The rollout of the NDIS scheme was completed for all locations across Australia in 2020. As the scheme becomes embedded and participants gain more experience, many feel empowered to embrace the choice to spend their funding in a way that is most beneficial to them.

At Evolved, we work with suppliers of NDIS services to ensure their customers have a voice and a platform to provide their feedback. In turn, this allows our clients to understand what shapes a positive experience with their services and, similarly, where there may be tension.

Conquering NDIS complexity with Conversational AI

We know that for people with disabilities and their carers, being a participant in the NDIS Scheme can be challenging. To really understand how customers feel about the services our clients provide, we need to listen to feedback beyond a top line rating of customer satisfaction or advocacy. Given the complexity of the system, these metrics can be deceptive.

We approach this challenge by using EVE (Evolved Verbatim Engine), our Conversational AI tool. EVE replaces traditional surveys with AI-powered conversations. Instead of reading agree and disagree statements written by researchers, customers engage with an inquisitive feedback companion that enquires on each unique response in real-time.

We see the benefits as:  

• Higher volume and quality of feedback
• An interactive survey experience that participants are engaged with 
• An ability to tailor our approach so it's appropriate for each audience   

To illustrate this, we asked almost 1,000 NDIS participants (participants and carers) to tell us about their experience. When asked to rate the overall experience from registering, finding providers and the delivery of service. The ratings were generally low and reflected the frustration and strain imposed on users.

	Areas	Gender	Age	Location
Most happy	Home Support & Respite Employment Support Life Skill Recreation Programmes	Males	35-54	Rural in general  SA  WA
Least happy	Therapy / Allied Health Services	Females	18-24	QLD

How Conversational AI takes feedback to the next level

 Below are two real conversations our Conversational AI companion, EVE, had with NDIS participants.

Hi there! I'm EVE. Today I'd like to ask about the rating you gave for your NDIS experiences. Please be as descriptive as you can. 

We currently use allied health therapies and exercise programmes out in the community to strengthen our child's mental health, focus and attention to detail, and body 

Thank you. You mentioned attention. Could you please provide further details about that? 

Our boy has trouble staying focussed on topic and needs constant supervision to stay on task 

It sounds like you're talking about NDIS programs. Is there anything else you'd like to say about that? 

We are looking forward to using a community- based programme to take him out and about, teach him how to go on in public as a normal teenage boy using public transport, shopping, queueing etc 

What, if anything, can NDIS service providers do to make your experiences better? 

Be empathetic and provide as much information up front as possible so our decision making is made easier 

 ************ 

Hi there! I'm Eve. Today I'd like to ask about the rating you gave for your NDIS experiences. Please be as descriptive as you can. 

I help my sister who uses NDIS. The initial application was quite complex with various drs and specialist s to see, this was fair enough.  The difficult part came next when we were supposed to be interviewed by NDIS workers to assess my sister's claim. We were given appointment s that were cancelled more than once and then even after she was approved it was difficult to get someone to answer our calls etc 

Thank you. You mentioned application process. Could you please provide further details about that? 

It was ok but once approved it was difficult to get anyone to help us with what to do next  

It sounds like you're talking about having an average experience. Is there anything else you'd like to say about that? 

We needed help and calling the numbers we were given wasn't helpful 

What, if anything, can NDIS service providers do to make your experiences better? 

Answer phone calls more often; respond to messages left; treat clients as important not ignore them 

The result

Effective actionable data that makes the customer the focal point.

Not only do our clients end up with an in depth understanding of their customers, they can also provide actionable feedback to staff, use it for training or identify areas of concern and opportunities for improvement.

Find out more

If you're interested in learning just how powerful Conversational AI can be to drive loyalty in your business, feel free to get in touch with our team. Listen and engage with your customers to find out what they’re really thinking to create better products and services.