Talkback UK – Transforming Business Processes with Custom App Development – Vitaskills

Sector

Public sector | Charity

Location

Amersham, United Kingdom

Revenues

£50 Million

About

Custom App Development – Vitaskills

Talkback is a local charity in the UK dedicated to the upskilling and education of young individuals with autism and other learning disabilities. They’re a beacon of hope, providing tailored education support. From bespoke life skills training to creative opportunities in expressive arts, Talkback empowers individuals for independent living.

Outcome

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Boosted Efficiency: The Impact App saved 36,000 hours yearly, allowing more focus on their mission.

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Visible Impact: Demonstrable outcomes strengthened relationships with local authorities.

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Enhanced Compliance: Integrated PIF ensures GDPR compliance and data security.

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AI Advancement: AI Assistant prototype paves the way for innovative lesson planning.

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Unified Approach: Impact streamlined operations for consistency across the organization.

Executive Summary

TTG’s VitaSkills Application revolutionised Talkback UK’s operations by eliminating significant manual administration, enhancing data security, and ensuring GDPR compliance with custom app development. This resulted in an astonishing annual saving of 36,000 hours. Not only did this innovative solution streamline their processes, but it also empowered them to demonstrate the impact they have on autistic children and students, thereby ensuring continued support from local authorities.

This success was recognised on a national stage when TTG won Team of the Year at the UK IT Industry Awards in 2024 for the development of the VitaSkills app. Building on this award-winning foundation, TTG has significantly advanced the platform with powerful AI capabilities and integrated analytics. These enhancements include AI-driven lesson planning and intelligent summaries that consolidate transitions, attendance, feedback, and journey data, while recommending next steps to align members with their EHCP goals. In addition, Power BI dashboards now provide real-time insights at both member and organisational levels, transforming VitaSkills into a comprehensive, data-driven solution that drives personalised outcomes and strategic decision-making.

The Challange

Significant Manual Administration:

Talkback UK faced a significant challenge: extensive manual administration. A staggering 30% of their staff’s valuable time was dedicated to administrative tasks, diverting resources from their core mission of assisting children. Challenges included missing referrals, inconsistent management of consent and GDPR compliance, countless hours spent recreating lesson plans, reliance on Excel and Word documents for reporting, and a lack of standardised processes across the organisation. These issues also impeded their ability to provide accurate information to Ofsted and local authorities, impacting their funding prospects and overall business intelligence.

The Solution

App development

TTG introduced the VitaSkills application, a secure, scalable, and feature-rich cloud tool designed to streamline Talkback UK’s operations. This revolutionary app efficiently managed enquiries, ensuring no vital details were missed, significantly reducing administrative workload. Integrated Personal Information Forms (PIF) ensured GDPR compliance, simplifying consent management and guaranteeing data security. It facilitated easy member tracking, reducing administrative burden, and streamlining session planning and feedback collection, saving considerable time in coordination. Furthermore, the application made staff management more efficient, reducing administrative tasks related to schedule building and staff assignments.

TTG has now taken VitaSkills to the next level with advanced AI functionality and integrated analytics. The AI-driven lesson planning feature automates the creation of personalised learning experiences, while AI summaries provide a clear picture of each member’s progress, including transitions, attendance, and feedback. These summaries also suggest next steps to ensure alignment with EHCP goals, supporting a truly individualised approach. Complementing these features, Power BI dashboards deliver real-time insights into performance and engagement, enabling organisations to monitor progress at a granular level and make informed decisions that enhance outcomes for members and improve operational efficiency.

The Success

Making a Difference with Impact

With the VitaSkills App, Talkback UK has successfully showcased the profound impact they have on the lives of autistic children and students. They can now easily provide evidence of successful learning outcomes to local authorities, ensuring ongoing support and funding. The implementation of automated alerting and monitoring guarantees that no task or process is overlooked, ensuring compliance and timely completion of essential activities.

The results have been remarkable, with a saving of 36,000 hours per year, significantly reducing the administrative workload and equating to a £411,800 saving. Additionally, VitaSkills integration with PIF has improved data security and GDPR compliance, simplifying consent management. The app facilitated 468,432 feedback submissions, reflecting strong participation and enabling continuous improvement based on real-time user input.

With the help and assistance of the VitaSkills app, Talkback UK has demonstrated exceptional impact and efficiency, meeting and exceeding their objectives. They sent 35,000 notifications to keep members and staff informed and engaged. From general enquiries, 359 members were successfully converted, showcasing their effectiveness in engaging and onboarding new members. Members created 3,500 personal targets, with 11,033 personal target reviews conducted, highlighting their focus on personalised development. They collected data on 100 destination placements, crucial for measuring their impact and securing future funding.

Talkback UK scheduled, planned, and delivered 3,147 sessions, with a total attendance of 14,590 sessions, demonstrating high engagement and the value of their offerings. They successfully onboarded 359 funded members within the first six months, indicating strong support and adoption. Positive local authority feedback helped unlock and increase funding.

In conclusion, TTG’s Vitaskills Application has not only streamlined Talkback UK’s operations but has also empowered them to focus on their core mission – helping children with autism thrive and transition into meaningful employment, all while enhancing their impact, efficiency, and compliance. These success metrics underscore VitaSkills’ ability to drive engagement, improve operational efficiency, and support the development of youth with autism and learning disabilities, reinforcing their mission and amplifying their positive impact.