The Whispir Ltd (ASX: WSP) share price surged up 60% today after the company announced the government was planning to use its platform as part of its coronavirus containment efforts. Shares in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider are currently trading at $1.20, up from 75 cents at market close yesterday.
Whispir provides a SaaS communications workflow platform which automates interactions between businesses and people. Used by more than 500 enterprise customers, the platform will now be used by Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to interact with Victorians about coronavirus.
Government communications
The DHHS will use the service to communicate with Victorians who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 or meets the criteria for self-isolation. The Whispir platform will send secure two-way messages and real-time updates to sufferers and those who have been in close contact with COVID-19 as part of the DHHS's containment plan.
Real-time health insights
Real-time and data-driven communications will provide DHHS with insight into the daily health of those in self-isolation or who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19. This will allow the DHHS to quickly confirm if individuals are complying with the 14 day self-isolation period for close contacts of COVID-19. The DHHS will also be able to receive rapid insights into whether close contacts are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 or have been tested for the virus.
People who receive the messages will be required to respond to the communications issued by the DHHS 'contact tracing' team, answering a series of questions including about their recent activities, health, and quarantine status.
Engagement and data benefits
"The immediate benefits of this new service to the community will be substantial. Our platform provides the means for Victorians to effectively engage with DHHS and promptly report important changes to their health," Whispir CEO Jeromy Wells said, "this provides DHHS with more accurate data, enabling them to quickly make more informed decisions about the optimisation of services for the broader benefit of the community."
The Whispir platform is also used by Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) to manage critical incidents, and by Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) to communicate rapidly with customers and staff. New Zealand police use the platform to communicate with the hearing-impaired community.
National scale
Wells said, "while the Victorian DHHS is the first Australian health authority to utilise our platform state-wide for its COVID-19 communications we have the ability to scale this service nationally for all Australians."
