Great to be at the HelpHUb launch in Manchester.. 75,000 support organisations, that was quite a surprise. It is fascinating to see how this whole sector is evolving.
Key Take Aways
- The platform delivers immediate, actionable support by identifying vulnerable customers and offering benefits checks and local support services.
- Accessibility is a foundational principle, with journeys optimised for language, cultural, cognitive, and physical impairments.
- Ecosystem thinking underpins the product, with a focus on partnerships across data providers, outreach channels, and support organisations.
- AI is leveraged for capabilities like speech analytics, web scraping, eligibility checks, and multilingual interpretation—only where proven effective.
- The STEP platform offers access to over 75,000 free support services, underpinned by a unique localised signposting engine.
- Customer journeys can be delivered digitally or via contact centre or field agents, adaptable to the organisation’s context.
- The pricing model is usage-based, with no setup fee, encouraging flexible adoption and scalability.
- The platform supports evidence gathering for regulatory compliance across sectors such as financial services, energy, water, and government.
- A consent-driven approach to data enables tailored support and optional follow-up communication preferences.
- Signposting is structured to meet real-life needs in plain terms rather than abstract service categories.
- Prioritisation of needs (e.g., food vs. employment) is addressed through contextual AI understanding, with continuous feedback from partners.
- The platform is white-label ready and deployable in diverse settings such as loan decline journeys, probate support, and community outreach.
Innovation
- Conversational AI Signposting: STEP enables users to describe their needs in natural language, using AI to interpret and recommend relevant services.
- Dynamic Accessibility Design: Instead of generic toolbars, the platform ensures information is digestible with small chunks, vertical flow, and minimal cognitive load.
- Real-time Ecosystem Integration: Offers flexible plug-and-play components with data, outreach, and service partners for customised journeys.
- AI-Augmented Benefits Checks: Integrated with Invest AI, the platform estimates monthly entitlement and guides users through claims efficiently.
- Personalised Consent Capture: User preferences across communication channels are collected and honoured, supporting inclusive engagement.
Key Statistics
- 6.4 vulnerabilities per household identified by one regulator.
- STEP contains over 75,000 free service providers.
- Between 30–40% of UK residents are estimated to have lost or unclaimed accounts.
- Approximately 400 GBP/month in missed benefits identified in some use cases.
- Four-week SLA for web scraping and data validation updates.
Key Discussion Points
- Technology collaboration events will be hosted two to three times per year to foster shared innovation.
- The platform was conceived from a network of practitioners combining consulting, behavioural insight, and data partnerships.
- Traditional schemes are hard to access due to complexity, language, and digital exclusion.
- Regulatory pressure (e.g., FCA, Ofwat, Ofgem) demands better vulnerability identification and support.
- Ecosystem partners play a central role, and the team maintains a non-competitive, collaborative stance.
- Commercial models include optional revenue-neutral structures, e.g., commission on utility switching.
- Data tracking is currently anonymised, with aspirations to build longitudinal feedback loops with permission.
- Different entry points (collections, loan decline, solicitors, etc.) enable contextual journey initiation.
- The local relevance of services is critical—global or national directories are insufficient.
- Users can interact via their preferred channel, language, and format, ensuring maximum engagement.
- The solution is modular and white-labelled, enabling custom journey construction based on organisational need.
- Upcoming development includes deeper engagement for debt-specific journeys, co-designed with MAPS funding.
Description
This session presents a detailed walkthrough of a technology platform designed to support vulnerable customers through benefits maximisation, hyper-local signposting, and inclusive digital journeys. Delivered via a modular SaaS model, the solution combines AI, data integration, and ecosystem partnerships to offer immediate, accessible help to individuals across sectors including financial services, utilities, and public services. The event also set out aspirations for wider collaboration, iterative innovation, and shared industry standards to transform vulnerability support.
See also Event: Handling increased arrears - ideas and support for Credit Unions and Community banks
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