IT in healthcare and social services: how Justspark supports the valuable work of Cordaad Welzijn.

Cordaad Welzijn is a wonderful organization dedicated to serving the community. They want to create a place where everyone feels at home, and they offer accessible support with everyday life. At Justspark, we believe every business should be able to focus on its own strengths and goals. René Poot, Account Manager at Justspark, talks about the partnership with Cordaad Welzijn. How does Justspark contribute to the valuable work this social services organization does? And what makes this partnership so successful?

Cordaad Welzijn has its main location in Veldhoven and is spread across several villages and town centers. The organization is active in nine municipalities. With Justspark’s help, it recently merged successfully with Welzijn De Kempen in five municipalities in the Brabantse Kempen region. The way René talks about the organization makes it clear how much good Cordaad Welzijn does for people and society. “Cordaad Welzijn connects people and gives them their lives back. For example, the organization helps with odd jobs around the house, so residents can continue living at home longer. They also help many refugees with paperwork and practical matters, such as opening a bank account.”

Cordaad Welzijn also does a lot for young people, with Cordaad’s staff acting as sparring partners and coaches. René: “They sit down with young people and talk about things like money, sexuality, crime, relationships, and drug use. They have a number of paid staff for this, but most of the work is supported by volunteers.”

Cordaad Welzijn eventually found its way to Justspark through Bibliotheek De Kempen. “Bibliotheek De Kempen is an existing client of ours in the same region. In Valkenswaard, Cordaad Welzijn and Bibliotheek De Kempen share the same building,” René explains. “The Wi-Fi there turned out to be very poor, and problems kept piling up. They were already working with several providers, but unfortunately that didn’t solve things. Then Cordaad Welzijn asked: can’t we do something about this? That’s how the ball got rolling.”

From day one, the partnership between Justspark and Cordaad Welzijn has run smoothly. “Quite remarkable,” says René. “Cordaad relies on a lot of volunteers, so many people came to Justspark with their own wishes. Everyone had a different idea about how a laptop should be set up.” Robert Tops, executive director of Cordaad Welzijn, and controller Annie Rijkers were very strict about this. They made it clear: this is what we agreed, and this is how we’re going to do it. “That allowed us to get off to a good start right away,” says René. “They made sure everything stayed firmly within the lines, so together we could deliver the service properly.”

According to René, such a smooth partnership is quite exceptional in IT. Clients often have a certain pattern of expectations: at first, automating their organization goes very quickly, but the longer you work together, the more that pace tends to slow down. René: “At Cordaad, there has always been confidence in the speed and quality of our work. That’s great, because it means you keep an eye on each other and know that things will simply work out.”

Robert adds: “That applies to personal information, for example. Cordaad Welzijn works with a great many different people, including more than a thousand volunteers. On top of that, work at Cordaad happens both during and outside office hours. So it’s important to choose IT solutions that are reliable. Thanks to a solid structure and Justspark’s sound technical solutions, Cordaad Welzijn’s staff and volunteers can rely on the systems. You notice it in the services we provide to residents, because that’s where we can now put our focus. That is greatly appreciated.”

In this way, Justspark contributes to the valuable work of Cordaad Welzijn by supporting the organization in IT. When something isn’t working, Justspark makes sure everything keeps running in the background. René: “Being reachable and able to respond to residents decisively is crucial. Fortunately, we know what Cordaad needs to keep its daily operations going.” Cordaad Welzijn and Justspark are also good sparring partners for each other. “When Robert has an idea, we know in good time what’s going to happen,” says René. “It’s always done in consultation: we sit down together and discuss what is and isn’t possible. There’s good communication between both parties.”

Good communication was one of Cordaad Welzijn’s main expectations for the partnership with Justspark – and that happens to be one of Justspark’s greatest strengths. René explains: “Most importantly, we’ve always done what we said we would. We never try to make things look better than they really are. There’s no point in promising something that can’t be done; nobody benefits from that. Of course, you may sometimes run into an unexpected problem along the way. But we’re very transparent about that too.”

Creative and fast solutions

Justspark’s IT solution turned out to be exactly what Cordaad Welzijn needed as an organization. Previously, information at this social services organization was scattered everywhere: sometimes on the server, sometimes on someone’s laptop. So there was a lot of ground for Cordaad to gain in handling data more smartly and securely. René: “Cordaad processes a lot of personal client data. Sometimes certain information would suddenly disappear. We make sure that can no longer happen: with our IT solution, all data is stored in one location. Even if a laptop is stolen or a USB stick goes missing, all your organization’s data stays safe.”

Because Justspark has a large team, as a client you’ll regularly have someone on site you haven’t met before. According to René, that’s an advantage. “It may be that the chemistry isn’t always perfect. But if we always send the same person to your organization, you’re working with a limited amount of knowledge. When someone different comes by every two or three weeks, IT issues are looked at from a fresh perspective each time. That leads to more creative and faster solutions.”

René has also visited Cordaad on location. “I admire the people who work there. They have so much patience, and they can empathize incredibly well with the people they help – whether it’s a family caregiver, a lonely older person, or a troubled young person. That’s admirable. Almost everyone knows what family caregiving is, but people often don’t stop to think about what it really involves and everything that comes with it. Especially during this pandemic – at Cordaad, it’s simply not an option for staff or volunteers to lose contact with residents. They don’t give up; they keep fighting for their clients. I think that’s truly special.”