Technology is consistently evolving and seemingly tech-free professions like caregiving are evolving with it. Home care providers are consistently utilizing the latest technology innovations in order to create better care experiences for every client, from senior citizens to post-surgery patients and more.
When it comes to client care, technology plays an increasingly integral role. Allowing caregivers to take the focus off of more administrative tasks and helping streamline operations technology will continue to be a force that allows every caregiver to offer clients more focused attention and top-of-the-line care experiences every single time.
Four ways incorporating technology into in-home care can positively impact operations and help caregivers offer greater care experiences for clients:
- Enhanced proficiency: Many health reports and essential documentation, as well as timecards and other business information, are still required to have a paper trail. To reduce time spent and increase shareability, caregiver franchisees must assume a level of efficiency for both staff and seniors in their care. Software systems can track inventory levels for franchisees via mobile devices, and automatically file reorders when stock is low. Further, technology can give franchise owners real-time information on employee efficiency and effectiveness using monitoring software.
- Software systems build trustworthy referral partners: Data-driven measurements within home care drive referrals and, therefore, increase potential revenue. Software systems can enable every franchisee to share quality of life stats, success metrics and more with referral partners, making it easier for them to recommend franchisees based on accountability, trustworthiness and merit.
- Tech-driven marketing techniques increase ROI: Marketing is essential for the overall success of a home care business but can be timely and detract attention from client needs. From social media to SMS text messages, technology is ingrained in marketing strategy, making it more convenient and efficient for in-home care franchise owners. In fact, 62% of seniors aged 65 or older and 72% of adults aged 50-64 can be easily targeted on Facebook alone. Having a simple Facebook business page can allow franchise owners to reach several thousand more people in the local area that they wouldn’t be able to reach with more traditional marketing methods. When franchisees commit to incorporating technology-based marketing into their franchise business, they’re investing in the potential for growth and sustainability.
- Home care technology can be a point of differentiation: As the home care franchise space grows ever more competitive, owners must find ways to stand out from the crowd. Homewatch CareGivers, for instance, has created business intelligence tools to measure individual owners’ metrics and benchmark them compared to others in the network. These technological tools provide enhanced data analysis and combine multiple business inputs to present franchise owners with qualitative results. A process this robust helps support franchisees’ ability to launch, scale, and grow their businesses.
At Homewatch CareGivers, we offer every franchise owner state- of-the-art business management software and business intelligence tools to create the most efficient and effective workflow possible in order to continuously offer person-directed caregiving. These tech tools, coupled with the brand’s core mission of person-directed caregiving, have helped drive Homewatch to become a home care franchise leader with multiple new franchises opened in 2022 and plans for the company to continue driving systemwide revenue growth.
There’s no doubt that technology can help franchise owners manage business infrastructure, modernize critical processes, and provide measurable and actionable data. While technology has begun to take a more significant role in the home care industry, there’s still more to be done. As the in-home care sector continues to develop, standard practices and tech-enabled innovations will be more widespread helping to continue people-first care and streamlined business capabilities.
Todd Houghton is brand president of Homewatch CareGivers. With more than 20 years of franchise experience, he focuses on defining success and developing operational excellence within a brand. He has spent several years in the home care sector with Brightstar Group Holdings and Comfort Keepers/Sodexo. Brand growth, quality of care and technological advancements are a few of the core areas he has led.
