Alertacall delivers digital solution to increase two-way contact and keep thousands of Places for People’s older residents connected and informed

A company which helps social housing providers have better two-way contact with older people has rolled out its services to 3000+ residents at one of the largest housing associations in the UK.

Alertacall has installed its Housing Proactive service at 100 retirement living schemes operated by Places for People, the UK’s leading social enterprise. 

Housing Proactive uses a digital touchscreen, which allows providers to communicate with residents and provide news and updates. People can also use the touchscreen to have two-way communication with their social landlord, report repairs or ASB, and take part in surveys.

Importantly, it also incorporates Alertacall’s OKEachDay® service, which allows residents to press a button on the touchscreen each day to confirm everything is OK at their property, or otherwise receive a call from a specially trained team member about housing related matters.

James Batchelor MBE, CEO and founder of Alertacall, said: 

“While it is now essential for housing providers to have better two-way contact with customers, it is also becoming increasingly difficult to achieve due to growing demands on frontline housing staff.

“At Alertacall, we are committed to combining digital communication and proactive human contact in a way that enables providers to meet their obligations, helps their customers thrive and prevents undiscovered incidents.

“Places For People’s teams have been superb to deal with and we are excited about continuing to work with them to transform people’s lives and increase two-way engagement to ensure customers feel more informed and connected, while also reducing isolation and identifying any changing needs.”

The roll-out across Places for People’s Living Plus communities followed a successful pilot at 800 properties in Huntingdon and Derby, covering a range of different property types, including general needs, leaseholder, retirement living and supported homeless.

Places for People wanted a solution which would work regardless of property type and allow customers to control how much contact they receive. Feedback from the pilot showed 88% of residents are happy or very happy with the service, while 70% felt more informed, and 69% felt they had more contact with Places for People.

Christine Candlish, Director of Living Plus at Places for People, said:

“Our Retirement Living offer is all about helping older people and those with higher needs live as independently as they can.

“The Alertacall touchscreen device allows our customers to report repairs and have two-way digital engagement with us, while ensuring we can check everything is OK at their property and that changing needs are identified.

“Even those who’ve never used this kind of technology before have found it easy to use, and the installation process is quick and simple.”