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Gold Is So Yesterday ... Go Platinum!

Gold Is So Yesterday … Go Platinum!

Posted on by MDSadmin

A guest on an NPR show I was listening to the other day mentioned the “Platinum Rule” in the context of how we treat others. I had no idea what they were talking about. Now, after a little research, I can see that I’m very late to the party. This is a concept that has been around for some time. For those of you who may be living under a rock, like myself, the Platinum Rule now trumps the Golden Rule. 

The Golden Rule is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Platinum Rule, however, is, “Do unto others as they would like done unto them!” What a novel concept. While the Golden Rule sounds good on the surface, it is really kind of self-centered. This would mean that we think we know what is best for everyone else because that’s what we like or we want. While this could be very true, it could also be the furthest thing from the truth.

With people we have just met or known for a short time, we may not know exactly what they want. This is the beauty of the Platinum Rule. It causes us to shift focus from us to them. It forces us to try and determine what the other person really want or likes. It forces us to be an active listener and maybe even ask some questions. This also meshes well with one of my favorite Covey teachings, “We must first seek to understand.”

Different Personality Types

Dr. Tony Alessandra has written a book entitled The Platinum Rule. I just discovered this book and have not had time to read it. But, some information that I gathered from the website is that the book goes into detail defining personality types. According to the author, there are four basic personality types followed by tendencies of how these particular types of people behave and react. This is the first part of satisfying someone else, understand what makes them tick and what they might respond to. Then we can set about how to better relate to others and the different personality types, in trying to give them what they want.

I will not get too in-depth here, but did want to make a few observations about the concept. This concept should apply to all aspects of our lives from personal to business. Imagine the changes in our current relationships when we let all of our assumptions go and give careful thought to what others want and need.

The Platinum Rule in Business

The Platinum Rule can easily address two major components of a successful senior living operation – company culture and resident-centered care/lifestyle. Company culture is so important that Peter Drucker once said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Companies in other industries, such as the Container Store live by the principals of satisfied workers and satisfied customers. They usually rank in the top one of two best places to work and their customer service is off the charts.

I recently made my first visit to one of their stores and was very impressed. The employees were all very happy and they worked together to help me with my needs. The other important aspect is all the employees were sales people. While they didn’t work on commission, they did ask if I had this or needed that and were quick to recommend other services and products. This was not done in a hard-sell manner, but more in a helpful, we want you to have the best experience possible sort of manner … which I did!

Paradigm Shift

Can you imagine for just a minute how the residents of your community will feel when you make that culture shift? Really seeking to understand what they want or need and not just giving them what you think is good because it’s what you want based on your own values and beliefs.

Think of the possibilities if each and every one of your staff members had this attitude. You will have the happiest residents in town. Now think about what putting the same effort into understanding what your staff members want. Again, really taking the time to seek to understand what it is that they want. What do they need? Not only will you see an increase in customer satisfaction, but you will also see marked decreased turnover. While both of these will also improve your bottom line, think of the referral pipeline you will create. Not only for those wanting to live at your community, but the best workers wanting to work at your community.

If you ever have any doubt about what your staff or residents want or need, just ask! Yes, it’s that simple and both groups, in the right environment, will be more than willing to share their thoughts. Just ask and really listen to what the response is. Seek first to understand and then implement programs that the staff and residents want … not what you think they might want!

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

Employee Training and Retention: The Debate between Expense and Investment – Part II

Employee Training and Retention: The Debate between Expense and Investment – Part II

Posted on by MDSadmin

Once an effective training and development program is established and utilized by the organization it can begin seeing increases and benefits in the following areas: productivity, motivation, quality, job satisfaction, commitment (employee retention), and reduced absenteeism.

In order to provide the training and development that reaps these many benefits, it costs money, time and other resources. Paid human resources are used to plan, organize and teach training sessions, mentors take time from their own duties to mentor newer employees, training materials must be printed and/or compiled in electronic format, and fees must be paid for seminars, classes or workshops. Organizations recognize there is a cost for training and development.

