Erin Thompson, Content & Social Media Marketing Manager:
At Alere Wellbeing we are thrilled to announce today's launch of the next generation of Web Coach®, an integral component of our award-winning Quit For Life® Program. Beginning today, when Quit For Life participants log into Web Coach, they will be greeted by a new, highly personalized user interface featuring fresh content and interactive tools to help them reach their goal of quitting tobacco.
Alere Wellbeing (formerly Free & Clear) has been leading the field of tobacco cessation for decades. In 1987, the Quit For Life Program evolved out of ground-breaking research funded by the National Cancer Institute. In 2006, we released the first generation of Web Coach, an adjunct to our phone-based program, proven effective in a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Now, five years later, we have launched a completely new and innovative web application designed to guide smokers and smokeless tobacco users through a proven quitting process with Quit Coach® support over the phone, email, live chat, and via forums.
Quitting tobacco use takes a great deal of confidence and commitment, and each participant in a tobacco cessation program is at a different point in the quitting process. The new Web Coach provides a support system that is structured to educate and encourage tobacco users at every step, greatly increasing their chance of success.
Key Features of the New Web Coach
- Home Page - Participants receive individually tailored recommendations for new content and activities each time they log in, based on their progress and quit status.
- Quitting Plan - Web Coach now includes an interactive tool that guides participants through setting up a plan based on 5 keys to quitting: Set a Quit Date, Choose a Medication, Conquer Your Urges, Control Your Environment, and Get Social Support.
- Practices - Participants can now visit a “microsite” containing e-lessons, articles, and videos to educate them, help them complete their Quitting Plan, and avoid relapse after quitting.
- Progress - New progress trackers help participants measure their progress at every step in the quitting process. Before quitting, participants can track the amount of tobacco used each day and the costs associated with smoking. They can also use the tracker to understand when, where, and why they use tobacco. After quitting, participants can track urges, and learn how much money they're saving, fresh breaths they're taking, and time spent not smoking.
- Community - The popular community forum from the original Web Coach, a hub of support and encouragement, has been migrated over to our new platform. All participant conversations will pick up right where they left off. The new Community also offers Groups and expert blog posts.
- Social Networking - Participants can now post directly to their personal Facebook network to share their most exciting news, like their Quit Date and how much money they've saved.
- Email & Chat - All participants, even those in Web-Only programs, now have the ability to email and chat live with a Quit Coach for support.
Read more about the new Web Coach here.