Innovation win for Radius Connect 24 at Public Sector Transformation Awards

The award was received thanks to an innovative automated health and wellbeing outbound call service recently introduced at the facility.

The telecare provider, in partnership with tech start-up company Yokeru, introduced artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enhance and expand their range of care and support services.

This new automated service can deliver thousands of outgoing calls to check on the wellbeing of customers in a matter of minutes, with the user responding easily with the press of a button on their mobile phone to confirm if they are ok or if they need more help.

This innovation has been positively embraced by customers who enjoy the freedom of going about their daily routine whilst still having the reassurance of a wellbeing call at a time that suits them and without having to wait at home.

The technology has also helped to improve the productivity of Radius Connect 24 staff by freeing up their time to deliver services to more customers in need of direct support.

The Public Sector Transformation Awards 2022 recognise and celebrate the innovative services and practices which are being implemented in public bodies to improve and enhance services to people.

The Innovation Award is presented to public, private or third sector organisations which develop and bring new technologies to market to transform public services.

Radius Connect 24 currently provides support to some 21,000 people of all ages across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Through a team of trained call advisors they provide 24/7 support 365 days per year to customers, and can summon family, medical and emergency staff as required.

The popularity of health and wellbeing calls for people who live independently meant that thousands of daily calls were required, which was time consuming and required an increased number of staff to be focused on this activity.

The solution was the bespoke AI phone call system co-designed and implement with tech start-up Yokeru. This has saved time and increased staff productivity, and most importantly it has been embraced by customers who like the simplicity, freedom and sense of support it gives them if it is needed.

Leanne Billington, sales officer at Radius Connect 24, said: “We are delighted that the hard work to innovate and improve a vital service has been recognised with this silver award at the Public Sector Transformation Awards.

“For any telecare support service, having manpower working on the most pressing calls is essential, and what the Yokeru AI service does is free up staff to help people by utilising automated calling, sending out thousands of calls in a matter of seconds and getting responses immediately. The services we provide at Radius Connect 24 are solutions to support people to live independently, and when the popularity of these services grows, then we have to find ways of making them work more efficiently.

“The Yokeru AI phone system is the perfect example of how we have utilised a bespoke piece of innovation, implemented it across thousands of users in a short space of time, and have improved outcomes for people in their homes. Now our staff have more time to provide support to those customers who are in need, and more people are able to get the fast response required. Sometimes new technology can be intimidating, but the simplicity of the user interfaces for managers and the ease of use for the customers is so good that it has been embraced by everyone involved.”

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