In today’s competitive business world, most organizations are looking at ways to reduce expenses in order to increase profits. Unfortunately, when training is only looked at as an expense, it can be the first category to go to the chopping block. It is suggested that businesses need to accurately analyze what these training programs are worth. While most organizations compile data and trends on advertising campaigns, sales department activities, and other activities that they can directly tie to increased revenue, it can be difficult to determine a Return on Investment (ROI) on employee training and development.

Training Makes Employees Feel Valued

Research has shown, however, that when employers invest time, money and resources in their employees with training and development the employees develop a commitment to the organization. The employee feels the organization/employer values them as a worker, values their skills and values their contribution. Research has also determined that with training and development the employee believes the employer cares about the employability of the employee. (Agrawal)

In contrast, some employees have been known to say they “saw it coming” before they were fired or let go. This can be the perception when an employee is struggling and/or not performing well and the employer distances themselves from the employee; does not offer help (training/development), keeps adding additional workload, tells the employee not to worry they will eventually “get it”, etc. In other words, with ongoing training and development the employee does not feel the employer is leaving them to “sink or swim” on their own or that the employer is not “creating” a reason to fire them.

Which Came First …?

Another comment that represents the crux of this argument: “Positions that have a high turnover rate (such as tech support) are often viewed by management as not worthy of proper training.” (Green) It is “the chicken and the egg” type question. Are these positions not worthy of training due to the high turnover or is a high turnover due to the lack of training? Another point of training is to evaluate if you have the right person for the right job. Sometimes you may have a talented and capable individual but they are just in the wrong position. Continued training and development, including evaluations, can determine strengths and weaknesses and what persons fit best with various positions.

Training and employee development is not just for the employee but is as beneficial to the employer as well. For those employers that view training as an expense, a trade-off for production or just plain wasted time, they may not have an effective training program in place. Also if an employer’s turnover is high, they may need to evaluate how they train new employees, evaluate existing employees and what programs are in place to develop employees to be productive members of their organization. Employers that are successful in reducing employee turnover embrace training and employee development as a necessary tool to further their organizational goals.

We featured this excerpt from a research paper that Kim Jimenez had written on employee training and how it relates to employee engagement/retention.  Employee turnover is a real cash expense that effects your business in many ways.  MDS can help in employee orientation and training in order to help create and retain the best staff possible.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

References

Agrawal, Archana. “Employee Development and Its Affect on Their Performance.” International Journal of Marketing, Financial Services & Management Research (2013): 99-108. Web.
Green, Allison. www.askamanger.org. 19 05 2012. Article. 05 09 2014.

Employee Training and Retention: The Debate between Expense and Investment – Part I

Employee Training and Retention: The Debate between Expense and Investment – Part I

Posted on by MDSadmin

Most employers have some form of training implemented for their new employees and some even have programs designed for ongoing employee development. If asked, many employers, if not all, will say that training and employee development is important. But when truly evaluated, many employers do not provide adequate training or employee development to realize the advantages of proper training.

The disconnect lies in the fact that training and employee development comes at a price -financial resources, human resources and time. Employers view training as a cost or expense rather than an investment. They are hesitant, and some even resistant, to spend too many resources on an employee that may take that training elsewhere.

But, in fact, research has shown that proper training and employee development will increase employee productivity, job satisfaction and instill a higher commitment to the job among other things. This commitment to the job by the employee actually reduces employee turnover.

Investment – Not Expense

Therefore, employers need to view training and employee development as an investment in their employees which benefits both employee and employer rather than just an expense to reduce. Employers could also view this investment in training and employee development as an avenue to reduce employee turnover, in addition to, higher employee performance which benefits the organization as a whole.

Training and employee development takes many forms. There is no one training program that will fit every employee or organization. Each organization will need to determine its needs, the needs of its employees and how to address those needs in the most efficient and effective way. Some of the various components of employee training and development can include: new hire orientation, job specific training, mentoring/coaching, in-service training, continuing education, and seminars/conferences.

