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NILS Network of Tasmania – offering a leg-up in tough times

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Michael Speglic • Published Tuesday, 11th August 2020


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NILS (No Interest Loans) Network of Tasmania  is a low interest loan provider –  helping Tasmanians in hard financial times with no interest loans for household goods and services. 


They help people who have a Health Care Card buy fridges, washing machines, TVs, and also energy efficient appliances such as heat pumps for household heating. They buy the product their clients choose and they pay it back over 18 months. Very simple yet effective. They also provide small Business Loans for individuals who are starting up their own business. This has been a great success with some businesses going on to employing other Tasmanians and for others it has led to full time work. 

This is a Tasmanian organization we’re proud to have on our client list. 

We were first introduced to Nils and their CEO, John Hooper a few years back. Their needs were very simple  – phone and internet. After doing some due diligence we quickly discovered their old system was terrible. It was costing them a lot and they were also on an expensive hardware lease where they wouldn’t even own the hardware at the end! 

“It wasn’t ideal for our business and stressful for the staff. We couldn't transfer calls, and could never get the system to do what it needed to do. It was really inefficient,” said John.

“So 6 months out from the end of our contract, we connected with Mint Telecom. The Mint team came and talked to us about where our business was at that time and proposed new phones that would meet our needs and be more efficient. They designed our new system and arranged the purchase. Setting them up before phones arrived and since they had it we’ve made a number of changes which Mint reprogrammed and implemented very quickly. All happens remotely too.”

“They also took over our internet provision. They even took over while we were still paying our other service provider and we were still better off!” said John.

“The beauty about the relationship with Mint is not only have we saved significantly but most of all we have hardware that we own and it fits our purpose. We have about 15 phones, we now have headsets, which has created a better workplace and safety.”

“Were a community organisation and every dollar saved ultimately helps our clients as we are more efficient to help their needs. Savings, advice and infrastructure creates a win. For us a good fit is we’re dealing with a Tasmanian business – and they have been incredible. You call and they pick up the phone and you’re getting real people straight away. Instant answers to our emails. They sort things really quickly.”

“Their customer service regardless of cost and infrastructure and their ability to respond to us as a  business is light years away from anyone else. Our last telco we wouldn’t get an answer from them for a month! Initial discussions said we will get better internet and better systems but we may not get too much ahead on bills, so we budgeted accordingly but after the financial year we were amazed – we actually saved thousands of dollars which we were not expecting. Couldn’t be happier with Mint.”

We asked John if he had advice for other businesses wishing to change telcos…

“As a community organisation, it's our responsibility to use our budget as efficiently as we can. I’d be shocked if Mint can’t match what others do. And when you add their customer service levels, that means you can run your own organisation much better.”

“So there is everything to gain by talking to Mint. It's really easy to compare the pricing structures due to how they lay it out is very clear. And as we are non-technicians, they explain things very well to us – we got it. Helped us see we were getting ripped off previously!”

If you would like any assistance in determining which is the best option for your business, please don’t hesitate in contacting us at michael.speglic@minttelecom.com.au