About
Golden Lane Housing provides housing for people with learning disabilities across the UK. Originally emerging from the charity Mencap two years ago in response to their “housing time bomb” campaign, they now manage properties from just below Scotland down to Cornwall. Rather than having concentrated estates, their properties are integrated into ordinary streets, often with just one house per location. Gareth Morgan has been with the company for 19 years and manages their telecommunications infrastructure.
The Challenge
With properties spread across the country and a head office in Manchester, Golden Lane Housing needed a robust communications system that could handle calls from tenants, support workers, and parents. They required a system that could record calls for compliance purposes and manage complex routing between different departments. The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges, requiring rapid adaptation to remote working while maintaining their essential housing services.
The Solution
Blue Box implemented a comprehensive telecommunications solution, including office phones and the 3CX system. The timing was crucial – implement it before COVID hit, providing a backbone system that enabled remote access and virtual switchboards. As Gareth notes, “Luckily, we just signed a contract through and we started to talk about what would happen if we needed devices out and around… and this is where 3CX came in.”
The Outcome
The solution has proven highly effective, particularly in managing their distributed operations. The system automatically handles call routing and scheduling, with Gareth noting, “Five o’clock switches over straight away. You don’t have to think about it.” The reporting capabilities have also helped improve operations: “When we have got an issue, [they’re] very responsive. So it’s not just about fixing the issue, but also making sure we know the reason why an issue had come up.”
Blue Box provides clear, accessible technical support. As Gareth says, “It’s not technobabble… sometimes when technology comes in, I’m a bit ‘you just slow down a little bit.’” They also help with regulatory compliance and future planning: “They’re very helpful in relation to kind of new regulations that are coming in, new kind of upgrades that will be needed.”
Advice for Other Businesses
When asked what he would say to others considering Blue Box, Gareth emphasises the value of their long-term relationship and personal service: “Going back a bit to where I said about us being a medium sized company, very kind of close to where we were – really helpful engineers, really helpful… Martin, the manager I speak to, really kind of knowledgeable and helpful.”
He appreciates knowing exactly who he’ll be dealing with: “You’re going to pick up the phone or you’re going to drop an email through, and you’re going to get that person that you know is going to be on that side.” While other providers promise “the earth,” Gareth values the proven track record of their decade-long relationship with Blue Box.