For most businesses, reliable communication systems ensure efficiency, support productivity and help generate profit. For a charity like Age UK Oxfordshire, whose mission is to support some of the most vulnerable people in the community, communication isn’t just an operational tool — it’s a lifeline. The systems that facilitate this must be reliable and adaptable but, for Age UK Oxfordshire, this hasn’t always been the case. Not until managed telecoms services provider provider Crystaline stepped in.

Age UK Oxfordshire and Action for Carers Oxfordshire are charities that form part of the Age UK Oxfordshire Group. Age UK Oxfordshire predominantly focuses on supporting people over the age of 50 across the county, while Action for Carers supports adults who care for a family member, friend or neighbour.

Both organisations have specialist teams providing information, advice and support groups for older people and their support networks, and also have experts that help people identify and apply for benefits they may be entitled to. At the heart of their work are three core values: to listen, be compassionate and empower people to live life well. Bringing these values to life requires a dependable phone system.

The charities’ IT and comms systems are shared across both organisations. Although these systems are the backbone of daily operations, this set up made supporting both district teams difficult, without requiring a complicated network of phonelines. Plus, keeping staff connected while out in the community is essential for effective working and safety, but in Oxfordshire, connectivity can be difficult across rural and urban areas.

“We first began working with Crystaline in 2009, to help consolidate and simplify the management of our mobile phone contracts, and ultimately cut costs,” said Graeme Alsford, head of IT and data at Age UK Oxfordshire. “Originally, we had multiple contracts across the organisation, from a handful of different providers. As the charity grew, putting greater reliance on mobile devices, especially for those working remotely, this became a significant administrative burden — not to mention the expense of it all.

“After the successful management and consolidation of our mobile devices with great aftercare, we knew Crystaline could help solve our latest challenge.”

Evolving communications

Having worked closely together for many years, Crystaline already understood the charity’s unique operational pressures and the importance of keeping every team member connected — wherever they’re working. “We know how fundamental a streamlined comms system is for any business,” said Kristian Torode, director and co-founder of Crystaline. “But for a charity like Age UK Oxfordshire, which cannot exist without being reachable to those who depend on its services, the importance to deliver a seamless and resilient communications platform heightens.”

Age UK Oxfordshire was using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system that was too basic for its needs, and upgrades meant significant cost increases. An upgrade with its previous provider also posed questions around how well the charity could integrate the phone system into its database system in the future.

After multiple conversations and a site audit to understand Age UK Oxfordshire’s pain points, Crystaline suggested Vodafone Business UC with Ring Central (VBUC). “Our partnership with Age UK Oxfordshire began with just a handful of mobile contracts,” continued Kristian. “But as the business developed, so did its connectivity and technological requirements.”

VBUC is a cloud-based unified communications platform that enables teams to connect and work seamlessly from anywhere, with built-in analytics and integrations with tools including Microsoft 365.

In total, Crystaline now provides Age UK Oxfordshire with a host of services including 03XX line rentals, 39 VoIP users and 12 call queues with VBUC, 126 mobile lines with Vodafone, plus Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) connectivity.

Delivering valuable impact

Charities often operate with limited resources but a complex structure, such as teams in multiple locations, part-time staff, volunteers and community partners. Having a unified communications system is vital. It allows every team member to stay connected to colleagues and callers, ensuring continuity of care and accessibility for those who depend on their services.

“We’ve seen many benefits using Crystaline as our business comms provider over the years. But the most significant impact from the recent project is the voicemail transcription,” said Graeme. “This new feature has resulted in significant time-saving for our receptionist, who can forward the applicable voicemail to the correct department, without having to listen to the message and summarise in an email.”

By using VBUC, Age UK Oxfordshire now has access to much more valuable phone call data via the reporting portal. It’s enabled the charity to analyse inbound calls and make faster, informed decisions while connected to a caller. Call structure has been streamlined, meaning the right person is connected for the relevant enquiry, with other effective features including voicemail transcribing and full call recording. The addition of AI notetaking will be available in the platform from March 2026 to make call handling even easier.

Trusted partners in smarter communication

Technology evolves, but the need for seamless, reliable communication never changes. So, what’s the secret to a partnership spanning over 15 years?

“Just as Age UK Oxfordshire provides continuity of care to members of the public, we strive to ensure we do the same for our customers,” said Kristian. As part of Crystaline’s service promise to each of their customers, the provider aims to answer phone calls within four rings, call back within two days and respond to emails within four hours.

The promise of ongoing support is not uncommon with IT services, yet only few providers keep their word once the contract is signed. “Although we have written service promises for our customers, consistent and reliable customer service has truly become part of our company culture,” said Kristian.

“The excellent support we’ve received from Crystaline consistently over the years has formed the foundation of our long-standing relationship,” explained Graeme. “Additionally, their pricing is always very fair and competitive. I would be reluctant to ever move away from Crystaline. For Age UK Oxfordshire, this kind of service is more than a business advantage — it’s what allows us to keep making a difference in the community.”

Does Age UK Oxfordshire’s challenge sound similar to yours? From business mobiles to hosted VoIP systems, Crystaline can support with a range of business comms solutions. Visit the website to get in touch with a member of the team today.