This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Jac Owen, founder and managing director of Connect, which handles enquiries on behalf of care homes.

Jac discusses with host Adam James of Springup PR how Connect helps care homes increase their occupancy by managing enquiries effectively - emphasising the importance of handling inquiries with empathy and understanding, recognising the emotional journey of callers, and ensuring enquiries are followed up appropriately.

Jac highlights the need for care providers to be accessible and responsive across various contact methods, including phone calls, emails, and live chats.

She also shares her insights into training staff to handle inquiries with a personal touch, avoiding a tick-box approach, and ensuring clear communication about next steps for callers.

The discussion also touches on the importance of following up, the benefits of having transparent pricing, and the various ways to measure and improve conversion rates from enquiries including:

• The importance of "understanding the emotional journey,” of callers looking for care for their loved ones

• How care providers should be accessible via phone calls, emails, live chats, and even WhatsApp.

• Training should focus on listening skills, empathy, and avoiding a tick-box approach.

• Follow up calls are a courtesy and show care and interest and “should be done in a way that is helpful and not intrusive”.

• Having “transparent pricing,” on the website is important but should be “balanced with the opportunity to discuss the value of the services”.

• Measuring success by tracking enquiries and ensuring effective follow-up.

• Care providers should “continually review and improve,” their enquiry management processes with training and support for staff.

• Calls should start with “empathetic listening,” to understand the caller’s needs and concerns.

• Always provide clear next steps to the caller, ensuring they know what to expect.

• Handling enquiries with a “personal touch rather than a scripted response,” makes a significant difference.

• Ensuring enquiries from multiple channels are managed efficiently and effectively.

• Consistent engagement and follow-ups “build trust and demonstrate commitment”.

• How it's essential to discuss the “value of the services,” during initial enquiries, not just the price.

• Being adaptable to the needs of callers and “providing tailored responses," enhances the overall experience.

This episode of the Care Home PR And Marketing Podcast features Stephen Forster, founder of the Care Social Network.

Drawing from his background in care and recruitment, Stephen shares how to revolutionise care worker hiring for care homes.

Stephen used to work as domiciliary care assistant in Huddersfield, and it was here that he advanced to HR manager subsequently helping to double the size of the company within two years before founding recruitment and retention company Care Social Network.

In the episode Stephen focuses on:

• “Why you can recruit all your carers via Indeed”: Stephen believes care providers need only use Indeed for hiring care assistants – and he offers unique insights into optimising job adverts and budgets.

“Indeed is 100% a golden ticket. Learn how to use Indeed you can smash it! One provider I’ve been helping has at least 500% more applications while using the same budget as previous,” says Stephen.

He adds: “focusing your efforts on Indeed rather than spreading them thin across various channels,” is key.

• Why “it’s now a candidates’ market – so you must strip back your entire recruitment processes to make it work”

Stephen addresses how overuse of agency staff can lead to permanent staff being unhappy, which ultimately negatively impacts care.

• Why “time-to-hire: is vital:

“Often if someone applies for a care job on Indeed the care home will reply three days later, and it’s often a boring ad. And yet they expect candidates to get back to them!?” says Stephen.

“The truth is you must treat applicants with unbelievable respect, like gold dust - and get on the phone to them straight away”

“I use a VET (voicemail, email, text) system, and I do this twice per day, per applicant.

“Remember, candidates may be applying for 4 or 5 care jobs in one go on Indeed. So you have to be fast

“And you must sell the company ethos to candidates, and why your provider is the best place to work.”

Stephen gives the example of one Lancashire provider with three homes which cut agency usage from 60% to 5% saving over £10,000 a month in agency fees.

• Why face-to-face interviews are, in the present recruitment climate, more about “candidates interviewing the care provider.”
• Why lengthy screenings of applicants via the phone need to be reduced - and face to face interviews should be around one hour.

Why offering jobs on the spot should not be considered as “being desperate”.

Rather it’s about doing “whatever it takes,” to get the right person to work for you.

• No-shows: “Providers complain that potential applicants are not good enough and do not show up – but when I dig deeper it’s because processes are not good enough from the start,” says Stephen.
• Hiring registered managers: Stephen recommends “using Indeed and its CV search features to proactively reach out to potential candidates, potentially saving on recruitment fees…..You can hire a new manager for £250 – and that can be done by every care company…”

This episode of the Care Home PR And Marketing podcast features Saskia Binns, a communications, brand and marketing consultant who serves on Championing Social Care’s organising committee.

Saskia shares how, when starting a new care home or care provider, “it's important to understand your brand positioning, demographics, competitors, and determine your niche”.

