Reliable Connections and True Partnership for Sandwell Council
Reliable Connections and Exceptional Support for Sandwell Council
The transition from analogue to digital telecare is about more than just replacing alarm units.
For local authorities, it means ensuring that the technology works reliably, in real homes, in every part of the community. Plus, their teams need access to responsive, helpful support at any time of day or night.
For Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Chiptech has provided both.
Sandwell has found the SEVEN particularly valuable in areas where mobile signal can be challenging. Alongside the technology, the council has benefited from the fantastic customer and technical support that Chiptech is known for, making a trusted part of Sandwell’s telecare provision.
About Sandwell MBC
Sandwell Meteropolitan Borough Council’s telecare service supports people across the borough to live safely and independently in their own homes.
As part of its transition to digital telecare, the service has introduced approximately 1,800 of Chiptech’s lifeline devices. The estate includes SEVEN alarm units, smoke alarms, falls detectors, bed and chair occupancy sensors, and epilepsy sensors, with further peripherals planned as the service develops.
For the team, choosing the right technology was not simply about specifications. Reliability in the real world and having a supplier that would stand behind its products were equally important.
“They’ve just been fantastic from the start. I’m all about cost savings … but also, you’ve got to weigh up what benefits are you getting from the customer service? As for Chiptech, it’s second to none.”
More Than a Supplier
Neil Harte, Team Manager at Sandwell Council admits that he was initially sceptical about suppliers approaching him during the A2D process. However, Chiptech’s approach was different.
“Sam Boothroyd from Chiptech never took the hard-sell approach with me,” says Neil. “I was having some issues on-site, and I reached out to Sam after our initial conversations. She immediately started helping, before we’d even placed an order, and I thought, ‘if this is the service I’m getting before I’m even a customer of theirs, this is somewhere I probably need to give some thought’.”
It was an early indication of what would become one of the defining aspects of Sandwell’s relationship with Chiptech: support that goes beyond the initial purchase.
Low Signal Connections
One of the biggest practical benefits Sandwell has experienced with the SEVEN is its ability to establish a connection in areas where other equipment had failed.
Within Sandwell, the team quickly identified locations where other alarm units were unable to connect because of poor mobile signal.
For installers, this can create a difficult situation. Being in a service user’s home, trying to establish a connection while reassuring them that their new equipment will work eventually, can be frustrating and time-consuming.
Thanks to SEVEN’s dual-SIM resilience, Sandwell found that the SEVEN was able to connect in locations where other technology had struggled.
The team identified these challenging areas early in the
deployment and found that Chiptech units were often effectively “plug and play”, making the installation process much more straightforward.
For Sandwell, that reliability provides something particularly valuable: confidence.
The installer can leave the property knowing that the equipment has successfully connected, rather than having to worry about whether a marginal signal will cause problems later.
A Personal Touch
Technology is only part of the story. Throughout Sandwell’s relationship with Chiptech, Neil has been impressed by the quality of support provided.
“The service we’ve had from both Sam and Ryan is second to none,” Neil says. “The Technical Support team too are excellent. Our staff have the same feedback, saying how great the support is.”
The relationship has continued well beyond the initial deployment. Neil described contacting the Chiptech team when problems arose, including outside normal working hours, and receiving prompt responses.
Even when Chiptech wasn’t necessarily responsible for an issue, the team was willing to help investigate and support as best they could. For Neil, that responsiveness has been a major differentiator:
“They’ve just been fantastic from the start. I’m all about cost savings … but also, you’ve got to weigh up what benefits are you getting from the customer service? As for Chiptech, it’s second to none.”
Do you need support with your analogue-to-digital switchover? Looking for a base unit that can connect even in poor signal areas?
Get in touch with Chiptech, we’re here to help.
