Q12024 Quarterly product update
Over the past quarter, we have continuously improved our benefits calculator. Our main objectives have been to widen our market-leading benefits coverage, enhance customisation options for our partners, and start building a feature set that allows direct applications for benefits and grants through our calculator.
We’ve Released the Following New Features
Benefits and Discounts for Non-UK Nationals and Students
Recognising the diverse needs of our users, our benefits calculator now assesses eligibility for non-UK nationals and students. This feature ensures that our calculator is as inclusive as possible, enabling our partners to offer income maximisation services to all eligible households in the UK.
Holistic What-If Analysis
We’ve broadened our what-if analysis feature, enabling users to simulate changes in their household or financial circumstances. This enhancement enables users to understand potential changes in their benefits entitlement, such as moving in with a partner, having a new child, or changing homes. It offers a clear comparison table to view the impact of these changes on each benefit and discount.
Multiple Versions of the Calculator
With over 100 partners using our benefits calculator, there’s been a growing need for customisation. We’ve responded by developing a feature set that allows partners to tailor the benefits questionnaire and calculator behaviour. This flexibility enables each partner to adapt the calculator to their customer’s specific needs. For example, our partners can reduce the number of questions in the calculator to streamline the benefits questionnaire and focus on the most common benefits that their customers are eligible for, or set up a webhook to direct customers to a results page built directly on their apps. Additionally, this feature facilitates A/B testing, supporting continuous, data-driven improvement of our calculator.
Grant Applications via Our Calculator
We have integrated our benefits calculator with the Ascendant Apply4 platform, enabling users to directly apply for hardship grants managed by Apply4. Initially available in the London Borough of Barnet, we’re planning to extend this feature to more councils in the coming months. This integration simplifies the application process for grants, aiding Local Authorities in increasing awareness of available support and streamlining the data capture and processing of hardship grant applications.
Our Roadmap Objectives
In the coming months, we will continue to collaborate with our partners, focusing on developing features that simplify the application process for social tariffs and local grants. We are also dedicated to creating new features to support Local Authorities in their benefits take-up campaigns.
Reach out for a demo of our benefits calculator and learn how you can help your customers find additional income of £5,000/year while improving customers’ engagement and following best industry practices.
