We had the pleasure of being invited to speak at the TSA-hosted Technology Enabled Care Theatre at the Digital Healthcare Show in London on 18 May 2022. Steve Gates, our Managing Director, presented a session centred around the importance of listening to customers when developing Technology Enabled Care services.
Our customer research and insight work influence everything we do. From product and service selection through to our marketing communication and customer services, we listen carefully to the needs of our customers to help inform our decision-making.
It was great to be able to share our values and priorities with so many attendees on the day and demonstrate why we love doing what we do every day. Our aim is to:
- Support people in maintaining their dignity and independence, by providing technology and health solutions that give them the assistance required
- Give confidence to individuals and reassurance to their carers and families
- Help people live in their own homes for longer and stay safe and secure in residential settings
- Empower our customers to live the lives they want to lead
Two key customer groups
Through speaking to our customers, we understand that when a decision around Technology Enabled Care is being made, it usually involves the wider family network. Our research shows that 60% of our direct customers purchasing decisions are made by a family member (average age 50/55-65) on behalf of the service user (average age 75-85).
There are often related health concerns and particular reasons to make the first step in purchasing Technology Enabled Care. Trigger points for family members include concerns about the individual’s mobility around the house. Many family members are geographically remote from their loved ones and fear they can’t respond quickly enough to an emergency. They are understandably looking for ‘peace of mind’ and a service that can support their family member. Our service users often get in contact after a first fall, or after the recognition of reduced mobility and very often after concerns expressed by their family.
Technology and services to reduce worry
We work closely with Professor James Brown (Aston Research Centre for Healthy Aging) on a variety of projects including YouGov research we commissioned around falls and ageing. One survey identified the concerns family members have about older relatives living independently. Our findings showed:
Following this market insight, our 2022 product and service roadmap now includes a loneliness and scam/bogus caller prevention proposition. We carried out the same approach in 2020 to form our 2021 roadmap. After listening to our customers, we launched a combined solution called Taking Care Anywhere to address requests for a pendant that could be spoken into and a device covering inside and outside the home. The Taking Care Anywhere personal alarm is now one of our most popular products.
We also conducted a poll about the types of Technology Enabled Care that would reduce worry about a vulnerable relative living independently. At Taking Care we offer a host of products in our portfolio to provide that reassurance – with the most popular option being the personal alarm.
We are always developing our propositions to meet the demands of our customers. It’s not a coincidence that what we offer speaks to most of these concerns. But what it does show is that listening to our customers’ needs is hugely important in delivering the solution that will help them most. For additional information on the full range, please browse our personal alarms.