On the 4th February 2022 we ran a webinar focused on ‘Supporting Social Care Through Automated Telephony.’ The event was attended by over 40 councils and showcased how Sunderland, Gateshead & Kirklees Councils are using the new Contact&Connect platform, and the immediate results they have achieved.

We were joined by colleagues from Sunderland City Council (SCC) who discussed using automated telephony to drive the recall of Community Loan Equipment, as well as how it is improving the ongoing conversation with customers.

Julie Lynn, Business Development at Sunderland City Council spent some time talking us through the project and said ‘The benefits to us have been financial, but also, we have had outcomes for our residents that we potentially wouldn’t have been aware of if it wasn’t for this tool.’

Emma Anderson, Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Sunderland Care and Support, talked us through how the project worked for SCC, and how this has impacted the authorities resources and output. Emma said, ‘The value for us was about maintaining a real time conversation with our users of community equipment, to remind them that the equipment was on loan, who we were and that we are here to support with any additional needs they might have. From going live, we have demonstrated that is exactly what happens, we have identified whether they still have the equipment, whether they still need it, whether there are any problems with it or whether they have any additional needs that we can support them with.’

SCC talked with us for around 30 mins to detail how Contact&Connect is supporting their services and you can watch this section of the webinar by clicking the button below.