PRESS RELEASE
17th March 2008 – For Immediate Release
An innovative automated website assistant, created by virtual character consultants Daden Limited, has helped Hanover generate over 10,000 hits to their web site in the first week since the launch.
Called “Hanover Helps”, the assistant is based on “chatbot” technology created by Daden Limited. The chatbot, which takes advantage of the latest web-delivered text-to-speech technology, allows visitors to the site, including the visually impaired, to “ask” questions about Hanover’s services.
Although the website has been designed to ensure that finding information is easy and quick, it was felt that people still might want a guide to key information, or to know that little bit more. That is where the chatbot comes into its own and becomes an essential part of the website - someone to answer inquiries 24 hours day, 7 days a week.
Over the coming weeks the team at Daden, in conjunction with Hanover will monitor the use of the chatbot and its responses to questions. The chatbot can then be programmed with more responses, “learning” from the questions it's asked, and becoming more self sufficient and helpful.
David Burden, Daden's Managing Director said “When we were first contacted by Hanover it was clear they did not want the chatbot as a gimmick or a novelty but as a way to communicate with its existing and potential new customers. It also provides another way for people to interact with their website and find information – particularly those who don't want to hunt through multiple pages.”
“We are always keen to use innovative ways to invigorate our relationship with residents and to support their physical and social independence - and this is a great step forward to achieving this,” said Kirstie Reynolds, Head of Business Communications at Hanover.
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Notes for Editors
Daden is a virtual worlds and virtual character consultancy working on the web, in Second Life and other virtual worlds. Our aim is to help clients engage with their audience using some of the most interesting technologies around today. We offer 4 main services:
Inform - help you understand virtual worlds
Involve - build your presence
Integrate - connect SL to/from web services & real world devices
Interact - create virtual characters and chatbots for virtual worlds or websites
Daden's virtual world clients include the University of Coventry, Birmingham City University (and 2 other UK universities), Birmingham City Council, several marketing agencies and consultancies, consumer brands such as Vauxhall, and B2B brands such as CIBA.
Daden are based in Birmingham, UK, and are also virtual tenants at the Serious Games Institute in Coventry.
Hanover were established in 1963 when Hanover Housing Association was founded. Today, Hanover is one of the largest specialist providers of retirement housing, related support and services in England. They;
Manage some 19,000 retirement and Extra Care properties, including 500 on behalf of external organisations
Continue to lead the sector in building Extra Care housing, with estates in 52 locations. They have one of the largest building programmes of Extra Care housing than any other organisation in the UK
Have been awarded two stars and a “good with promising prospects” assessment by the Audit Commission
Have a dedicated workforce of nearly 1,000 individuals who provide our 30,000 residents and customers with a highly professional and personalised service.
Hanover's mission is ‘to deliver excellent living environments and tailored services that support independence and individuality for older people’.
By 2012, Hanover aspire to be the number one provider for older people looking for high quality housing and related services.They will achieve this by:
Enhancing the quality of existing services provided to residents
Developing new housing and Extra Care estates
Developing extended services which support our objectives (on a sound financial basis)
Pursuing opportunities for growth through partnership, collaboration and mergers
Developing our people as a core part of our service proposition.
PHOTOS:
Photos are available for download from the Media/Image Library at www.daden.co.uk
LINKS:
Hanover Helps chatbot can be seen in situ http://www.hanover.org.uk/community/hanover-helps/han-chatbot
Daden's own website chatbot, Abi can be found at http://www.daden.co.uk/chatbots.html
CONTACT DETAILS:
All media enquiries should be addressed to:
Soulla Stylianou
RL Client Director
Daden Limited
103 Oxford Rd
Moseley
Birmingham
B13 9SG
Tel: 0121 698 8520
Mobile: 07814 14516
Email: soulla.stylianou@daden.co.uk
Kirstie Reynolds
Head of Business Communications
Hanover
Tel: 01784 446012.
Email: Kirstie.reynolds@hanover.org.uk
