The discovery phase was very in-depth, it was very intentional to understand who we are, what we do and what we need even before the work started, and it was so impressive and important."
Nicole Rivera, VP of Programs at Musicians On CallIn this phase, one of the key pieces was streamlining the volunteer enrolment process. It had to become easier for volunteers to participate in the virtual programs, improving the user experience and increasing engagement during this challenging period. An important part of that was an LMS to train new volunteers, which needed to smoothly integrate into MOC’s platform.
Another challenge that needed to be tackled was preparing the platform for the return of in-person programs, as restrictions would eventually be lifted. It also had to be prepared for an influx of new volunteers eager to contribute. All these objectives had to be met while maintaining the platform's reliability and minimising manual work for volunteers and program managers. The goal was to make the platform a robust tool, capable of managing the dynamic shift between virtual and in-person programs, and effectively onboarding new volunteers.
Given the challenges, Whitesmith focused on what the immediate needs were for MOC to continue to fulfil the mission and the best way to get them there, making the platform scalable, the virtual program ready to go, and the entire process easier for volunteers to get onboarded.
The team prioritised the volunteer application process, as it was the initial point of contact for volunteers with the platform. This involved implementing changes to the existing codebase rather than building a new flow from scratch. The team focused on making the application process easier, enhancing UI/UX, and ensuring that current volunteers could apply to participate in-person programs later as well.
"You helped us realise that we don’t want to spend a year building an enormous feature that we don’t even know if people want or were gonna use."
Nicole Rivera, VP of Programs at Musicians On CallOn the training front, instead of building a Learning Management System (LMS) from scratch, an existing tool was proposed that met most of MOC's requirements. An integration with the MOC platform was then built, among other customisations implementing a Single Sign-on solution, and automating the course enrolment process for volunteer certification.
Along the way, Whitesmith made sure that cooperation went beyond just implementing features, but rather listening to what was needed, as well as adjusting to the limited budget and actual capabilities of MOC. Our team helped incorporate a survey system as well to gather real user feedback, which helped define next steps and a new direction based on real needs of volunteers and hospital partners.
MOC’s cooperation with Whitesmith has brought tangible results, not only by having improved the platform's functionality, but also having significantly impacted the organisation's reach.
- Virtual programming has already been able to reach nearly 300,000 people -
a number even more impressive considering that this partnership only started in March 2022
- 400+ volunteers have been able to enrol in the program
- Nearly 250 hospital partners in the platform
"All that is really impressive considering the short time we’ve been cooperating on paper, which in reality seems much longer considering what we have accomplished together."
Nicole Rivera, VP of Programs at Musicians On CallOur cooperation continues, with Whitesmith still playing an essential role in MOC’s further plans, which include useful new features, further growth of virtual and in-person programs, and maybe even future international expansion.
"No regrets, it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made and we can’t imagine where the project would be with a different team."
Elizabeth Black, VP of Operations at Musicians On Call "For anyone considering working with Whitesmith, our best advice is you should do it yesterday, don’t waste more time. This partnership has far exceeded our expectations and brought us to another level."
Nicole Rivera, VP of Programs at Musicians On CallSchedule a call to learn whether Whitesmith are a good fit for your product.
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