Five “must have” technologies needed to make the most of the ensuing boom of boomers coming into the senior landscape.

By Susan Saldibar

I recently read a short, but insightful piece written by RealPage (a Senior Housing Forum partner). What I liked about it is that it isn’t a glorified commercial piece. It’s purpose is to advise senior living operators on the “must have” technology needed to make the most of the ensuing boom of boomers coming into the senior landscape over the next twenty years or so. It’s short, to the point, and is punctuated by some solid stats, recently collected by RealPage.

As a marketer and a boomer with an elderly mom, I know that the points made by the piece are key to securing the interest and business of today’s seniors and families. Below are the main points, along with my take on each of them, but I urge you to read the article yourself, which you can download here.  

  1. Websites aren’t just websites anymore. They are now being calibrated as powerful lead generators. But you need the right blend of keywords and phrases to tie to your location and your amenities. Search engine optimization and search engine marketing have changed a lot over the last few years. They can now reach out and pull targeted prospects to your site. Ask your web people, what are they doing for you in these areas?

  2. Get that first moment right or they’ll move on. You have only a few seconds to make an impression. The question is whether that first impression is better served by one of your inside sales people or through a professional contact center. Something to consider. I’ve seen how these centers work. A good one will be staffed with seasoned, trained professionals who are hired specifically for their ability to show warmth, compassion and respect to callers.  

  3. Be mobile or be gone. In so many ways, this is a no-brainer. From the first touchpoint and on through the life cycle of each resident, technology simply makes everyone more efficient, from the front office staff to your nurses and everyone connected to the community. It enables things like task management, facilities maintenance, and asset management. All of this can now be accessible and interactive while your team is caring for residents, not scrambling back and forth to a desktop computer. Mobile technology gives them more face time with residents.

  4. Connect everyone to everything! So many communities are now using resident portals to give residents and their families more access to their own health and information as well as what’s going on within the community. These portals have become so popular that “Do you have a portal?” is becoming one of the first questions families ask before moving a loved one into a community. Plain and simple, it is a box that communities need to be able to check.

  5. Build intelligence, as you go. So it’s no longer sufficient to just use data to do things. Now, with the right infrastructure, operators can build an “intelligent” database to help them get a handle on what’s driving their leads as well as how to improve operations and quality of care. And predictive analytics is becoming more relevant and will be a major force in the near future.

Are you doing these things? RealPage makes a strong case that these are the tools you need to acquire to serve a new boomer generation of residents. Ultimately, they say it best. “To compete in the growing Senior Living sector – and to beat the boom – is to be technologically aware, not only for engagement purposes but to deliver a higher level of service.”

The article makes a lot of additional points, along with statistics to back it all up. You can download it from RealPage hereTo learn more about RealPage Senior Living offerings please visit their website

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