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17th April 2024 Issue no. 701
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Liquid Voice in the heads of lone workers
Liquid Voice, a highly respected call recording and contact centre solutions specialists, has completed a successful IVR project for SitexOrbis, the UK's market leader in property and people protection services. The project as part of the SitexOrbis code5 lone worker protection service integrates call recording, IVR, GPS, scheduling and incident handling systems to help the 24/7 response team provide rapid assistance to 14,500 lone workers in a potentially dangerous situation. This is handled through their own BS8484 alarm receiving centre.
For over 30 years, SitexOrbis has been one of the UK's innovators in integrated protection services for both people and property, social housing and commercial customers. One of the most critical services that SitexOrbis provides is its highly-regarded lone worker security cover. Lone workers including district nurses, care workers, traffic wardens and housing officers rely on the service through either mobile phones or dedicated panic response buttons, to monitor their movements and conversations, and provide the necessary assistance in the event of an incident.
Throughout its history, SitexOrbis has continually strived to improve the technology underpinning its services and has been the first to develop and deploy cellular network-based tracking for users without modern GPS-enabled phones and open-mic technology to allow monitoring staff to quickly and covertly hear what is happening at an incident to gauge the level of response.
"We continually invest in development of our systems and use an internal technical team and resources from across the wider group to ensure that we explore every option we can to improve our services," explains Andy Birss, Technical Services Manager for the Lone Worker group, "Our systems are highly bespoke and absolutely critical 24 hours a day so when we decided to add IVR functionality, we had a very tough set of criteria for selecting a technology partner."
SitexOrbis has used a Liquid Voice call recording solution for a number of years, "so it made sense that we talk to them first regarding the new IVR solution although it was not a foregone conclusion," says Andy Birss.
SitexOrbis's Technical Services Manager Andy Birss decided that the company needed to work with a partner with both a strong product base across both areas and a corresponding technical development capability to help with migration and integration. "From our own internal design on how the lone worker automated IVR system needed to work to us engaging with Liquid Voice and them assisting with internal deployment took just four weeks - and that included the Bank holidays," explains Andy Birss. "We than ran it extensively through testing and any changes we needed where handled quickly and professionally by Liquid Voice. The system is now up and running and both elements have been flawless."
The Liquid Voice call recording is constantly active across all monitored lone worker services and begins recording the moment either a call or silent alarm with open-mic is sounded. The system allows operators to quickly playback elements with enhanced audio while the ongoing recording is unaffected. The new Liquid Voice IVR element allows lone workers to both quickly record location information as well as automating a timed telephone call check to ensure the lone worker is safe. Both systems are integrated into an advanced tracking, monitoring and incident management system that allows operators to rapidly analyse and escalate any issues to police or other local response teams.
SitexOrbis is now migrating existing customers, such as Arena Homes and Gateshead Housing, onto the new systems. "Code5 is a good service. Staff can use their own mobile phones so there is no need to change or carry more equipment," says Roberto Demidio, Health and Safety Manager for Gateshead Housing, "Experienced operators are always there for them 24/7. It also provides staff with the ability to record 'difficult' appointments and keep a central file in case allegations are made later."
"Working with SitexOrbis on such a critical project is the type of challenge our developers relish," says Chris Berry, Business Development Director and Co-Founder of Liquid Voice, "Some people treat IVR as a commodity but when you have the capability to integrate it into a bespoke system you can really deliver many advantages that 'off-the-shelf' equivalents can never truly match."
www.sitexorbis.com / www.liquidvoice.co.uk
8th May 2013