Next Generation Text Service (NGTS) UKCOD Conference – 4th November 2015

An Introduction to The Next Generation Text Service Enables people who can’t speak and/or hear to make calls Relay assistant sits in middle of the phone call Typed conversation is spoken, and spoken conversation is typed Any kind of phone call: family, business, emergency, etc. A Text Relay service has been provided by BT since 1991, during which time the service has been developed and updated. In 2001 we saw the introduction of TextDirect – world first technology which allowed end users to dial directly, no longer requiring users to be registered to use the service or having to relay on the relay assistant to make the outbound call on their behalf. Next Generation Text Relay became available in October 2014. It allows deaf and speech-impaired users to make and receive calls using a variety of mainstream devices such as smartphones, tablets and PCs, using the NGT app. The principle of relay remains the same however, the service is all about enabling people who can’t speak or hear to make standard telephone calls over the telephone network. The relay assistant relays the call between the deaf and hearing callers, they still speak the typed conversation from the deaf user to the hearing party and then type the spoken conversation from the hearing party to the deaf user.

The enhanced features of NGT Caters for a variety of needs Parallel Voice and Text Improved Access No Additional Registration Simplified Access for Standard Telephone Users End Users can choose how they wish to use the service Parallel communication channels allow a text and voice connection to be open at the same time. No longer any need to switch between text and voice modes. An end-to-end service supporting a wide range of terminals such as PC, and mobile terminals through downloadable apps A service that is available on demand with online setup NGT delivered a number of enhancements compared to the old service -……… Parallel Voice and Text – speeds up the conversation for those who use Voice Carry Over, no longer do people need to switch between voice and text, both channels are open in parallel, which in turns allows a more natural flow of conversation The biggest issue in the past has been the fact people have been restricted to making fixed line texphone calls, no real opportunities for calls on the move, so people were often limited to calling from home When TextDirect was introduced in 2001, allowing you to dial directly, we removed the need for registration, someone could just pick up the phone and make a call on demand, we didn’t want to move backwards and go for a registration or pre-payment option Often people reported the fact they didn’t like giving out the 18002 prefix to hearing people as people were often hesitant about calling a prefix number – what will it cost? The other frustration was when deaf users were leaving their contact number of websites, often no room for the 18002 prefix ahead of their phone number, so would result in a call back being made directly without going through the relay. We hope the new service will bring greater flexibility to the way it can be used, catering for all needs from hard of hearing users to the needs of deafblind users Provides an alternative to the 18002 prefix by using a range of Text Numbers starting 03 or 07.

NGT Usage 17% of all text originated relay calls are currently being made via the app Overall app downloads and reviews are on the increase. The Android app has seen between 1,000 and 5,000 downloads and the IOS app between 3,500 and 4,000 since September 2014 Overall call volumes since launch are broadly flat - the majority of app users have substituted legacy textphone devices in favour of the app. Call handling times are higher for app calls than they are for traditional textphone calls.

NGT Feedback Online app stores provide a very rich & unfiltered form of feedback. The IOS app is currently rated 4+ and Android is 3.9. The feedback/ rating information on this slide is taken direct from the google play store on November 2nd

To assist relay users with the NGT Lite on-boarding process Our Commitment Our Approach To assist relay users with the NGT Lite on-boarding process BT has set up a dedicated helpdesk for relay users. NGT website has been updated with instructional video clips and a BSL translation is currently being developed Work with deaf charities' to encourage usage and take up of the new NGT service We carried out 6 Train the Trainer events throughout the country during June. Over 100 people are now more familiar with the NGT Lite app and can take this learning out into the wider community to encourage more use of the app How we have delivered Provide 500 smartphone devices to end users of organisations identified by representatives of the NGT Steering Board 100 Android devices have been given to attendees of the Train the Trainer events. An additional 350 have been supplied to organisations already identified. The 50 remaining devices will be given out as and when requested Helpdesk Helpdesk are continuing to be presented with issues not directly related to the use of the NGT Lite app – very often they are asked more generic questions around downloading apps, wi-fi connections. Since the introduction of NGT in October 14, call volumes to the helpdesk are reducing as we would expect, with more users automatically using the on-line help tools e.g. instructional videos and screen shots on the website. Train the Trainer To share our learning and experience, so that key stakeholders can pass on the information to others who may benefit from the NGT app To encourage those who may not currently have a mechanism for making calls via the app by giving away the smartphone with credit already loaded To reach out to the deaf community and help them become self-serving, whilst encouraging usage of the app, both for new users and those existing users of the service Device Giveaway – this has been a very positive initiative and have allowed charaties to provide equipment to those people who may not otherwise benefit from the service, as they don’t and wouldn’t be able to purchase a smart device. Braille - People are making and receiving calls with braille equipment. We are improving the information on the NGT website to aid installation of the JAVA Access Bridge. We await feedback on the Android testing, although we believe the changes will have the same positive impact. Play our part to deliver a desktop and mobile-compatible version of the NGT Lite application for Braille reading equipment users. The additional technical work has been completed for both the Windows desktop and the Android app. We have engaged Sense to complete specific end- user testing by Deafblind users and feedback has been positive regarding the improvements made to the Windows desktop version. We are awaiting feedback for the Android version.

BACK-UP

Key Metrics Our recently published Annual Report (available on the ngts website) shows that we continue to deliver a high quality service, often over achieving against the agreed KPI’s, which demonstrates our continued commitment to this service.