Orientation Alone is Not Enough

No one component itself will constitute a complete training and development program, but a combination of these components will address the various needs of both the employee and organization. For example, most organizations will have some sort of new hire orientation. And while this is a key component to any training and development program, it has its limitations as a stand-alone program.

A study published in 2008 states that while employee orientation is a necessary first step and that orientations “successfully conveyed the organization’s message on quality management initiatives and employees learned a great deal about quality management practices within the organization. The issue, however, is that transfer of learning did not take place at the desired levels after the employees returned back to their work stations.” (Akdere and Schmidt) The key to an effective program will be ongoing, continuous development using a combination of training and development components.

 

We featured this excerpt from a research paper that Kim Jimenez had written on employee training and how it relates to employee engagement/retention. The second part of this report will be in our next post.  Employee turnover is a real cash expense that effects your business in many ways.  MDS can help in employee orientation and training in order to help create and retain the best staff possible.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

 

Reference:
Akdere, Mesut and Steven W. Schmidt. “Employee Perceptions of Quality Management: Effects of Employee Orientation Training.” 2008. The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). Web. September 2014.

What Else is Aging at Your Community?

What Else is Aging at Your Community?

Posted on by MDSadmin

This is a continuation of the top priorities for success in 2015 and beyond. Previously, we talked about increasing resident age and acuity levels. In this edition, we will explore the impact of age on the physical plant. Because there were a lot of communities built in the 1980s and 1990s this has led to quite a bit of older inventory still in use today. Some owners have done a great job keeping up and some … not so much.

The old saying is true. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Curb appeal can be inviting or may discourage prospects from stopping. The first step the prospect and their families take into your community will be the lasting image in their minds.

Can’t Judge a Book By it’s Cover … but we sometimes do

Even though I have been around the Senior Living Industry long enough to know that a building or the grounds are not always an indicator of the community, great care, or special features I might find inside, it still has an impact. It’s almost like starting at a deficit on the expectation scale and then having to rely on the tour, staff, and other factors to bring the community back into positive experience territory.

While this is not a great way to evaluate a community, it is human nature. I have been in some of the nicest communities built and have had poor experiences and on the converse, I have been in some marginal looking buildings that had the best atmosphere and service I have experienced. The difference is, I was visiting the community because of my job. Had it been for my mom or dad, we might not have stopped.

So you can only imagine how a prospect and/or their family members must feel. Sometimes the deficit can be too large to overcome, and that’s if they choose to stop and look. Unfortunately, sometime they keep driving to the next one on the list and don’t stop to give you the opportunity to prove how awesome your community is.

Update Ideas

Not only is the styling important, the need to look as modern as your nearest competitor, but sometimes you will also find operational inefficiencies, decreased ability to address the rising resident acuity, along with a decreased pricing flexibility to remain competitive.

Some ideas include updating the units themselves along with interior hallways. Depending upon the age and the need, this can run from $30,000 to $40,000 per unit. If you have a mixed-use community, such as Independent Living and Assisted Living or Assisted Living and Memory Care, you will want to consider existing unit mix and consider altering the mix going forward. Don’t forget the common areas and pay particularly close attention to entry areas. This should be warm, inviting, and make residents and visitors feel instantly at home.

It’s important to not only keep up with interior renovations and updates, but exterior, as well. If possible, ensure you have adequate and modern signage along with a well-manicured and landscaped entry way. Make sure exterior features are updated and maintained. Again, I feel the need to stress the importance of curb appeal and an inviting entrance to your community.

Plan Ahead

It’s important to remember that even if you have a new or newer building, the aging process has already begun. You must begin immediately to plan for the future … eventually your building will be the more mature property on the block. You can do this through a couple of means. One is a typical Cap X allotment of $300 – $500 per unit per year or an extensive and more formal annual Cap X plan.

