Senior living communities face unique challenges in today’s fast-paced, tech-driven world. From managing leads effectively to creating exceptional first impressions, operators are constantly seeking innovative solutions to stay ahead.
In season one of The Collective podcast, Rachel Keller from Serviam Care Network shared valuable insights into tackling these issues. Her expertise in centralized lead management and contact centers for senior living offers actionable strategies for professionals looking to optimize operations, enhance customer experiences, and empower their teams.
Serviam Care Network, a public benefit corporation, is on a mission to transform how America cares for seniors. With innovative services such as diagnostics, pharmacy solutions, procurement, and a world-class contact center, Serviam collaborates with senior living operators to solve challenges and unlock new opportunities.
Here’s a recap of the key takeaways from our conversation, with practical tips to help your senior living sales and marketing teams thrive.
In this article, you will learn:
- Lead Management: The Real Challenge in Senior Living
- Why Work With A Contact Center vs Hiring In-House
- The Role & Trends of Centralized Contact Centers in Senior Living
- Empowering Leadership in Senior Living
Let’s dive in…
Lead Management: The Real Challenge in Senior Living
The Problem:
Lead management remains one of the most pressing challenges for senior living communities. Despite the growing volume of leads generated through marketing efforts, many communities lose opportunities due to inefficiencies in handling inquiries. Unanswered calls, delays in follow-up, and missed CRM entries can significantly impact occupancy rates and marketing ROI.
Rachel emphasized, “The industry doesn’t have a lead problem, it has a lead management problem.” While communities may be successful in generating interest, the inability to manage these leads effectively creates a bottleneck in the sales process.
The Solution:
To overcome this, centralized systems like contact centers can provide a reliable solution. These systems ensure no lead is lost by acting as an extension to the sales team. Responding to inquiries promptly and creating a seamless experience from the first interaction to scheduling tours. Speed to lead is especially critical, as Rachel explained: “Responding to a lead within five minutes increases your contact rate dramatically compared to waiting an hour or more.”
By improving lead management processes, communities can make the most of their marketing efforts and enhance the overall customer journey.
The Role of Centralized Contact Centers in Senior Living
Why work with a contact center vs hiring in-house?
First impressions matter, especially in senior living, where your leads are often the result of significant marketing efforts. Many operators worry that outsourcing to a contact center might jeopardize this crucial moment, fearing that an external team won’t truly represent their brand or deliver the level of care needed. However, the right contact center can become an extension of your team, providing prospective residents with a seamless, world-class experience while ensuring your vision is executed flawlessly.
Outsourcing also allows operators to focus on their core priorities without the pressure of managing leads internally. While trust is a leap, partnering with a proven contact center ensures your marketing dollars aren’t wasted, and your leads receive exceptional care. With the right team in place, you gain peace of mind knowing your brand is in capable hands.
“It all comes down to trust at the end of the day. If you outsource to a call center, can you trust them? That first impression is so important that you can’t have someone messing it up”
Key Benefits of a Contact Center:
Speed to Lead: Engaging leads within the first five minutes significantly increases contact rates and the likelihood of scheduling tours. This makes speed to lead a critical metric for operators to monitor and optimize.
Cost-Effectiveness: Outsourcing lead management presents a cost-efficient alternative to building in-house sales teams. Not only does it reduce overhead, but it also ensures a high-quality experience for potential residents.
Consistency Across Brands: By tailoring processes to an operator’s unique branding and sales philosophy, contact centers ensure consistent messaging and high-quality service. This is especially beneficial for maintaining brand integrity across multiple communities.
Support: Additionally, centralized lead management reduces after-hours workloads for sales teams. By allowing them to disconnect outside of work hours, operators can enhance employee satisfaction and retention, creating a win-win scenario for teams and organizations alike.
Emerging Trends in Contact Centers
AI Integration
The role of AI continues to grow in optimizing processes like call quality monitoring and task efficiency. By integrating human expertise with AI, contact centers can deliver more effective service without losing the personal touch. This “humans + AI = superhuman” approach ensures technology supplements, rather than replaces, human effort.
After-Hours Lead Engagement
Beyond AI, another critical trend is addressing lead activity outside of business hours. For example, data shows that 27% of lead activity occurs after hours or on weekends. Without systems in place to capture these leads, communities risk leaving significant opportunities on the table.
By embracing these trends, operators can stay competitive and ensure they’re meeting the needs of today’s digitally connected prospects.
Empowering Leadership in Senior Living
Building Connections Through Authenticity
Lastly, another valuable takeaway from this conversation is the power of authenticity. Proving to be a powerful tool for building connections and fostering industry-wide dialogue. Authentic stories inspire action and provide insights that help professionals grow and thrive in their careers.
Leadership Resources in Senior Living
For those seeking inspiration, Rachel is a powerhouse in the senior living industry hosting content like Female Fridays and Good Day Senior Living, serving as a valuable resource.
As well as Serviam, a call center that prides themselves on being the service to the transformation of how America cares for seniors by creating and bringing value to operators.
We loved having the opportunity to learn from the brilliant Rachel Keller. Make sure to listen to the full episode for even more insights into the trends and challenges the Senior Living industry is facing.
Conversations from The Collective
The Collective is a conversation series with senior living professionals who are challenging the status quo of the industry. We talk to those who have forged their own path in the industry and learn what drives them and how their passion for senior living started.
Interested in being a guest on The Collective podcast? Click here.