OneLifeTeam International (OLT) needed a connectivity partner for a new device, eFlea, that would monitor seniors and children remotely, and provide access to caregivers or loved ones in case of emergency. First on the list was global connectivity for both North America and Europe with great coverage for the devices to communicate, without the need to onboard dozens of relationships with multiple Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).
As a business to business to consumer (B2B2C) organisation at its least complex, the product was sold through multiple layers of customers, so OLT also needed a platform that could handle this complexity with security and ease.
floLIVE checked all the boxes for OLT, providing a single Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) to cover the world, global coverage without any gaps in service, and a seamless and sophisticated Business Support System (BSS) integration that supported the details necessary for best-in-class management and control.
OLT is now launching its new tracker with confidence, offering customers the ability to gain more independence, while providing essential peace of mind to their family and caregivers.
The challenge
OLT is a medical tracking device company that offers products for the elderly or less-capable and their loved ones. Using OLT’s devices, anyone can monitor the well-being of the device owner remotely. OLT’s traditional product is OneLifeLink, a telephone that provides a toll-free emergency service available 24/7.
OLT wanted to launch a new personal tracker in the Connected Health industry for both seniors and children, and was looking for a vendor to support it with connectivity for these devices. Instead of connecting to emergency services or a call centre, the emergency button would automatically open a voice call to four predetermined family members, to warn them of a problem. It would also include fall detection, and display accurate GPS positioning of the device owner.
Challenges in creating the eFlea personal tracker, included:
Unique multi-tier business model: The OLT products are sold directly to the customer via pharmacists, and often distributed by local pharmaceutical companies. Multiple customers would need to be billed and managed.
Achieving global coverage: Devices would be manufactured in China and then shipped and utilised anywhere there was a customer need. How would OLT achieve connectivity ahead of time in a new location?
Critical IoT use case to fill: As a medical monitoring system for the elderly or infirm, availability would be a life-or–death situation. OLT couldn’t afford gaps in coverage or issues with reliability.
Handling sensitive customer information: Privacy and data security were of the utmost concern, and OLT needed to ensure that it could benefit from a multi-tenant design, and segment information and traffic where necessary.
Maintaining low latency: Latency requirements were very strict for two reasons. First, lower latency would increase battery lifetime – essential for IoT. Second, as a healthcare product, low latency would get the device owner help as quickly as possible.
The results
With floLIVE, OLT now has a single SKU for all regions in which the company manages and distributes the new product, from production in China, to deployments across North America and Europe. When the device lands in the region of choice, it connects on activation to a local network from floLIVE’s robust International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) library. This local connectivity gives the best possible latency – another item on OLT’s must-have list.
Added benefits include:
Compliance: At all times, data remains in the country of origin – effortlessly meeting data privacy mandates.
Availability: In moments of poor coverage or availability, floLIVE offers autonomous switching to a new network to eliminate the risk.
Visibility: A complete view across all distribution channels with a multi-tier, multi-tenant platform, ensuring ultimate control, even segmenting by specific regions.
BSS support: Integrated business support services and API integration, to get to market faster, and to manage multiple layers of customers.
Business intelligence: OLT now benefits from easy automation of the transfer of key metrics for added data analytics and business intelligence.
Customer satisfaction: Loved ones always have a direct line to support seniors and children at a moment’s notice, with zero gaps in visibility and control.
Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @ VanillaPlusMag
