New platform to help housing providers convert analogue telecare alarm calls into digital calls

Technology enabled care (TEC) provider Appello has launched a new cloud-hosted convertor application, DigitalBridge, enabling housing providers to improve client safety by diverting analogue telecare alarm calls to the Appello Cloud where they are converted into digital calls.

DigitalBridge is designed to overcome the issue of first-time call failures that can happen with analogue telecare devices.

Additionally, the application enables two-way communication instead of one-party-at-a-time speech that can occur with traditional analogue telecare. Appello says this is a safer and more comforting experience for vulnerable clients.

The TEC provider highlights that some analogue telecare alarm calls take 20-90 seconds to reach a monitoring centre and call failures further elongate the time it takes calls to reach an operator, resulting in delays in vulnerable service users receiving the emergency response required.

In response to this issue, Appello DigitalBridge is designed to “significantly reduce” the chance of a failed call.

The cloud-based application collects any assigned analogue telecare call at the nearest telephone exchange, where the technology ensures the analogue protocol is translated into the British Standards approved digital signalling. These digital protocols are specifically designed for the upgraded UK telecoms network and allow secure passage of the call to the monitoring centre.

This mitigates the risks associated with emergency call failures and therefore takes “significant strides” in increasing the safety of service users, Appello claims.

Discussing the launch of DigitalBridge, Tim Barclay, CEO at Appello, said: “We are always focussed on the safety of the most vulnerable in our society, this was the driver behind the development of our market leading digital telecare service Smart Living Solutions (SLS). Ever since we launched it back in 2016, those customers who have made the switch to SLS have recognised the huge benefits and opportunities in resident safety and wellbeing that their investment has delivered.

“However, we recognise that not every housing provider can make that transition to digital Telecare yet, or that some are on a transformation programme over a few years.

“We are therefore excited to launch Appello DigitalBridge to increase end-customer safety, by nearly eradicating first-time call failures and improving their user experience through a much better audio experience.”

Learn more about DigitalBridge in the video below: