Telecom company brings back ‘Holiday Hotline’
Features chance to win a tech-inspired prize
COLLEGEVILLE » For the third year in a row, Recent Communications Inc. of Collegeville has launched its Holiday Hotline — this year with a twist.
In past years, the telecommunications company has given callers a chance to dial in to leave messages for some of the holiday season’s stars — Frosty the Snowman, Buddy the Elf, Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer and Santa Claus. This year, the voicemail messages have been replaced with something a bit more topical for 2020 amid the pandemic — working from home — and the need for good communications systems and connectivity.
“We launched our Holiday Hotline initiative in 2018 as a creative and festive way to drive awareness of our local company and the phone solutions we offer small and midsized businesses and nonprofit organizations. With the ongoing shift to remote working, we wanted our Holiday Hotline to resonate,” said Charlotte Conroy, managing partner, director of marketing and business development at Recent Communications Inc.
This year’s Holiday Hotline has been set up as a sweepstakes — with a tech-inspired prize package to help get the winner’s home office ready for the new year.
“We’re mixing it up this year. We’re not using the fun voices we have used before. We wanted to see what we could do to play on the shift to working remotely — those are the solutions we really provide,” said Conroy. “This year, people can learn about Recent Communications and maybe win a prize.”
The prize package consists of some essentials for working from home: Apple AirPods, a wireless charging station, a temperature controlled mug and an Amazon Gift Card. Now through Dec. 31, 2020, individuals can enter for a chance to win by visiting www.recentcom.com/holidaysweepstakes.
The winner will be selected during a random drawing on Jan. 4 and then notified.
In addition to asking entrants the basic contact information on the entry form, Conroy said the company is also asking what their “work from home essentials are.”
“We want to learn what people are saying is really allowing them to work remotely, whether it’s their laptop or tech or having their cat sit on their laps,” she said, adding that some early entrants have said their work from home essentials include laptops, reliable internet, and one entrant that said “PlayStation 4 for taking breaks.”
The company celebrated its 20th anniversary in October. Conroy acknowledged many people still are unaware of the services Recent Communications offers — because “we have the huge competitors with millions of marketing dollars.”