OpenUp

OpenUp is a 24/7 crisis intervention text service targeting youth and young adults aged 15-35 in Hong Kong. Launched in 2018, it is funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and operated by local non-governmental organisations.

https://csrp.hku.hk/openup2018/

Overview

For help-seekers

• Help-seekers can text any opening messages to the helpline’s mobile number, Instant Messaging or Social Media account to start.
• A web-based chat box also available for those do not want to reveal their mobile number or Internet accounts.
• The system tries to assign an available crisis counsellors. If all crisis counsellors are busy, the help-seeker will be put on a queue.
• While a help-seeker is waiting for the counsellors, a chat bot evaluates the help-seeker’s mood with a questionnaire. The help-seeker could be given priority in the queue by the system based on the evaluation results.

For crisis counsellors

• A crisis counsellors can work at different locations.
• They can help one or multiple help-seekers at the same time.
• Counselloers can stop new assignments, e.g. to take a coffee break.

For supervisors

• Supervisors can monitor the service status on the dashboard.
• They can monitor the on-going counselling conversations and if necessary, join the conversation to assist.
• They may reassign a help-seeker to a different crisis counsellors.
• They can bring a help-seeker in queue to a crisis counsellor, overriding the system behaviour).

Technical aspects

• Integration of Instant Messengers and Social Medias.

  • Facebook Messenger
  • WeChat
  • WhatsApp
  • Integration with SMS/MMS centres with two major mobile carriers in Hong Kong.

• High velocity-ready design using data pipelines.

• Deployment on cloud with redundancy