FORWARD Ally — AI navigation for benefits & social services
The resident-facing front door for benefits navigation
Ally helps residents find the right programs, navigate services, and get answers to their questions — without overwhelming your staff.
Chat, voice, and IVR on one platform. Ally talks to residents in their language, screens for eligibility, and routes intakes to your staff — without leaking PII into transcripts.
Starts at $5,000/year · 8 languages included · Live in under an hour
Community Assistant
Online · responds in 8 languages
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Sí, probablemente. Con ingresos a medio tiempo, podrías calificar para CalFresh y WIC. ¿Quieres que te muestre cómo aplicar?
The Problem
Residents struggle to navigate programs and services
Residents seeking help often don't know where to start. Programs are spread across multiple agencies with different eligibility rules, applications, and contact points.
- Multiple calls: Residents calling multiple offices for the same question
- Long wait times: Long call center wait times
- Complex rules: Complex eligibility rules that are difficult to explain
- Language barriers: Language barriers that limit access to services
At the same time, staff spend significant time answering routine questions:
- “Do I qualify?”
- “Where do I apply?”
- “What documents do I need?”
- “Who should I contact?”
These questions matter — but answering them repeatedly reduces staff capacity for complex cases.
There's a better way
Meet Ally
Ally provides a simple starting point for residents seeking assistance.
- Programs they may qualify for
- Eligibility requirements
- Application steps
- Where to get help next
Ally works across web chat and voice interactions. When additional help is needed, Ally can route residents to staff or service navigators.
How It Works
Ask a question: Residents speak or type questions naturally — no forms or phone menus.
Ally finds relevant programs: Ally analyzes program information and trusted resources to identify services that match the resident’s needs.
Receive clear guidance: Residents get simple explanations of program eligibility and next steps.
Connect to the right support: When additional assistance is needed, Ally can route conversations to staff or connect with systems such as CRM or case management platforms.
No app to download. No account required. Just ask.
Key Capabilities
Built for government agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations.
- Program navigation: Help residents understand what programs exist and how to access them.
- Voice and IVR interactions: Provide automated assistance through phone systems.
- Human navigator escalation: Route complex inquiries to staff when additional support is required.
- Multilingual support: Serve residents in more than 100 languages.
- CRM and case management integrations: Capture intake data, create cases, and share conversation summaries with staff.
- Community insights: Understand common resident questions and unmet needs.
Built for organizations helping residents access services
Ally supports organizations responsible for helping residents access programs and services.
- City and county human services departments
- State agencies administering assistance programs
- Nonprofit service providers
- Workforce development programs
- Housing and community development organizations
- Service navigation networks such as 211
What success looks like with Ally
Organizations using Ally see measurable improvements in how residents access services.
- Faster access to information: Residents receive answers without waiting on hold.
- Reduced routine inquiries: Staff spend less time answering repetitive questions.
- Better multilingual access: Residents can receive guidance in their preferred language.
- Improved service insights: Organizations gain visibility into common questions and unmet needs.
- Clear pathways to human support: Residents can be routed to staff when additional help is needed.
Trusted by Community Leaders
Testimonials
“We went from 200+ calls a day to manageable levels. Our staff can finally focus on complex cases instead of answering the same questions repeatedly.”
“The multilingual support alone was worth it. We serve a community where 40% speak Spanish as their first language, and Ally handles it seamlessly.”
Why FORWARD Ally?
The right tool for resident-facing access
Every approach has its strengths. Ally combines what residents need 24/7 with what your staff need from a system of record.
What Ally delivers
- Built in, not bolted on
- 24/7 availability
- Knows your local programs
- Eligibility screening built in
- Multilingual (8 langs, AI-translated)
- Voice + IVR on the same platform
- PII-safe by default
- Integrates with case management
- Analytics + insight dashboard
- WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility
- Low-bandwidth phone fallback
- Custom branding + assistant name
- Per-active-engagement pricing
Pricing that scales with your volume
Published annual prices. No per-seat fees. Bring your own programs, content, and branding.
Starter
- $5,000 / year
- $417 / month
- 250 engagements / year
- Up to 10 programs
Core
- $10,000 / year
- $833 / month
- 750 engagements / year
- Up to 15 programs
Advanced
- $20,000 / year
- $1,667 / month
- 3,000 engagements / year
- Unlimited programs
Enterprise
- Custom
- Custom volume
- Unlimited programs