Filament AI to deliver chatbot capability for Versus Arthritis

AVA

A virtual assistant providing personalised support and advice to people with arthritis

We have been selected by Versus Arthritis as a strategic partner to help define and deliver a strategy for expanding their existing virtual assistant AVA.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as arthritis and back pain affects an estimated 18.8 million people across the UK. Versus Arthritis is dedicated to stopping the devastating impact that arthritis has on people’s lives. For people living with the daily impact of arthritis, finding answers to questions about the condition can be crucial.

Aligned with the charities mission and objectives, in 2016 Versus Arthritis launched AVA, a virtual assistant that provides a 24/7 resource for people with arthritis seeking personalised and easily accessible self-care information.

Filament is partnering with Versus Arthritis to help expand AVA’s abilities to provide support to the charity’s beneficiaries, by improving conversational analysis and resolution, enhancing analytics and retraining tools and extending access via partner websites and new channels.

COVA

The UK’s first condition-specific Coronavirus chatbot

With our Fast Track Coronavirus Response solution, Filament rapidly developed a chatbot with Versus Arthritis after the charity experienced an unprecedented increase in calls to its helpline, traffic on its web site and messages on social media channels. This has been a direct result of people needing information since the Government announced sweeping measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus in March.

Called COVA, the chatbot incorporates health information developed specifically for people with arthritis and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions on the impact of COVID-19, with answers from Versus Arthritis as well as the British Society for Rheumatology, the NHS and GOV.UK. Filament’s chatbot product empowers the Versus Arthritis team to continuously improve their services and health information, increasing COVA’s content and functionality and deploying to multiple chat and voice channels.

Outcome

• Over 1000 conversations and over 10,000 messages in under a week
• Great user feedback: 49% Very helpful, 40% Good

“COVA is a one-stop-shop where people with arthritis and MSK conditions can go with confidence to get the information they need to maintain their health and wellbeing. Our nimble and innovative response will have a big impact for people in a time of great change and uncertainty.”