AXA PPP Rolls out Speech-Based Employee Absence System

KENT, England -- U.K. health insurer AXA PPP healthcare has awarded and BT and Eckoh a five-year contract to provide automated Sickness Absence Management service (SAM) to clients.
The new service will be marketed to AXA PPP healthcare’s corporate client base and to other large and medium-sized employers, enabling them to manage sickness and absence more effectively throughout their organizations.
Developed by BT and Eckoh, this new service uses advanced speech-recognition technology to capture and record information from employees reporting their absence.
As well as enabling employers to record and manage day-to-day non-attendance, the service incorporates a unique trigger alert system based on key indicators, such as musculoskeletal and psychological problems, to notify the employer of potentially high-cost absences, where early assessment and treatment can be instrumental in mitigating risk. Alerts can also be generated to identify frequent absentees whose conduct should be addressed.
SAM also collates and analyses employees’ input to generate online management information reports to enable clients to benchmark and track absence trends throughout their organizations. This, in turn, allows managers to identify absence hotspots and potential problem areas, such as an increase in workplace stress.