Darren Mathis

A customer relationship management (CRM) system is an integral part of the sales process in a successful senior living community. While it has a number of capabilities essential to managing the resident relationship, what happens to residents after the sale has been made?

A CRM does an excellent job managing the process of getting the resident to accept an offer, but after that, a whole new set of challenges that a CRM isn’t designed to handle emerges.

While the sales process is likely very organized and welcoming, a paper move-in packet can create a frantic mess of documentation that the residents and families are left to sort through.

This is the first area a CRM-only process breaks down and where a digital admissions solution can step in to eliminate the paper and intuitively guide both the staff and residents/families though the admissions steps.

“The longest distance in the world is from the lips to the pen.”

The sale isn’t over once a resident or their family gives a verbal “yes” to the community. The sale is over when the forms are signed — and we all know how many steps (and possibilities for error) occur between the verbal “yes” and the signed agreement. A digital admissions process guides staff, residents, and responsible parties through the closing process quickly and effectively.

A CRM doesn’t generate an admissions agreement

Once the nursing assessment has been completed, the residency agreement can be created automatically with a click of a button. No more worrying about which clauses or addendum need to be included because with a digital admissions solution, it’s all done for you.

Considering the number of documents that need to be signed, it’s easy for forms to be skipped over when signing or not included in the packet. Contracts differ by provider and resident, so there isn’t an efficient way for staff to ensure they have all the documents needed. This leaves communities and family members open to compliance issues and gaps in care.

Because a CRM doesn’t generate resident agreements electronically, the agreement must be looked over manually by residents and their families, which is often an overwhelming and exhaustive task.

A CRM doesn’t collect care info about the resident

A CRM system is designed to capture important information regarding leads, sales performance, and marketing campaigns, but it isn’t designed to capture specific information about each resident. Up until the move-in receipt, the only information that needs to be collected about a resident has to do with selling. After move-in, a whole new set of data needs to be collected.

The sheer amount of personal data, such as preferred bedtimes, favorite foods and specialized care needs, is nearly impossible to collect by hand — not to mention time consuming — and a senior living CRM simply isn’t designed to gather the personal data necessary to give superb care for your residents.

Supplement your CRM with an electronic admissions platform

Once a CRM has collected the lead, efficiencies are thrown out the door as staff members attempt to manually collect all information necessary to provide exceptional care to their residents. Shouldn’t this be at the forefront of our mission? Shouldn’t we make it a priority for our residents to be cared for properly?

A digital admissions platform picks up exactly where a CRM leaves off, generating the necessary documents and forms automatically, while including the most up to date pricing and community specific information. State regulations, community contracts, supporting documentation, and patient preferences can be collected right at the start of the move in process. As family members and residents go through the completed contract, each document must be acknowledged and signed before moving on. Paperwork will not be forgotten and forms will not go unsigned, giving staff peace of mind and residents the highest quality of care possible.

If you would like a customized report based on your needs, take this survey to tell us a little about your move-in process.

Darren Mathis is the CEO of LincWare. He can be reached at [email protected]. The company can be contacted here for digital admissions platform discussions.