Kindness and connection this Christmas

Every year during the lead up to Christmas, our Alertacall contact centre team make it their mission to reach out to customers who might be feeling isolated, to connect with them during what can be a lonely time.

These calls are a great opportunity for our customers to have an informal chat with people who care. These calls are in addition to the OKEachDay calls we make and therefore aren’t scheduled, there is no agenda, and staff and customers alike get to enjoy wonderful conversations that are completely led by our customers. 

This year it is more important than ever, with Age UK confirming that 1.3 million older people will feel sad this Christmas, and almost as many 2.7 million older people saying they worry they’ll have to reduce their social activities because of the cost of living crisis.

To identify those who are potentially at risk of being isolated, our fantastic contact centre team reviews which customers regularly choose to chat with us, as well as those who we know have limited social contact. We also work closely with our clients (housing providers) who often identify their vulnerable residents and ask us to make extra calls to them. 

We begin making our additional calls on the 12th Dec and these will continue into the New Year. We will also give our customers the opportunity to receive additional calls on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day if they know they are going to be spending the day on their own, or if they would simply like to chat. 

Our CEO James Batchelor said: “With millions of older people affected by loneliness it is vital that we come together to combat this growing epidemic, whether through campaigning, working collaboratively or investing in technology. At Alertacall we champion combining ingenious technology with people who care. As we progress into 2023, we are very much looking forward to invigorating our efforts to support the housing, health, care, and voluntary sectors to embrace technology that can increase, and accelerate, digital engagement with residents and service users – something that we believe has a pivotal part to play in helping those who feel lonely. Right now, I am proud of our contact centre team, who through their additional calls and kindness this winter, will make a positive difference to the lives of our customers.”