Strategies

Use customer experience as a referral generator

Positive customer experiences can be the biggest marketing tool available to long term care facilities.  When residents and families have good experiences, they are more likely to refer others and tell others about their experiences.  Those reviews play a critical role in influencing institutional referral partners, as well.

Every impression counts.  Facilities must enlist the whole organization in delivering positive customer experiences.  Every interaction affects residents’ and families’ perception of the facility.  That extends beyond the caregiving team to maintenance and administrative staff, too.  Everyone owns the customer experience.  If interactions with administrative staff or facility cleanliness are not considered, the overall customer experience suffers.

Solicit feedback

Feedback provides critical information about how a facility is performing.  Residents and families are key audiences, of course.  Referral partners are essential sources of data, as well.  Soliciting feedback doesn’t have to be an overwhelming data-heavy exercise.  One simple data point – the Net Promoter Score (NPS) can provide a quick snapshot of family and resident perceptions.  This 10-point score is based on one simple question:  “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?”.

NPS metrics

9-10 Promoters – loyal and highly committed customers

7-8 Passives – receptive to offers from competitors

0-6 Detractors – Not satisfied, risk of spreading negative feelings

The Net Promoter Score itself is the % of promoters minus the % of detractors.  A positive NPS is critical.  The higher the number the better, of course.  The How’s Mom app includes the NPS score as part of our Family Feedback tool and includes options for providing more detailed feedback and reviews.

Soliciting feedback from referral partners is equally important.  It’s important that facility sales staff and leadership understand what’s important to hospitals and other agencies.  It’s also essential to gauge their perceptions of the facility’s performance relative to those goals to identify critical areas for improvement.

Monitor and manage outcomes

Just as facility staff work to manage residents’ health outcomes, team members must manage the facility’s health outcomes.  Collecting feedback is just the first step.  Management and staff must use that data as the starting point for changing policies, procedures and staff activities.  Facility leaders should regularly share customer feedback in both structured and informal ways.  Staff must be enlisted in developing solutions to address negative feedback.  Ongoing monitoring of changes in feedback allows facilities to track performance over time, as well.

Use technology

Technology can dramatically improve facilities’ ability to gather feedback and communicate with residents, families and referral partners.  According to a Forbes article this year, “Organizations that leverage technology to optimize their processes will be better prepared to meet future challenges.”

Gain more insight

How's Mom can help

The How’s Mom app and Connections Hub enable organizations to streamline feedback solicitation and communication with residents and family members, with a full suite of tools, including chart views, mass notifications, visit planning, family feedback and more. This convenient software makes family communication a powerful – and easily manageable – tool for improving customer experiences and building census.

An Ongoing Process

Building census is an ongoing process.  With the challenges facing the Long Term Care industry, it’s more important than ever.  Providing a positive customer experience; listening to residents, families and referral partners and acting on that feedback are foundational elements of a census-building strategy.  With technology like the How’s Mom app and Connections Hub, long term care facilities can improve their customer experience and communicate readily with their key constituents.