Case Study: WECIL improves access to support with Reason Digital’s Cecil chatbot

WECIL launches Cecil the chatbot in 2025 with Reason Digital

West England Centre for Independent Living (wecil) faced a challenge where their helpline, staffed by expert Navigators, was being tied up by straightforward enquiries, preventing them from helping people with more complex needs. To address this, they partnered with Reason Digital to create an AI-powered chatbot service that could handle common questions and make information more accessible.

Reason Digital built Cecil, a chatbot designed with and for disabled people. They extracted the Navigators' knowledge through workshops, mapped user journeys, and built the bot using Chatbot.com, creating an accessible "Easy Read" experience. The solution freed up the helpline for complex cases and made wecil's information more navigable. The successful bot went live in January 2025 and Reason Digital's work was featured by The Directory of Social Change and The National Lottery Community Fund.

West England Centre for Independent Living (wecil)