Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale: Transforming Customer Service with Ciptex
How a leading UK charity replaced a limiting contact centre platform with a scalable Twilio solution - delivering real-time visibility, reliable reporting, and better support for thousands of clients each month.
Products Used
Ciptex RACE
United Kingdom
Not-For-Profit
40,852
Client problems solved in 2025
8,000
inbound calls per month
Bilingual
IVR routing for English and Welsh
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Overview
Citizens Advice is a non-profit organisation providing free, confidential guidance to anyone who needs it. As a charity focused on helping people help themselves, it plays a vital role in communities across the UK.
In 2024, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale began looking for a more effective way to manage their growing contact centre operations. With thousands of clients relying on timely advice each month, the organisation needed a system that could provide greater visibility and control.
In 2025 alone, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale helped clients resolve over 40,852 problems. Delivering support at that scale requires a contact centre platform that is reliable, adaptable, and built to handle sustained demand.
By 2026, that change had delivered measurable improvements across performance, reporting, and overall team confidence - strengthening the organisation’s ability to support the community at scale.
The Problem
By 2024, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale were handling thousands of client enquiries each month, many from people in vulnerable situations who depended on timely, accurate support. However, their existing Amazon Connect platform was no longer fit for purpose at that scale.
The system worked at a basic level but lacked flexibility and visibility. Team leaders had no real- time view of advisor activity, making it difficult to manage demand, respond to spikes, or ensure clients were routed to the right support quickly. In a service where delays or misdirection can have serious consequences, this created growing operational risk.
“We wanted to have greater oversight, reporting and mechanisms to be able to shape the services like we wanted to,” said Callum Lavin, Advice Services Manager at Citizens
Advice Cardiff & Vale.
Reporting was another major issue. Data was often inaccurate or unavailable, forcing managers to rely on manual spreadsheets to piece together performance insights. Without confidence in the numbers, it was harder to plan staffing, identify bottlenecks, or maintain consistent service levels.
As demand increased, the pressure on teams grew. Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale recognised that continuing with a platform they could not easily adapt, trust, or scale was no longer sustainable.
When exploring alternative providers, they were looking for more than new technology. They needed a partner who could deliver confidently, stay calm under pressure, and follow through on commitments.
“I was going out and talking to different providers, Ciptex was one of them,” Callum explained. “Nearly a year in from go live, I’m confident we got the best we could have got. It’s been really positive.”
The Solution
Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale partnered with Ciptex to implement a new contact centre platform built on Twilio, giving the team greater control, visibility, and reliable reporting.
The new system introduced a single entry point for callers with a clearer IVR structure, including bilingual routing so clients could choose Welsh or English from the start. Team leaders now have real-time visibility of advisor activity and queue performance, supported by accurate reporting they can trust.
“The Welsh Government is delighted with what’s in place, and it’s a really proud moment for us to be able to say we have the Welsh Language readily available to our customers,” said Callum Lavin. “How calm the Ciptex team were, how reassuring; they followed through with actions, and if there was a deadline, it was met. It makes such a difference when you know you’ve made the right decision.”
With a fixed go-live deadline in place, speed was essential. Ciptex delivered the new platform within a tight timeframe, allowing Citizens Advice to start improving service performance quickly. The system also provides a strong foundation for future growth, including the option to add digital channels such as WhatsApp as client needs evolve.
The Impact
Since going live, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale has seen clear improvements in reporting accuracy, and day-to-day operational control. Leaders can now see exactly what’s happening across the contact centre in real time, allowing them to respond quickly to demand changes and allocate resources more effectively. Accurate reporting has reduced the need for manual spreadsheets and reconciliation, freeing up valuable time and restoring trust in performance
data.
These operational improvements have had a meaningful impact on people as well as processes. Callum Lavin highlighted the renewed confidence among staff, who now rely on a system that accurately reflects their work and supports consistent service delivery. With greater transparency and reliability, supervisors are able to coach more effectively, advisors feel better supported, and teams are more engaged with clients.
Despite initial concerns about adopting a new platform, the transition proved far more straightforward than expected. “The team at Ciptex obviously knows what they're doing,” Callum explained. “Not for one moment did they say something wouldn't be doable. They were confident that it would be fine and it was; it was really straightforward.”