These are also great opportunities to incorporate into your strategic planning for 2015 and beyond. MDS has a plethora of experience when evaluating the needs of your community to continue to remain successful. We can help you develop optimal unit mixes based on the market in which you operate. We can also help with the financial evaluation of the proposed changes to community to ensure a minimum impact for current and future residents. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you and your professional team to create a model for your continued success.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

Be an Appreciative Rock Star!

Be an Appreciative Rock Star!

Posted on by MDSadmin

I love music. I can’t sing or play an instrument, but I do love music and music trivia. Recently I had the good fortune to see a great band, one that has been around for many years, at one of my most favorite venues in the entire world, the Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach, NH. It was a terrific show and fun was had by all, (including the guy sleeping in our car when we came out! For those who follow me on Facebook, you understand, and for those who don’t, that is an entirely different story.)

But, as we were leaving the concert we walked by the band’s bus. I was very surprised and saddened to see what happened next. Although there were only about ten fans around, two of the band members ducked their heads down attempting to hide from us. The sad thing was that, although most of us were old enough that we were past the “star-struck” stage and autographs don’t mean that much to us, there was a young man there who had been waiting patiently to meet the band and possibly get an autograph. It was troubling that they couldn’t have taken 10 minutes to sign a few autographs and mingle with their fans. It would have done wonders for their image. They seem to have forgotten how and why they had become so successful … fans liking them and their music.

With a Little Help From My Friends

It made me think of the senior living industry and other businesses I patronize. People like to be known and recognized. I go to a couple little local restaurants and diners where I know the owners. They never fail to stop by and say “hey” and make you feel welcome and appreciated for your patronage. I have befriended a manager at a national chain and he never fails to stop by my table and talk for a few minutes and even comps my meals most of the time. If I see these people on the street, in a different environment, they still speak and we treat each other as friends.

The same holds true for residents and their families in Senior Living communities. They think of you as the “Rock Star” of your community. They want to be known and feel like they

know important people. They want to feel that they are important and meaningful in the community in which they live, to feel like they count for something and are appreciated. Some residents don’t have a lot of outside interaction and the staff of the community may be all the outside interaction they get in a day’s time.

Rock On

I know there are days that we feel we just can’t speak with another person or we will explode. Can’t face a certain person because they always have a complaint or want to talk for 20 minutes. And there are those days we are so busy with other things that we just blow by our residents without giving them the time of day, but we have to remember why we do what we do.

It is important to remember they are the reason we are there (because they pay a monthly service fee). I think it is very important for staff members to be present, visible, engaging, and attentive. There are those who work in offices, behind closed doors, who have to put forth the extra effort to get out and be seen among the residents. It is important to remember that when we step out from behind the confines of our office that we try and clear our minds and anticipate running into residents who will want to engage with us (good or bad, long or short.)

Be an appreciative Rock Star, put on a smile and say “Hi!” to as many residents as possible every day. We never know, that might be the only smile they see that day.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

Conduct a S.W.O.T. Analysis Before You Need a S.W.A.T. Team!

Conduct a S.W.O.T. Analysis Before You Need a S.W.A.T. Team!

Posted on by MDSadmin

You have the ability to take your business wherever you can imagine. The first step in any journey is planning. The old mantra goes, plan your work and work your plan. Those are great keys to success. Develop a plan and then focus and stick to it. Not that it won’t need tweaking and adjusting along the way, but as long as you can stay focused and true to your mission and goals, you can accomplish anything in life and in business.

The first part of planning any journey is to decide where you’re at currently. I was raised back in the day of paper maps. Every summer my grandparents would take us on vacation and I would be the navigator. About a week before we left my grandfather would sit down with me and a map and we would not only map out our primary route but we would also have a secondary route as well. The very first step of this process every year would be pointing to the reference of Fort Worth, Texas on the map and he would say “this is where were starting from”.

