How we’re making it easier for clients to access our services

At Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa, we’re always eager to find new ways to increase equitable outcomes, improve client experiences, and empower clients to make informed choices about their sexual wellbeing. Over the past few years, a clear theme has emerged from our client feedback. You want a new booking system that allows you to book, reschedule, and cancel appointments online, on your terms – including the choice between virtual (phone and video) and in-person consultations. 
 
“For a while now, clients have told us they want the ability to book appointments online. We’ve listened, and we’re now ready to roll this out. This is about empowering people to take care of their health needs where and when they want to – whether that be a virtual or in-person appointment. With over 180,000 calls to our service each year, this is a real gamechanger for everyone.” 
– Kirsty Walsh, Director Clinical Services 
 
This week, we’re excited to announce the launch of our new online booking system and introduce you to our new AI avatar, Tai. Tai is here to help you manage your appointments through our website – without having to talk on the phone.

Why online booking? 
 
We know many of our clients, especially our younger clients, don’t like talking over the phone. We hope that by introducing online booking, and removing this barrier, we’ll see more clients having better experiences accessing the appointments they need. 
 
We also hope that by making it easier to reschedule and cancel, it will be easier for everyone to attend their booked appointments. This should allow our clinicians to use their time more efficiently while we continue providing high quality sexual and reproductive health care services.

What will online booking look like? 
 
We partnered with online booking and healthcare innovators Virtual Blue to develop this system, which uses an AI avatar – Tai – to help clients through the booking process. The information you give Tai is handled securely, just like if you were talking to a customer service representative on the phone.

When you use online booking, you’ll be able to book, cancel, or reschedule appointments on any device that has internet access, whenever you want, in English or Te Reo Māori. 
 
After Tai helps you work out what kind of appointment you need, you’ll be given a range of potential times and dates. There are no restrictions on how soon you can book your appointment, aside from our clinicians’ availability, and you’ll be able cancel or reschedule up to twelve hours before your booking. 
 
 "Our Smart Engage booking solution makes healthcare more welcoming for everyone. Patients can book appointments any time of day or night, and the friendly avatar guide makes the whole process feel more comfortable and private." 
– Dr Peter Catt, Director of AI at Virtual Blue 
 
What else are we doing? 
 
Online booking isn’t the only thing we’re doing to help more people access the services they need. We’ve also made changes to the way we communicate with our clients and the way we schedule our clinicians’ time. This is all to ensure we can reliably provide expert information, advice, and care to all those who need it. We intend to continue gathering feedback, adapting, and innovating to increase equity, access, and choice for all our clients. Online booking is just the beginning.