A CHARITY that provides millions of pounds to families raising disabled or seriously ill children has made a major investment in its contact centre to meet growing needs.

York-based Family Fund provided more than 89,000 grants or services to UK families in 2015/16, totalling more than £36 million.

The Family Fund contact centre receives 2,000 to 3,000 calls per week and more than 1,500 emails per month. These are handled by a team that has grown from five to 12 people over the past three years.

The organisation has now introduced a new Avaya telephony solution, implemented and supported by Wakefield-based NGC Networks.

The multi-media contact centre software offers improved call quality and enhanced reliability. It also integrates emails, online chat and texts to make it easier for families to contact Family Fund.

Andrew Newton, director of ICT at Family Fund, said: “Demand for our grants and services is increasing year-on-year, particularly from families on low incomes that are struggling to make ends meet. Supporting this growth had become a challenge with our previous telephone system.

“We have ambitious plans for our contact centre. The new Avaya IP Office software is state-of-the-art and offers us an array of opportunities for future expansion. We are excited by the potential it offers Family Fund to improve our service to beneficiary families.”

Family Fund’s contact centre manager, Nicki Foster, said that the transition to the new system was “very smooth and a great improvement on our old system”.

Dean Harrop, director of NGC Networks, said: “The investment made by Family Fund means that callers and staff will benefit from reliable calls with enhanced sound quality.

“As demand increases for the vital services offered by the fund, they also have the flexibility to scale up as required.”

NGC Networks provides business telecommunications solutions and internet connectivity to companies across the north of England. Its portfolio includes Superbreak Holidays, Manning Stainton, Puma UK, Lowell Group, The Car People and Sharp Business Systems.