Current Location                                                 

It’s the same way with business. You have to know where you’re at before you can develop a great plan leading to your desired goals. That is the beauty of the S.W.O.T. analysis or Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats analysis. It’s a great process to perform in order to start the planning process and create your roadmap or strategic plan for success. This analysis works well for evaluation of products, departments, strategies, or an entire company.

The first part of the analysis, the S.W. (or strengths and weaknesses) portion, is an internal view of the product, department, or company. You are looking for and listing strengths and weaknesses of the target you’re evaluating. It can vary depending upon what you’re evaluating, but here are a few examples.

Strengths could include:

  • What does your organization do best?
  • What’s unique about you product, staff, company, or etc.
  • To what resources do you have access?

Weaknesses could include:

  • Employees not trained
  • Substandard customer service
  • Sales process too complicated

The second part of the analysis, or the O.T. are the opportunities and threats you see, which is a view of the external. These are the opportunities and threats created by or posed by outside forces to your product, department, company or whatever you are evaluating. Again, this will depend upon what you’re evaluating, but here are a few examples.

Opportunities could include:

  • New trends
  • New markets
  • Organic growth possibilities

Threats could include:

  • Existing competition
  • New competition
  • Competitors’ use of new technology

Planning Tool

While this was a very condensed overview of a S.W.O.T. analysis, you can see the value in performing one before beginning your strategic planning for 2015. It is also important to get buy-in for those who will be participating. It is advised to reach outside of your executive team and chose employees to participate from different departments and levels in the company. To ensure open and honest dialogue, employees will need to feel the environment is safe and they may speak freely.

Schedule a series of meetings over the course of a few weeks instead of one long session. This will help keep everyone focused on the task at hand and not worrying about day to day activities. Make sure there are no cell phones and only interruptions for true emergencies.

Keeping the sessions positive is a MUST. Even though you may uncover some things in which you were unaware or are troubling, look at this as an opportunity. Had you not conducted the S.W.O.T. analysis you might not have discovered challenges until it was too late. Draw on the message in my last blog about balance, when things seem out of control, there are still opportunities to be had.

I would enjoy working with you and your professional team to help you conduct both a S.W.O.T. analysis and a business wellness checkup, as well as moderating your strategic planning sessions. These two tools will be a great way to kick off and jump start your 2015 strategic planning process.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

The Elusive Balance of Life and Business

The Elusive Balance of Life and Business

Posted on by MDSadmin

If you’re like me you’re constantly searching for the optimal balance in life. I do a lot of reading and try to find tips and pointers that work for me. I think one point to stress at the outset is there are many great ideas and theories available, but you have to study and incorporate the ones that are right for you and your situation. The key to balance will be somewhat different for everyone and will change from time to time over the years.

I just read an article by Terri Trespicio entitled “How to Find Balance” at WholeLiving.com. It’s a great article and worth the read. She talks about myths of a balanced life and the truth behind them. As I already stated, this may not be for everyone, but it struck a chord with me. As I studied and reflected on these more, I could see an instant parallel to running a community, a business, or a corporation.

Ms. Trespicio makes a couple of great observations. First is that she references scales and the parallel of “a balanced life is not symmetrical, still, or neutral, but always changing. Secondly, she points out that, as with anything we do repeatedly and put the effort into, it becomes easier over time and as you gain “momentum”.

So here is my take on how this can apply to you and your business. The myths and truths are directly from Ms. Trespicio article, the commentary is mine.

Myth: You Must Be Even-Tempered
Truth: Balance Encompasses the Full Range of Emotions

There are those days when we will be angry, frustrated, and at the end of our rope with someone or everyone. It’s not about suppressing these feelings, it’s about the way we respond to them and communicate with others. If you hold these emotions in they will eat you up from the inside out and the root cause will never be addressed. It’s more about how we deal with them. Take a deep breath and make sure your response is measured and appropriate. Most of the time in an emotional situation we will respond much differently after the passage of time and thinking the situation through.

