Arkéa On Life Uses Twilio Video to Bring a Human Touch To Telecare

Maintaining social bonds lies at the heart of what it means to age well. Yet all too often, remote assistance is just that—impersonal and distant.

This is where Arkéa on Life comes in. The group is dedicated to offering seniors and their loved ones innovative, human-centric solutions that address the dual challenge of senior isolation: physical safety and social connection. At the forefront of their innovation is a mobile telecare smart watch, and a home support tablet, which include a fully integrated video chat service. These tools help facilitate social inclusion and bring a welcoming human dimension to the often impersonal world of telecare.

Big ambitions, made possible thanks to Twilio

“We initially developed the video chat feature in-house, shortly after launching our service in 2016. But we quickly realized that maintenance of the iOS version, the Android version and all the different servers would be too complex to continue internally long-term,” says CTO Henri Lemenicier. “Twilio simplified the implementation and the maintenance of our service in little time and with minimal effort. Now we no longer have to worry about system updates, navigator updates, incompatibilities, etc. In short, Twilio provided sweet simplicity in everything from integration to maintenance to customer experience.

“We received excellent support right from the start,” says CTO Henri Lemenicier. “The integration was fluid and the migration to the Twilio server was smooth and easy.”

The Arkéa On Life difference

The Arkéa care platform is activated either due to automatic fall detection or in response to the push of a button. When this happens, the platform contacts the user for an initial assessment.

Now with the powerful combination of Twilio, the easy-to-use touchscreen and integrated services designed to reduce the isolation of seniors, Arkéa On Life makes sure that both the mind and the body are cared for – a pioneering approach to telecare.

Using a smartphone app, the user’s loved ones can interact with them via the telecare tablet, by starting a video chat for example. And thanks to the simplicity and user-friendliness of the interface, users who are not adept at digital communications can still easily use the services. As a result of this innovative approach, Arkéa On Life has been able to provide their service to a larger range of users: typically targeting seniors of 90 years of age, Arkéa On Life is now able to include those in their early 80s. And for those who have a dedicated smartphone and are accustomed to digital communications, Arkéa On Life have developed a specific offer for them.

Regardless of the solution provided users have access to an interface that is ergonomic and, easy to navigate, as well as numerous convenient features, such as the possibility for family members to add contacts on the user’s behalf. On top of this, an installation professional personally visits each user to both install the service and show the user how it works. But the human touch doesn’t stop there—in case of emergency, the operator can appear on the tablet screen via webcam. “We want the human experience to be at the very center of our service,” confirms Henri Lemenicier.

Satisfied customers and a bright outlook

These user benefits have clearly translated into customer satisfaction while providing Arkéa On Life with a powerful means of differentiation. Since 2016, the share of Arkéa On Life’s premium offer has grown from 25% to 50% of its sales. The COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying lockdowns quadrupled the use of video calls within the solution, causing the average number of hours spent in video calls per month to soar from 2,000 hours to 8,000 hours for 10,000 subscribers. And while the global use of video calls decreased following the end of lockdown measures, it has remained higher overall than it was pre-lockdown.

Looking ahead, Arkéa On Life plans to continue to develop its human-centered solutions, incorporating technologies such as VoIP and expanding its range of services. Stories from Arkéa On Life users provide an endless source of inspiration and motivation for their business: A technician performing an installation at the home of a new user asked the user whether they could test the device by calling someone they knew. The user chose her granddaughter. When the call went through, the granddaughter, who had just given birth to a baby girl, was able to introduce her grandmother to her daughter for the first time. “We don’t just do video calls,” says Henri. “We create relationships and bring families together.”