The full journey, honestly told
Most services would tell you it’s “set up in seconds”. Ours takes two proper phone calls before their first chinwag: one with you, one with them. Here’s exactly what happens and why.
DailyChinwag is here to support people who feel lonely, not to replace real human connection: a bit of extra company between the visits, activities and care they already have.
You, online · About ten minutesWhenever suits you: save and finish later if you're hunting for their number
Tell us about them
Choose who rings them: Elsie, a warm Geordie, or Arthur, a gentle Geordie. Both say plainly they're a computer, and you can swap if they don't click.
Then the bit only you can do: what they love talking about, what to steer round, how their hearing is, whether 10:30 is before or after their programme. You'll also name their emergency contacts and agree, in writing, exactly what we do if a call ever takes a worrying turn.
Nothing is scheduled yet. The form alone starts nothing. That's by design.
We ring you · Five to ten minutesUsually the same working day, always within two
The setup call, done properly
Before anyone rings your mum or dad, their companion rings you: introducing itself honestly as the setup assistant, and yes, as a computer. It reads back everything you told us and fills the gaps a form always misses: the grandchildren's names, the story they always tell, who not to mention.
It walks through the safeguarding protocol aloud so it's agreed on the record, not buried in a tick-box: who gets rung, in what order, and the plain fact that we're a companionship service: their pendant alarm and carers remain the emergency route.
It ends when the assistant can say “let me tell you about your dad as I understand him”, and you say “yes, that's him.”
We ring them · Five to ten gentle minutesWithin three days of your setup call, at a time you've said suits them
Their call, their yes
Now, and only now, their companion rings them, at its warmest, with the one honest line it always opens with: it's a computer, not a person, and it's told it's a very good listener. It names who arranged the calls, so there are no mysteries in their hallway.
It explains what to expect, “I'd ring you Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, about half ten, for a nice chat”, checks they can hear it comfortably, and asks what they'd like to be called.
Then it asks them, plainly, whether they're happy for the family to hear how they're getting on after each chat. Their yes, on a recorded line, is what switches everything on. If they say no, we stop there: no arguments, and nothing was paid. And they can stop the calls any time with a word.
Their routine · On their schedule, for goodTheir first proper chinwag the next morning after their yes, and a week in, we ring you to ask how it's going
The chinwags begin
A proper unhurried natter about the family, the old days, the garden, the football or the soaps, on the phone they already have. Their companion remembers every conversation, picks up last week's threads, and never, ever rushes them.
After every call you get a warm email: how they seemed, what they're looking forward to. Every week, a digest. A missed call is never invisible: it's retried, and you're told.
And if anything's ever not right (a fall, a low patch, a “nice man from the bank”), the written protocol you agreed at setup kicks in, the same day.
“After our chats I let Susan know how you’re getting on, just a little message, like ‘your mam’s grand, she’s doing a trifle Sunday.’ Are you happy with that?”
That’s how their companion asks for consent on the first call: plainly, warmly, on the record. Their answer is the switch. Not the payment, not the form: them.
What lands in your pocket
You’re not on the calls. This is how you stay close to them.
After every call: a warm email
“Your mam’s grand: full of it today. Vera’s back from her daughter’s so bingo’s on again, and she’s doing a trifle for Sunday.” How she seemed, what she’s looking forward to, in a message that reads like it came from someone who was actually listening, because something was.
Every week: the digest
The week in one email: their mood across the calls, the threads they kept returning to, anything gently worth knowing, and the soft signals worth watching. Never a wall of data; always the stuff you’d want from a good neighbour.
The moment it matters: an alert
Scam mentions, welfare worries, or real distress on a call reach your nominated contacts per the written protocol, with their exact words, the same day. Read exactly how safeguarding works.
The practical questions
What do they need to do before the first call?
Nothing. Answer the phone as normal. There is nothing to install, charge, learn or lose: the calls arrive on their existing landline or mobile like any other call.
Why two calls before their first chinwag? Can't we skip the setup?
No, and honestly, this is the part we're proudest of. One call with you so their companion arrives already knowing the grandchildren's names; one call with them so the service starts with their consent rather than around it.
What if they say no on their call?
Then no is the answer. We stop, nobody rings them again, and nothing was ever paid. They can also say yes to the chats but no to the family updates: their choice, and we'll tell you plainly that reporting is off.
What if they're hard of hearing, or drift mid-story?
The setup call captures how their hearing is, and their companion checks its own volume and pace with them live on their first call. It speaks in short, clear turns, never talks over them, and if they tell the same story twice in ten minutes it's delighted twice. Patience isn't a workaround here. It's the product.
How quickly can calls start?
We launch on Friday 30 October 2026; first calls are from Monday 2 November. Families: join the waiting list and the journey above begins with our call to you when family places open, and there's a 14-day cooling-off period on every plan, so nothing is ever locked in.
Step one takes ten minutes
A free 4-week trial for care homes anywhere in the UK, up to 10 residents. We’re starting with care homes so every call can be recorded and reviewed properly. Join the waiting list and we’ll ring you when family places open.
Family plans from £89/month when places open