We’ve been there! We know that running a home care agency means that you have to multitask. It’s impossible to stay on top of what each of your admins is doing, much less knowing how things are going with all of your caregivers and clients. Tracking Referral Sources is one of the most important things admins can do. Now, your marketing and sales team should already be doing this for any new prospects and clients they enter. However, your hiring team must also track the Referral Source of new applicants and caregivers that come into your agency.
We realize that if your admins aren’t already tracking the Referral Sources, it may seem like busy work. It’s important for you to highlight the benefits of tracking Referral Sources. Explain how gathering the information will help the entire agency. One thing as an owner/operator to consider is that the more data you have at your disposal the more informed your decisions will be. With the scheduling software your agency runs on, you can pull reports on Referral Sources for both caregivers and clients.
Referral Sources & Applicants
Think about the frustrating times when you’ve had caregivers no-call & no-show to a client’s home! Knowing who referred the caregiver, would help you decide if you want to work with that Referral Source going forward. If a pattern shows that caregivers referred by a certain organization consistently underperform, then your agency will know to be cautious when it comes time to hire applicants. Likewise, and on a brighter note, you may have caregivers referred by someone, who always goes the extra mile. In that case, you’ll want to make sure to create a strong partnership with that Referral Source.
Recap: Caregivers and Clients Need Referral Sources
In summary, you must hold your team accountable. Every applicant to your personal care agency should have a Referral Source tied to them! This can be as simple as “Self” or “Found Online”. It cannot be blank though. On the other side of the coin, your marketing and sales team must ensure that each prospect coming into your agency has a Referral Source. As we mentioned in our previous article, your marketing efforts should be driven by your Referral Sources.
One of our goals at SCBA is to make sure owners and operators are receiving actionable information and not just data from their scheduling software. For information about the professional services our team offers visit our site, www.seniorcarebusinessadvisors.com. Once you’re ready for a Free 30-minute Consultation, call my cell at 678-340-3649. We are looking forward to working with you.