Saskia also examines the importance of competitor analysis, defining your values and vision, adopting your own tone and matching images with words.

Drawing on her years of experience as former head of communications at Majestic Care and building the Championing Social Care brand, Saskia shares secrets to building a brand with unique insights including:

• How understanding your brand positioning is crucial, “it’s about recognising the unique essence of each care home and telling their story in a way that resonates with their community.”

• Analysing market demographics, competitors, and identifying a unique market niche by conducting thorough competitor analysis to gain insights, possibly through industry forums or conventions.

• The critical considerations when building your brand and how “it's not just about what you offer; it's about how you offer it”.

• The importance of strong values and vision aligned to staff and how emotional connection and values are key in care.

• Ensuring your website content connects emotionally through tone of voice and matches brand values and how “images and words must align”.

• The importance of brand USP and how “your people and team will be your unique selling point.” so promoting them well on social media sells the care.

• How brand colours have psychological impact, what colours associate with care and what colours to avoid in your branding.

• Why logos should reflect your company ethos, avoid overly simplistic designs and resonate with the consultancy's mission rather than focusing solely on initials or acronyms.

• Utilising Facebook is key for care marketing and ensuring a consistent brand and calls to action.

• Utilising platforms like Linkedin to build professional networks and aligning company branding across platforms.

• How “a care home's website should be more than information; it should take visitors on an emotional journey, giving them a feel for life within the home."

• How Championing Social Care started from small conversations in lockdown about care workers and has grown to huge national events led by volunteers passionate about care.

 This episode of the Care Home PR and Marketing Podcast discusses how care homes can become the preferred choice in their catchment areas through effective community engagement with Carl Roberts and David Martins.

Carl is the Associate Sales and Marketing Director of Boutique Care Homes, a care provider with a focus on quality and innovation. 

 With five years of experience in the care industry, Carl believes in being a social care influencer, building networks within your team and the local community, identifying needs, and tailoring events and initiatives to local needs.

David Martins is the Head of Sales at Westgate Healthcare, an experienced professional with around eight years of experience in the care sector. 

He emphasises the importance of community engagement in becoming a care home of choice. 

David's strategy involves understanding and meeting the community's needs by collaborating with various local groups, offering events and building strong relationships based on shared values and goals. 

The pair offer practical strategies for engagement, including becoming community hubs by offering valuable services and initiatives that address local needs, such as setting up a cinema club for young carers, and how each team member has a network that can be leveraged to build contacts and relationships. 

 Both Carl and David stress the importance of taking action and recommend planning events well in advance, focusing on unique and engaging ideas that benefit the community, and approaching engagement with a genuine desire to help and collaborate, including:

•     Insights on how care homes can become integral parts of their communities by identifying community needs and offering valuable services.

•     Tapping into the networks of care home staff members to build contacts and connections within the local community.

•     David discusses the value of planning events and initiatives that are unique, engaging, and serve the community's interests.

•     Both guests stress the importance of taking action and not being afraid of rejection, as the community generally responds positively to care homes' efforts to engage and contribute.

•     Emphasising the importance of becoming a social care advocate and engaging with local communities.

•     Dementia care providers should aim to connect with people who may not be familiar with their services, even through insurance channels.

•     How local care providers play a crucial role in offering information and support to the community.

•     Changing the outdated perception of care by building trust and helping people on their care journey.

•     Tailoring engagement to community needs, as demonstrated by a care home adjusting its outreach for builders.

•     Sharing examples of successful community engagement events, like coffee mornings and support groups.

•     The significance of relationship building in sales, connecting on a personal level to guide emotional journeys.

•     Getting sales basics right, promptly addressing enquiries, sending brochures, and following up with personalised calls.

•     Leveraging the power of simple tools like text messages for communication and follow-up.

•     The need to focus on genuine care before the formal care process begins, showing empathy and support.

•     The impact of promptly addressing enquiries and avoiding unnecessary barriers in the process.

•     Listening to and analysing calls for effective customer service improvement.

•     Utilising live chat and text messages for engagement and follow-up, adapting to busy schedules and preferences.

•     The intimate nature of phone communication, the importance of tone, and the need for effective follow-up to advance sales.

This episode of the Care Home PR And Marketing Podcast podcast features Sam Lewis, editor of Care Home Professional.

With a number of years experience in trade publications, Sam brings a wealth of knowledge on pitching stories and gaining recognition as an expert in the care sector.

Having worked in various sectors, Sam has now found a home in the care sector and is passionate about sharing stories that raise the profile of care providers and highlight their achievements and unique perspective on the industry.

In this episode, Sam unveils the secrets behind getting yourself or your care provider featured in the care sector press, particularly Care Home Professional.

