The solution and result

Rianna Wilkinson, Customer Careline Manager at Sovereign Network Group, explains how SmartBridge, analogue to digital converter, helped Sovereign to minimise the risk of first time call failures at two key sites. She also discusses how this can help the group as they transition to digital telecare across their Housing for Older People and supported housing schemes.

What prompted you to install Appello's SmartBridge analogue to digital converter?

We were having issues with the connectivity of our telecare services at two particular schemes in Southampton: Biddlesgate and Postern Court (which is one site) and Walton Court. There were many instances when equipment wasn't working properly and we had a high call failure rate as a result.

At the same time, we’ve been looking at our digital upgrade timetable. We wanted to see how an analogue to digital converter could work and whether we can explore this as a temporary solution at some sites. We were hoping SmartBridge would address the risk of schemes falling over and buy us time to gradually go ahead with our upgrade plans.

What were the results of your trial period with SmartBridge?

Before SmartBridge, the first time call failure rate at Biddlesgate and Postern Court ranged from 6.25%-11.11% during May-August 2024, and 83.33%-100% at Walton Court during July-October 2024.

Following the implementation of SmartBridge, we didn’t have any failures at all, so that’s been really promising. We're keeping track with regular first time call failure reports and these are looking really healthy. It means SmartBridge is definitely something we'll now be considering alongside our upgrade plans.

How do you think SmartBridge fits into your digital upgrade plans?

We've got a certain amount of investment for this year up to October 2025 and then additional funds to March 2026, so it really depends how many schemes we can get upgraded within that budget before the switchover deadline of January 2027.

Some of our schemes are already digital, which leaves between 63-67 to be transitioned from analogue equipment. With SmartBridge as an option, we can look at which sites to prioritise for full digital upgrades and which will use the analogue to digital converter this time around.

Then, year on year, we'll continue with our upgrade programme so we're not relying on the converters for too long, as we know it's not a long-term solution. But it does alleviate that pressure on our budget. It buys us the time to complete the upgrades over the next few years rather than having to do everything by January 2027.

What challenges did you experience during your trial of SmartBridge?

You're never going to experience no problems whatsoever; there's always improvements that can be made. It's knowing at what point do you need to escalate an issue. If we've had any issues on the ground, once we've done that, we've had a really good response from Appello. The follow up contact has also been good, making sure those issues have been addressed and resolved.

 What advice would you have for other housing providers on their digital journey?

I would say know your stock first. We put together asset ratings using a traffic light system of red, amber, green to give us an idea of where we are with everything. Then you need to understand what options you have for that stock. Does it need to be upgraded now? Could it go to a dispersed offer? Can the upgrade wait and you implement an analogue to digital converter?

You need to think about what type of equipment you have and whether it is compatible with a converter. Also, the converter will only last as long as your existing analogue equipment, so we carried out soak testing to establish the reliability of that.

I really recommend engaging with the TSA’s consultancy offering. They surveyed our schemes and provided a recommendation report, which has been really helpful. It gave us a 360 view of our schemes to be able to make those decisions and understand what to focus on first.

Would you recommend the SmartBridge analogue to digital converter?

Yes, I think SmartBridge is a really good solution to give you the time you need to be able to plan your digital upgrades. You don't have to have a massive cash injection, you can spread that cost over the course of quite a few years. I'd absolutely recommend SmartBridge to others.