Myth: Balance is Effortless
Truth: Balance is Efficient

When things are in balance, life seems so much easier and fluid, you can just feel it. When your team at work are accomplishing goals and making good progress, life is not only better for everyone, but seems effortless. This is where creativity resides and we are able to accomplish more seemingly effortlessly.

Myth: You Must Be In Control
Truth: Real Balance Means Being In Flux

Control is such an illusion. When you have clients and people working for you there is no way you are in control. We have to learn to manage many different moving parts. We have to be accepting of change and know it’s a part of life. We can try, but really we can’t stop it. What you can control to some extent are the processes and procedures, but even those need to be flexible to meet certain situations. Ms. Trespicio makes a great point in the example of a circus tightrope walker. Their “skill resides not in their ability to defy gravity, but in making the hundreds of subtle, incremental readjustments to account for imbalance”.

Myth: A Balanced Person Is Good At Everything
Truth: Balance Requires Prioritizing

While you or your organization might be good at a lot of things, should you really be spending the time and money to do them? The 80/20 rule has great application here, 80% of our results come from 20% of our effort. Concentrate on what makes you or your company successful. Go through you and your employee’s task and reevaluate what is truly important to the success of your business. Then you can either quit or reduce unnecessary tasks and outsource those you can. Also remember to DELEGATE when possible.

Myth: Imbalance Will Result in Disaster
Truth: Imbalance is Opportunity

This is probably my favorite myth. This ties in very nicely to strategic planning. When you feel your team, community, or business getting unbalanced, and if you’re in tune with what going on around you, you will notice, it’s time for strategic evaluation. Don’t try to ignore it or it will just get worse and probably take longer and be more costly to find a new balance.

Take this as an opportunity to learn and grow. This is a great opportunity to reevaluate processes and procedures, how you apply your labor force, people and positions they fill, products and services. An important part of this evaluation is to know where you are today. As our last blog suggested, an operational review coupled with a SWOT analysis are great places to start.

I hope Ms. Trespicio’s article can be of some help to you find personal balance in your life.  Hopefully you can also take some of these theories and apply them to your business and professional life and environment as well.  I would imagine we are all a lot closer to balanced than we originally thought and give ourselves credit for.

Remember balance is not a static place.  It is constantly moving and changing and like the tightrope walker, we have to learn to make a lot of slight adjustments to remain in balance.  We can’t control everything around us, but we can control our reaction and response.  Its perfectly alright to feel a wide range of emotion, but the higher the emotion, the more we should think our response through carefully.  Lastly, in those times of imbalance, look for opportunities, they do exist.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

Where Do I Start?

Where Do I Start?

Posted on by MDSadmin

As you start your strategic planning for 2015 you might ask yourself “where do I start?” You have a lot of areas that you would like to tweak and improve as you start into the new year. Two great starting points are a financial wellness checkup and a SWOT analysis (SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats).

The financial wellness checkup will give you a great base to start thinking about areas where you could sharpen your focus to improve your operational and financial health. A SWOT analysis will give you an opportunity to look at your departments, community, or company’s current strengths and weaknesses in order to develop strategies to take advantage of new opportunities and to defend against threats. In this blog I cover the financial wellness checkup and I will discuss the SWOT analysis in a future blog.

Benchmarking

It follows the old adage and answers that question where do I start? Of course, from the beginning! But where is the beginning really? There are so many different moving parts to your organization and there are so many different areas that you would like to change as you move forward. This is why it’s important to establish a baseline of where you are at today. This is where financial benchmarking comes in. Financial benchmarking has become a priority with senior managers in the senior living industry to determine where they are today and more importantly to chart a path of where they would like to be next year and in the future beyond.

It’s like going to your family doctor for a checkup and finding out your blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar levels. Once you know what these levels are then you can begin developing a plan to make the desired changes in things like your lifestyle and/or diet in order to achieve optimal levels prescribed for you.

