Scaling human support in one of Seattle's busiest community organisations
How Byrd Barr Place is using Fortell to absorb frontline demand — and give their team back time for the work that matters most.
Who they are
Byrd Barr Place is a Community Action Agency based in Seattle's Central District, serving thousands of low-income citizens each year. Founded during the Civil Rights Movement, the organisation has spent over 60 years helping people move from poverty to self-sufficiency through direct services, advocacy, and community action.
Today, Byrd Barr Place provides essential services including:
- Energy assistance (LIHEAP and utility support)
- A high-volume food bank (“The Market”)
- Community Connector services (referrals and application support)
- Financial empowerment and coaching
Their mission is simple but powerful: ensure every person has access to the basic resources needed to live with dignity and stability.
The challenge
Byrd Barr Place operates at extreme volume with a small team.
- Hundreds of citizens walk through their doors every week
- Each one requires follow-up, documentation, and eligibility checks
- Staff must juggle phones, in-person support, and complex program requirements
As Lisa Parker, Director of Administration, described it: citizens are often in urgent, volatile situations — but organisations still need to meet strict government requirements before delivering support.
This creates a constant tension:
- Serve people quickly and compassionately
- While managing compliance, paperwork, and volume
The result is predictable:
- Phones constantly ringing
- Staff stretched across multiple roles
- Time lost on repetitive queries (hours, location, program routing)
- Less time for meaningful, human interaction
The solution
Fortell was introduced to absorb frontline demand without replacing human care.
Byrd Barr Place deployed Fortell to:
- Answer inbound calls 24/7
- Route citizens to the correct programs
- Provide instant answers (hours, location, eligibility basics)
- Capture and structure citizen needs before human follow-up
Crucially, this wasn't about automation for efficiency alone.
It was about creating space for staff to focus on the work that matters most:
- Supporting vulnerable citizens
- Managing complex cases
- Delivering empathy, not admin
Why Fortell works in this environment
1. Handles high-volume intake instantly
Fortell ensures every call is answered, even during peak demand, removing bottlenecks at the front door.
2. Reduces repetitive workload
Simple queries (hours, programs, directions) are handled automatically, saving staff time every day.
3. Improves citizen experience
Citizens get immediate responses — even when staff are busy supporting others or working offline.
4. Protects human capacity
Instead of replacing staff, Fortell gives them time back to focus on high-impact, human work.
The impact
Within days of launch, Byrd Barr Place began seeing:
- Immediate time savings for staff
- Faster responses for citizens
- Reduced pressure on frontline teams
- More capacity to focus on complex, high-need cases
“It's giving our team back time so we can focus more on clients and our mission.”
The bigger picture
For organisations like Byrd Barr Place, the challenge isn't willingness to help — it's capacity.
Fortell acts as a force multiplier:
- Expanding reach without increasing headcount
- Maintaining service quality at scale
- Ensuring no call — and no citizen — is missed
In environments where demand keeps rising and resources stay tight, that shift is transformational.
Give your team back time for the work that matters.
See how Fortell can absorb frontline demand in your organisation — without replacing the human care at the heart of it.
Request a demo