Today, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale handles an average of 8,000 inbound calls per month with smoother workflows, improved queue performance, and higher staff morale. Most importantly, clients are now able to access the help they need more quickly and confidently.
Overview
Citizens Advice is a non-profit organisation providing free, confidential guidance to anyone who needs it. As a charity focused on helping people help themselves, it plays a vital role in communities across the UK.
In 2024, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale began looking for a more effective way to manage their growing contact centre operations. With thousands of clients relying on timely advice each month, the organisation needed a system that could provide greater visibility and control.
In 2025 alone, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale helped clients resolve over 40,852 problems. Delivering support at that scale requires a contact centre platform that is reliable, adaptable, and built to handle sustained demand.
By 2026, that change had delivered measurable improvements across performance, reporting, and overall team confidence - strengthening the organisation’s ability to support the community at scale.
The Problem
By 2024, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale were handling thousands of client enquiries each month, many from people in vulnerable situations who depended on timely, accurate support. However, their existing Amazon Connect platform was no longer fit for purpose at that scale.
The system worked at a basic level but lacked flexibility and visibility. Team leaders had no real- time view of advisor activity, making it difficult to manage demand, respond to spikes, or ensure clients were routed to the right support quickly. In a service where delays or misdirection can have serious consequences, this created growing operational risk.
“We wanted to have greater oversight, reporting and mechanisms to be able to shape the services like we wanted to,” said Callum Lavin, Advice Services Manager at Citizens
Advice Cardiff & Vale.
Reporting was another major issue. Data was often inaccurate or unavailable, forcing managers to rely on manual spreadsheets to piece together performance insights. Without confidence in the numbers, it was harder to plan staffing, identify bottlenecks, or maintain consistent service levels.
As demand increased, the pressure on teams grew. Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale recognised that continuing with a platform they could not easily adapt, trust, or scale was no longer sustainable.
When exploring alternative providers, they were looking for more than new technology. They needed a partner who could deliver confidently, stay calm under pressure, and follow through on commitments.
“I was going out and talking to different providers, Ciptex was one of them,” Callum explained. “Nearly a year in from go live, I’m confident we got the best we could have got. It’s been really positive.”
The Solution
Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale partnered with Ciptex to implement a new contact centre platform built on Twilio, giving the team greater control, visibility, and reliable reporting.
The new system introduced a single entry point for callers with a clearer IVR structure, including bilingual routing so clients could choose Welsh or English from the start. Team leaders now have real-time visibility of advisor activity and queue performance, supported by accurate reporting they can trust.
“The Welsh Government is delighted with what’s in place, and it’s a really proud moment for us to be able to say we have the Welsh Language readily available to our customers,” said Callum Lavin. “How calm the Ciptex team were, how reassuring; they followed through with actions, and if there was a deadline, it was met. It makes such a difference when you know you’ve made the right decision.”
With a fixed go-live deadline in place, speed was essential. Ciptex delivered the new platform within a tight timeframe, allowing Citizens Advice to start improving service performance quickly. The system also provides a strong foundation for future growth, including the option to add digital channels such as WhatsApp as client needs evolve.
The Impact
Since going live, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale has seen clear improvements in reporting accuracy, and day-to-day operational control. Leaders can now see exactly what’s happening across the contact centre in real time, allowing them to respond quickly to demand changes and allocate resources more effectively. Accurate reporting has reduced the need for manual spreadsheets and reconciliation, freeing up valuable time and restoring trust in performance
data.
These operational improvements have had a meaningful impact on people as well as processes. Callum Lavin highlighted the renewed confidence among staff, who now rely on a system that accurately reflects their work and supports consistent service delivery. With greater transparency and reliability, supervisors are able to coach more effectively, advisors feel better supported, and teams are more engaged with clients.
Despite initial concerns about adopting a new platform, the transition proved far more straightforward than expected. “The team at Ciptex obviously knows what they're doing,” Callum explained. “Not for one moment did they say something wouldn't be doable. They were confident that it would be fine and it was; it was really straightforward.”
Today, Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale handles an average of 8,000 inbound calls per month with smoother workflows, improved queue performance, and higher staff morale. Most importantly, clients are now able to access the help they need more quickly and confidently.