It’s much the same way with the financial wellness check and benchmarking. You look at your revenues and expenses based on different line items and departments, then compare them against generally accepted industry benchmarks. This boils down your complex operations to a few high-level numbers that are more easily managed. It is also recommended that you convert your revenue and expenses into a per resident day (PRD) basis this allows for a much easier comparison. You will want to be aware of the variance between your current year budget and your current actual spent year-to-date. It is also recommended that you look back over the last 3-5 years at changes in budget and variance year over year.

Making Needed Changes

Once you have compared your actual operating financials to the benchmarks the areas that need the most attention will come to light. This will provide you with a roadmap of where the most impact can be made in adjusting your operating budget, if necessary. Then you can dig in with further analysis of areas in which you would like to improve or change. This would be a great opportunity to use the SWOT analysis to help facilitate change and direction.

Another drain on a community’s financial health that we often see in the senior living industry is “cost creep”. This is basically the uncompensated care provided to the residents of your community. It is important to stay on top of resident care plan and evaluations to ensure your revenue for resident care matches the expenditure for actual care provided. MDS has a couple of templates that allow us to take a high level look at the minutes of direct care staff you are providing to your community and see how it compares to expected care provided and revenue based on current resident acuity.

Kick-off 2015 Strong

As you can see, conducting a financial wellness check is a great way to kick off your strategic planning for 2015. It will give you a snapshot of where you are today and also provide valuable information to incorporate when planning for the future. I would appreciation the opportunity to work with you and your professional team in conducting this financial wellness check, providing assistance with a SWOT analysis, and help moderate your 2015 strategic planning sessions. Let’s get you on the calendar today before too much time slips away.

MDS also offers a “shared executive” retainer program. As a retainer client, we can help monitor your operation metrics, provide important commentary on the industry and your business, and become a strategic partner in the success of your operation throughout the year. This has become a very popular program with our existing clients because of the tremendous value added through MDS’ staffs’ many years of experience in the industry delivered to you at a fraction of the cost. I would be happy to discuss your individual situation and develop a customized “shared executive” plan to suit your needs.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

What Does Your Customer Service Say about Your Community’s Culture?

What Does Your Customer Service Say about Your Community’s Culture?

Posted on by MDSadmin

Does your senior living community, including your staff, express a can-do spirit? Do they have a mindset that is resident focused? Are they able to see the positive and not growl about everything? Do they work on fixing what’s wrong instead of griping about it? How much thought do you really put into personnel placement and training? These are a few questions to examine with regards to how you express your company’s culture to your residents, those who work within your company, and those outside of your walls.

I recently read a blog on LinkedIn  which garnered a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons, but it had a good message. The blog described the advice a venture capitalist had for the young twenty something in whose startup he was investing $150 million. To paraphrase the conversation, the venture capitalist advised, “Don’t mess up the company culture, that’s what I’m investing in.”

Unintended Culture Shift

Unfortunately, it tends to happen in most industries. As companies grow and hire more and more people, they tend to drift away from the core values and culture that made them a success. It takes a lot of effort to stay the course to retain your company culture. You have to hire the right people, develop a successful orientation process as well as an ongoing training program, monitor your employees’ actions and outcomes, and adjust as the need arises.

And as the old saying goes, the commitment to a positive company culture starts at the very top. I don’t mean just knowing about it, reading about it, preaching about it, I mean really LIVING IT 31! (For those of you out of the loop on the newest lingo, 31 is the old 24/7, just 24+7. And if you’re wondering, no I‘m not that cool, I was recently schooled by my younger, hipper nephews).

Personnel Assignments

Did you ever stop to think about how that particular person got into that particular job? Sometimes it’s the person that has been around the longest or has the lowest in seniority. Maybe the employee asked for the job, or maybe they were the first applicant that could pass a background check. There are many examples of employees that just ended up in a job and no thought was given to whether they were a good fit and exemplified your community culture to its fullest.