This includes:

•         The secrets on how to pitch stories to the magazine and gain recognition as an expert care provider.

•         How pitching to the press is a way to elevate your care provider's profile and reputation both regionally and nationally.

•         The different types of stories that Care Home Professional covers including news, interviews, guest columns, financial results, research, and partnerships, and how you can tailor your story to maximise the chance of being featured.

•         The best way for providers to proactively send their stories and content to the magazine and why.

•         Sharing stories about new CEOs, acquisitions, new care home construction, financial initiatives, and initiatives related to wages and why these work.

•         Why business focused stories are more suitable for the publication than those centred on the residents.

•         The value of quotes and perspectives from care providers on current sector topics, as these adds depth and credibility to yourself and the publication's coverage.

•         The benefits of hearing directly from your provider with a unique and valuable perspective rather than relying solely on well known industry spokespeople.

•         Why you should aim to provide interesting and unique stories that the audience of Care Home Professional would want to read to increase your chances of being featured.

•         How the frequency of coverage for a particular care provider will depend on the relevance and quality of their submitted stories.

•         How and when to follow up on your story if you haven’t received a response and whether this can affect your chances of coverage.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Jason Hancock, founder of Hancock and Rowe which specialises in website user experinces.

In the episode Jason discusses how he helped the Good Oaks Home Care franchise after it approached him asking for a  “visual uplift“ to its website and a better digital experience for families looking to find home care, and to ultimately secure better enquiry-to-customer conversion rates.

In the episode Jason reveals:

• The importance of initial research, and how he interviewed 6 Good Oaks Home Care clients, and 6 franchise owners ahead of planning the new s
• The role of “site map” and “map journeys” in creating good website navigation, and using both long-form and short-form surveys during research.
• How he created 3 key personas for Good Oaks Home Care, including one for high-net worth families looking care and another for job-seekers
• The importance of testing to ensure best possible experiences for website visitors and ultimately improving enquiry rates.
• The process for developing and optimising a website after it’s been designed and ensuring key information and calls to action are easily accessible and visible to users to help drive more enquiries
  
  

This episode of the Care Home PR And Marketing podcast features Fiona Hales, managing director of CoolCare, an administration software provider covering “everything a care home needs to run efficiently and with profit”

Fiona sets the vision for CoolCare and guides development while leading the team to create the best experience for customers.

In the episode Fiona outlines the best strategies for dealing with enquiries when they arrive with your care provider, and how to ensure the best experience for prospective families and residents including:

• How prospective customers are more discerning and viewing more homes to find the right place for their loved ones. And why families may now have a list of 10 care homes to choose from rather than 3
• The importance of having an impressive online presence through websites, and social media articles in the local media to be under consideration.
• “Families are now interrogating what might be the best care home for their loved one,” says Fiona.
• How providing the best possible experience for prospective residents and their family is key in a competitive market.
• How the level of care and attention afforded to residents should be shown from the moment the enquiry comes in.
• How good record keeping is vital to the process for care providers and central digitalised records can streamline the process.
• The importance of good internal communication across your team to ensure the enquiry process runs smoothly.
• How having a standardised procedure for dealing with enquiries for all staff is key to keep prospective families informed and happy throughout the process.
• The impact of an inefficient process on vacancy levels in your care home and how changes to this process can increase occupancy.
• How a friendly, professional and personable attitude from staff is key to making prospective residents feel like “your home could be their home”.

In this episode, we talk about how testimonials and reviews can be utilised to promote your care home operator,how operators can get more positive reviews, and what you can do with them once you’ve collected them.

We discuss:

• Why reviews and testimonials of care operators are a key part of the decision-making process for families looking for a care provider. Reviews can make or break a decision to make a first enquiry.
• The importance of having a large volume of reviews to build trust. We discuss the why it’s important to have recent reviews, rather than just older ones
• Where reviews and testimonials can be left – will you encourage reviews on your website, Google reviews, Facebook, carehome.co.uk or other places? Your team can work with families to create reviews personally, such as video testimonials.
• How sites such as carehome.co.uk use reviews to promote you as a provider – both the rating and volume of reviews
• How care operators can encourage people to leave reviews or testimonials
• How the Doctify system works on a realtime basis, using QR codes and allowing customers to leave reviews quickly and easily – and then it’s up to you how you use the reviews
• What you can do with reviews once you’ve received them – will you share them on your website, social media, news releases or elsewhere?
• That collecting positive reviews can help change the wider perception of social care, and raise your staff morale – reviews are a fantastic data collection tool for your team.
• What to do with negative reviews – if a negative review is posted publicly, what should you do, and when should you have it removed?

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