Transforming Welfare Checks with Onward Homes

30%

 of previously non-engaging customers began interacting

 ≈4,387 hours  

saved between April - Nov 2025

Early intervention with at-risk customers, which helped save a customer

Onward Homes transformed welfare checks for hundreds of its customers across sheltered schemes and dispersed homes - improving operational efficiency, freeing up colleagues’ time for more meaningful support, accelerating identification of customers who need help, and delivering a more flexible, customer-led experience. The results speak for themselves: 30% of previously non-responding customers were re-engaged, teams saved approximately 4,387 hours, and early intervention even helped save a customer in need of urgent medical attention.

Discover how Onward turned welfare check-ins into a streamlined, customer-led process, enabling teams to focus their time and care where it matters most.

The Challenge

Onward supports hundreds of customers across its sheltered schemes and dispersed homes, making regular welfare checks essential to ensuring safety. However, traditional welfare calls were increasingly resource intensive, with Scheme Managers balancing daily visits, administrative duties, and the needs of many customers, each with different preferences and circumstances.

Some customers found frequent calls intrusive, while others didn’t respond, requiring follow-ups or contact with next of kin to check on their safety. Meanwhile, customers with busy schedules, such as those working, were not always available during office hours. Managing these different needs placed significant pressure on Onward’s team and made it challenging to maintain regular contact and easily identify emerging risks.

The Solution 

Overall, Onward needed a solution to efficiently manage different customers’ preferences, improve engagement, and ensure they could effectively direct time and support where it’s needed – with safety and independence as top priorities.

Onward thereby introduced Voicescape Wellbeing alongside existing welfare processes, with the team finding it simple to adopt and easy to roll out to customers. 

The solution enables Onward to send automated voice messages to its customers based on their needs and preferences, allowing them to confirm their safety quickly and easily, while flagging those who do not respond or request assistance. Between April and November 2025, its customers received ≈37,600 automated calls, ≈23,000 of which confirming safety and 1,753 flagged for intervention, including 123 directly requesting contact. The team could then focus more time and support on those who needed assistance.

Key Benefits

• Flexible, Customer-led Engagement - Welfare checks are tailored to customers’ preferences and schedules - evenings, weekends, or a mix - helping reach those who previously didn’t engage or found frequent calls intrusive.

• Operational Efficiency & Enhanced Support: Automated check-ins cut unnecessary calls and follow-ups, freeing teams to focus on customers who need timely, personalised intervention.

• Dashboard oversight - Scheme Managers could monitor engagement in real-time, assign follow-ups when colleagues were absent, and quickly identify at-risk customers.

This approach has allowed Onward to focus time and personalised support where it’s needed, while maintaining a flexible, customer-led service.

The Results (April-November 2025)

• 30% of non-engaging customers began interacting via automated Wellbeing calls.

• ≈7 minutes saved per customer per call, equating to ≈4,387 hours saved - freeing up Scheme Managers to provide more personal support.

• Reduced administrative workload, allowing teams to dedicate more time to those who need support.

• Faster identification of potentially at-risk customers, enhancing safeguarding.

• Improved oversight for Team Leaders, ensuring continuity of care during colleague absence.
  

Real Customer Outcomes

• Early intervention in a critical safeguarding case: When a customer failed to respond to a check-in, a Scheme Manager carried out a follow-up visit, finding the customer had taken ill. Emergency services were called and found the customer was suffering from the effects of a serious undiagnosed health condition. Onward believe that without the alert, the outcome could have been far more serious.

• Preventing unnecessary escalation: When a customer requested a call-back via a check-in, a Scheme Manager identified a minor electrical issue that had tripped the power, resolving the issue in minutes, and avoiding a contact centre call or engineer visit.

• Boosting community engagement: Freed-up time for Scheme Managers to host coffee mornings, helping to foster community connections and reduce isolation.

“We saw the impact of Wellbeing instantly and it has transformed how we work day-to-day. It frees up time from routine calls, so we can focus on customers who need more support, whether that’s safeguarding, mental health, or community engagement." 

Rebekah, Older Perople's Team Leader, Onward Homes

 “The platform helps us identify at-risk customers quickly, enabling timely safeguarding and more efficient use of our team’s time.”  

Sarah, Older People's Manager, Onward Homes

Ready to transform your welfare checks?

Book a quick call to see the solution for yourself and discover how it could help your team streamline processes, improve efficiency, and better support vulnerable residents.