Caregiver registry owners, if described in one word, it would have to be: prepared. From compliance to marketing, in order to grow, you’ve had to be prepared.
The winter is no exception. Here are a few best practices we’ve put together to keep you ahead of the storm this season.
- Prepare your staff for remote work.
- Adapt your marketing and sales efforts for winter.
- Package up functional leave-behinds for your referral sources.
Prepare your staff for remote work.
Depending on where you are, winters can be rough, especially when you have a commute on top of it. To keep your staff ahead of the rain and Nor'easters (if you have them), have a plan in place for hybrid or remote work. Here are a few best practices:
- Assign company laptops to keep your client and caregiver information secure and protected.
- Create a phone tree or communication chain, about what information needs to be relayed to you and what can be handled lower on the totem pole in your organization. Keeping this chain of command consistent will help to ease burnout while maintaining efficiency.
- PRO TIP: Use a registry management system like Ally, so you can take your operations on the go, whether you’re using a mobile device or a laptop.
Remote work can increase efficiency, but it’s important to help your staff members in the office to take time for themselves and to not get too caught up in day-to-day matters. When you have a policy or procedure written out for predictable scenarios, it makes stressful tasks easier to break down and manage.
Adapt your marketing and sales efforts for winter.
Time gets away from all of us. In the winter, we all rejoice in the influx of new business, but it’s important not to lose sight of the spring with its lulls in new clients.
Lean into the spirit of the season and winterize your outreach. Here are some tips:
- Send out a card with a picture of your team. Include a message that thanks them for what they do for older adults and people who need care and that you can lend a helping hand.
- Capitalize on outreach to your most fruitful referral sources—at the right time. According to ZocDoc, January is the second busiest month for doctors (only beaten by March).
- PRO TIP: If you use a platform like Ally, you can track revenue by referral source, so you know exactly which ones are sending you referrals (and might be due for a visit from you).
Package up functional leave-behinds for your referral sources.
The usual swag and giveaways lose their steam over time, but you can spruce up your leave-behinds by keeping them functional.
Here are some ideas to keep you and your power partners warm this winter:
- Invest in some hand warmers. Buy some for your team members, but package up a few sets to bring to your community partners. Add a bit of personality with a message like: “We’re here to bring care and warmth to you and your patients this winter.”
- Run a donation drive for your local food pantry. When touching base with referral partners, offer them to come on the drive with you. You can increase the exposure of both businesses while establishing goodwill with people in your community.
- Level-up some hot cocoa. Who doesn’t love hot chocolate when it’s cold? Get a few mugs, peppermint sticks, and packaged hot cocoa together and bring these to your referral partners.
Stay ahead of the storm with an operations hub built to be on the go.
Don’t slow down this winter because of the influx of new business. Step on the gas with your referral partner outreach and you’ll stay ahead of the competition.
Keep busy this winter with a system that understands how fast-paced this industry can be. With Ally, we’re the only platform built specifically for registries.
Learn how Michael Assimon of Griswold Care Pairing of Central NY and his team got a day of their time back each week by switching to Ally.