Transforming service delivery at RNIB with AI chat technology

At RNIB, the UK's leading sight loss charity, we support over two million people with sight loss, providing crucial services through our helpline and other support channels. Following our successful website transformation with Torchbox in 2023, which saw our launch on Wagtail CMS, we were ready to tackle the next challenge in our digital transformation journey.

Our existing knowledge base tool wasn't meeting our end users' needs as efficiently as we desired. Not only was it failing to provide the level of support our users required, but it could not also offer specialised knowledge seamlessly. This meant our helpline staff struggled to quickly access accurate information while on calls, often needing to transfer customers between different teams to get their questions answered.

Our vision was clear: we needed to democratise information, making it readily available to our staff and, by extension, our customers.

Through our website project, we had already established a strong partnership with Torchbox, so we began exploring how AI technologies could enhance our service delivery.

Our collaboration started with comprehensive discovery sessions that brought together key stakeholders from both organisations. This phase was crucial in defining our direction - we deliberately focused on identifying core issues before jumping into technological solutions.

Working with Torchbox, we introduced an early proof of concept to a select group of users. This approach allowed us to gather invaluable feedback and iterate on the solution to refine and improve its functionality.

As the project gained traction and demonstrated its value, we expanded the pool of users, which generated more feedback and further refinement of the tool.

Building on our 2023 website launch on Wagtail, we worked with Torchbox to integrate ChatRNIB into our existing platform.

This integration allows all content, including the dynamic interactions facilitated by ChatRNIB, to be managed through a single interface. It's a significant step forward in our digital transformation journey, creating a cohesive experience for staff and users.

Throughout the development process, we maintained a strong focus on the responsible use of AI. It was essential that ChatRNIB could confidently provide accurate information while being transparent about any uncertainties. This ethical approach is fundamental to our commitment to delivering reliable and trustworthy support to our service users.

• Improved information retrieval for helpline staff
• Reduced need for inter-team transfers
• Enhanced knowledge accessibility across teams
• Successful integration with Wagtail CMS
• Streamlined service delivery for users

The successful implementation of ChatRNIB marks just the beginning of our AI journey. We're now exploring various ways to further integrate AI technologies into our services, always to enhance accessibility and support for the blind and partially sighted community.

Our ambition extends beyond internal processes - we want to create innovative solutions that empower our customers to access information and services independently.

My advice for nonprofits considering similar transformations: push the boundaries of what's possible, but always keep your community's needs at the centre of everything you do.

The journey of developing and implementing ChatRNIB has shown us the incredible potential of combining technological innovation with a user-centred approach.