Age UK Oldham
Charity
Age UK Oldham is an independent local charity that works in partnership with the Local Authority and NHS Oldham delivering services under contract agreements.
The organisation provides opportunities for the entire spectrum of older people in the local area including information and advice, home services, support with care and social activities.
Age UK Oldham manage a full range of services that benefit older people either directly or through the generation of funds. Around a third of income is generated by charity shops and trading outlets.
Age UK Oldham are comprised of an incredible team of staff and volunteers, all of whom are whole-heartedly dedicated to helping the older community stay safe, well and enjoy their later life.
Age UK Oldham operates a diverse network of locations including office spaces, charity shops, and service centres, each with unique telecoms requirements. Over time, these sites had accumulated a patchwork of services from multiple providers, including legacy analogue lines, outdated and overpriced broadband, 4G connections, and a 3CX VoIP system. The VoIP system was a significant pain point due to limited internal IT capability and frequent drops in call quality that impacted day-to-day operations.
This fragmented setup resulted in inconsistent service quality, complex management, and higher overall costs.
Every site required reliable broadband, telephone services and Wi-Fi, while the head office needed a simple to manage VoIP system with direct dials, transcription, hunt groups, and customer call routing features.
Additionally, the charity shops presented a unique challenge. These locations are largely staffed by volunteers with limited technical knowledge, so any transition in broadband or telephony needed to be managed, with minimal disruption and clear support to ensure business as usual.
Age UK Oldham was open to exploring new cost-effective solutions, but any change had to retain all existing numbers and extensions as these were already published across their marketing materials. Ultimately, they needed a future-proofed, cost-effective communications infrastructure that would allow them to focus more on the services they provide to the community.
To address Age UK Oldham’s fragmented telecoms setup and cost challenges, we began with a full audit of their existing services and bills, followed by detailed remote site surveys across offices, charity shops, and service centres. This allowed us to recommend the most cost-effective and modern connectivity options tailored to each location, including SoGEA, FTTP, and FTTC broadband connections. To make deployment simple, we pre-configured all internet routers for plug-and-play installation, managed migrations where possible, and arranged new installations where required.
For voice services, we implemented Microsoft Teams Phone with charity pricing, supplying headsets and handsets for head office users. We configured Teams for seamless communication and migrated all existing telephone numbers and extensions to maintain continuity. Age UK Oldham selected Microsoft Teams telephony because staff were already familiar with the platform, and the pricing is highly competitive through Spectrum’s wholesale channel partnership. Additionally, Teams Voice offers enterprise-grade reliability, integrated call features, and the flexibility to manage users and settings in-house — making it an ideal solution for a charity seeking cost efficiency and ease of use.
To ensure optimal wireless coverage, we conducted a Wi-Fi survey at the head office and recommended positions for access points for maximum performance.
For charity shops that didn’t need full VoIP integration, we deployed Phoneline+, a simple IP-based analogue replacement service with easy-to-use handsets or DECT devices for larger stores.
We continue to provide ongoing support through a dedicated helpdesk and regular account reviews, ensuring the system remains efficient and Age UK Oldham are in control.
The transformation delivered significant improvements for Age UK Oldham.
Age UK Oldham now benefits from a unified, cost-effective, and modern communications platform that meets the needs of both staff and volunteers while positioning the charity to adapt confidently and thrive in an ever-changing future.
Key Outcomes
Working with Age UK Oldham has given us valuable insight into the unique challenges faced by UK charities – balancing rising costs with funding cuts while continuing to deliver vital services.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you achieve your goals, save money and reduce complexity – please get in touch for a no-obligation consultation.
