Case Study: Duke University achieves scalable automated outreach and improved participant engagement with Twilio Voice & SMS

Duke University Makes Quality Of Life Better With Twilio Voice & Sms

Duke University’s BennettLab used its Shape weight-loss research program to tackle high obesity rates in underserved populations but faced a communications challenge: their proprietary phone system couldn’t integrate with study databases, was hard to change mid-study, and limited the team’s ability to automate outbound calls, IVR and SMS reminders affordably at scale.

By adopting Twilio Programmable Voice and SMS, a three-person development team built an automated outbound calling system (plus call-back functionality) and SMS reminders/inbound reporting within eight months. The integration improved data collection, boosted call response and participant engagement, reduced staff workarounds, and enabled the program to scale from pilot sizes to support around 20,000 participants.

Duke University

Gary Bennett

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience