Tech consolidation for community operational efficiency

Does your community have disjointed technology systems that could be streamlined for more efficiency? In this two-part series, we outline the benefits of technology consolidation for senior living communities. In part one, we explore how a comprehensive solution can optimize operations in a standalone community. In part two, we’ll address the value of consolidation for multi-site operators.

In the senior living industry no two communities are the same. Each community is made up of a unique combination of staff, residents, families, and systems that keep it all running. With all the moving pieces and variables that go into managing a senior living community, operators commonly fall into reactive patterns.

When challenges like low staff count or lagging resident engagement need to be addressed, it makes sense to reach for a quick solution. And when it comes to technology, point solutions do address a specific area of senior living community management, such as a resident engagement content library or family connection portal.

One of the starkest examples of reactive technology acquisition occurred during the pandemic, when resident engagement technology adoption spiked by 60% as senior living operators scrambled to maintain resident quality of life while complying with social distancing regulations.

While point solutions are effective at addressing urgent needs, they do not establish a sustainable foundation for community operations. As communities become more comfortable using technology, they can zoom out and approach technology adoption from a strategic standpoint. How can technology improve the holistic well-being of residents, families and staff? What is the best way to not only streamline operations at one community, but adopt technology that scales across a portfolio of communities?

A proactive technology adoption strategy involves integrating solutions that comprehensively addresses multiple areas of community operations. In this two-part series, we dive into the benefits of technology consolidation on the community level, as well as how it can scale efficiencies for enterprise operators with multiple communities.

In part one, we begin with how a comprehensive solution that addresses multiple areas of community operations can help standalone senior living communities proactively find ways to maximize resources and drive efficiency.

Optimize your resources

Senior living staff deal with a high volume of daily tasks, including multiple projects, each with incremental steps. For instance, running just one activity can involve several tasks like updating the calendar, promoting the activity, reminding residents to participate, and tracking attendance.

It makes sense to find technology that can streamline operational tasks and give busy staff members time back. But sometimes adopting a point solution for each individual task can add work instead of reduce it.

For one, the initial onboarding and training for new technology requires a considerable upfront time investment. Each time a point solution is adopted, operators must first learn the software themselves, then facilitate training for their staff, residents, and families. And after onboarding comes continuous learning and troubleshooting. Residents often call on staff when they need assistance with technology, taking them away from other important duties.

Navigating multiple platforms can also reduce staff productivity by requiring constant task-switching. According to a joint report by Qatalog and Cornell University’s Idea Lab,  it takes nine and a half minutes to get back into a productive workflow after switching between digital apps. On a typical day at a senior living community, staff log into various platforms upwards of five times. So conservatively, a community with six staff members can lose an average of 4.5 hours of staff time per week to platform switching.

By consolidating multiple point solutions into one comprehensive platform, senior living communities can significantly reduce time spent on administrative tasks and training residents and families on new interfaces. Not to mention, there are added benefits of reducing procurement costs and simplifying vendor management.

Promote family connection

Keeping residents connected to their family members is essential to creating a thriving community experience. In recent years, technology has played a significant role in helping communities facilitate these connections. But what if you could not only keep the lines of communication open, but truly create an environment that increases family involvement?

Consolidating your tech solutions can deliver considerable results here. With a comprehensive solution, families can stay consistently connected through a companion portal, with the ability to view shared calendars and messaging all in one place.

Our 2024 Senior Living and Technology Report found that 65% of senior living communities believe a holistic solution can enhance family communication. With programming and communication capabilities consolidated into one platform, family members benefit from a 360-degree view of the resident’s community involvement. And by providing multiple, continuous touchpoints for residents and families to connect, a consolidated solution creates a rich and engaging experience. 

Comprehensive solutions that unify the resident and family experience not only facilitate connection, but also provide operators with a holistic view of resident and family engagement. This data can be collected and compared against key performance indicators in other operational areas, enabling operators to identify patterns and draw conclusions to optimize community operations.

Make more informed decisions

That brings us to our final opportunity of tech consolidation: improvements in streamlined data collection and analysis.

In a community that has multiple technology solutions, each solution has its own set of data points and reporting functionality. Managing multiple solutions is not only time-consuming, but also can lead to redundant data collection and disjointed reporting.

With a comprehensive platform, operators can pull data from and analyze multiple operational areas in a unified dashboard. And by having leading and lagging indicator data easily accessible, operators can also better  identify broad trends across community performance and seamlessly put insights into action.  

A comprehensive solution can help connect all the dots between your community’s operational functions, saving staff time and consolidating data to help you create the best possible experience for residents and their families.

Ready to drive more efficiency? 

LifeLoop is the solution of choice for senior living communities that want to manage programming, operations, and communications at scale. Our comprehensive platform makes it easy for operators to collect and analyze data to not only keep their communities running, but to optimize operations and maximize their resources. Running an efficient senior living community means residents and families can stay engaged and connected, while staff can maximize the time they get to spend engaging with residents.

Get in touch today to learn how consolidating with LifeLoop can help your community flourish.