It would be easy to write a novel on employee placement and training, which covers all the different positions in a senior living community. However, I would like to focus on those employees you have put in a position of initial contact with your potential residents and their families. I’m specifically talking about those employees who answer your phones or greet your prospective residents and their families at the front door as well as those who tour campuses with them. There is no more appropriate expression in this situation as “you never get a second chance to make a great first impression.”

What’s The Goal?

It’s important to make sure we put the right employees in the jobs that best fit them. In addition, we must also train these employees and go over contingency plans for certain situations that are bound to present themselves. We need to go that extra mile to make sure they not only understand but are able to live and express that culture you in which you want your community to be known. From the local Mexican food restaurant that I frequent to Senior Living communities that I visit, it appears that some management isn’t doing a good enough job of choosing the right person for the position or communicating desired outcomes to employees.

It’s important to stress to these employees how much they’re being counted on to acquire new customers and keep current customers happy. It’s amazing how much damage one misplaced or ill-trained employee can do to an organization, and often no one even realizes it until it’s too late.

Give me a call and let’s get started analyzing your front line, first contact team, policies, and procedures and developing a suitable solutions for your community. Today it’s more important than ever to have a plan and a backup plan in place to facilitate prospect inquiries. This can range from information on a phone to those wanting to tour your community. Let’s make sure your team is asking the right questions and offering the appropriate information to each and every prospect. With the proper plan in place you will see your close rates increase and resident acquisition cost decrease.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

What Really Happens During a Community Visit?

What Really Happens During a Community Visit?

Posted on by MDSadmin

Every now and again I get out of the office and visit senior living communities to mystery shop. Some of these are on behalf of clients interested in what the competition is doing, and some are for the client community’s management to see how well the front line is performing. I am still amazed at both the good and the bad, and on a recent trip I experienced some of the best and the worst senior living communities have to offer.

The Good

As I got out of the car at one community I could hear fire truck and ambulance sirens. When I walked in there was a definite buzz. I was greeted in the lobby and asked to have a seat for just a minute. There was a stand up team meeting in progress in the lobby. It turns out that a resident had over cooked some toast and filled the building with smoke. Instead of panicking, the staff huddled for a couple minutes and then jumped into action. When the meeting broke up, I was taken on a tour and was very impressed with the way this situation was handled. The administrator never broke a sweat, lost her cool, or made a big deal of it. She handled it like a pro.

By the way, this community was way off the beaten path. It was a modestly appointed, 100+ resident community. However, it was 100% occupied with a wait list.

The Bad

On the same trip I went to a competing community. This community, while comparably priced, was at the opposite end of the location and design spectrum. It had a great waterfront location on a point right off a main highway. In addition, the building design, amenities and fixtures were fabulous, exactly like you would expect to find in a resort lodge.

I walked in about 3:30 pm to find a lady – a paid employee, not a resident – sitting behind a desk in the lobby reading a book. I asked if I could tour the community, and while she had a nice big smile, she proceeded to tell me that the person who would typically show me around was busy with a resident mixer. However, I could come back tomorrow or the next day. No attempt was made to accommodate me at the time of my visit.

If I were an out-of-town prospect, with only a small window of opportunity to check out communities, they would have just lost my business. It was no surprise to find the community had been in operation for two to three years and still only had a 50% occupancy rate.

What’s Going On in Your Community?

How is your staff interacting with your prospects and current residents? Are they expressing the kind of attitudes and culture in which you want to be known? Do you have the right people in the right positions? Are you communicating your expectations as well as the responsibilities involved in each position? Are you providing enough training and mentoring to your employees? Do you stress enough that communities are built around residents and their families?

If you don’t currently monitor or mystery shop your own community to see how your potential residents are being treated, you should consider doing so! You might be extremely surprised at what you find. Give me a call and I will be happy to set up an audit of your community’s sales and marketing programs and processes. I can provide you with a candid and unbiased assessment of how your team is doing. I can also provide you with the training and resources needed to take your team to the next level.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.