Caring About Communication Matters!
Caring About Communication Matters
About the Care Home
The care home in this case study is part of an established UK franchise. Some of the home’s communication issues were bespoke to that particular location and some were typical in all within the group.
Providing service excellence is multifaceted within the care home. Not only in terms of daily care given to residents but also the infrastructure and connectivity which made the home tick day after day. Despite there being communication solutions in place i.e. for both staff and residents, improvements were needed and long overdue.
Tight budgets and time constraints meant that IT (in particular telecoms) often fell to the bottom of the ‘To Do’ pile. Having a telecom provider able to provide a plethora of services, on time, within budget and with no disruption was paramount – not only to the day-to-day management of the care home but obviously for the staff and residents too.
The Challenge/Opportunity
Caring for residents underpinned every aspect of the home’s ethos. This was however often undoubtedly challenging when it came to tight budgets and time constraints. Having a single point of expert contact for all their communication needs was as the home’s Manager said, ‘a huge stress relief for the whole team’.
Upon meeting the team we soon saw that there were 2 main issues:
- Missed calls, especially during busy times of day and staff sickness/holidays.
- Connectivity issues when residents and staff were using Wifi/broadband during peak periods.
Addressing the above challenges, especially with the current climate’s industry rates and with no time to compare providers was a constant issue. The Number Supermarket team stepped in and the opportunity to pass all the care home’s comms to one single, affordable and knowledgeable provider arose.
By providing solutions to the two main issues we have now become preferred providers for associated comms needs.
Missed Calls
Investing in an expensive phone system would have significantly stretched the care home’s budget. Thankfully, our affordable online portal provided everything necessary to ensure that previously missed calls became a thing of the past.
By installing a caller multi-option (IVR) menu (e.g., “Press 1 for… Press 2 for…”), we were able to efficiently direct calls to the relevant team members. If those team members were busy, the call was redirected to another colleague. Bespoke messaging was put in place along with Voice2email, which delivers voicemails to designated email boxes.
We also added weekly call schedules, which allowed us to build call features around shift patterns and staff availability. Care home administrators were given portal control, coupled with a dedicated Account Handler from our team, available 24/7 should service changes be needed.
Connectivity Issues
With residents using Wi-Fi in their rooms and staff also using devices in the office, connectivity often lagged. Additionally, staff members found that their mobile phones suffered from poor signal when moving around the building.
Our engineers carried out a full site survey to identify where the issues were, making sure that this was done with no disruption to the residents’ daily routines. Improved broadband was installed, which not only boosted connectivity but also reduced the home’s monthly bill.
Conclusion
Improved communications throughout the care home have brought peace of mind to residents, staff, and their family members. Callers—often family members or new inquiries—are no longer left waiting on the line. Connectivity is flowing smoothly, and should the team need anything at all, they know we’re just a phone call away.
