By Susan Saldibar

I like doing business with people I like. 

Everything’s easier. You can relate to them. People you like tend to be more responsive, so there’s a good likelihood that things will go well. Granted, they also must be trustworthy and have a great product. But you know what I mean. And really likable people tend to work for really great companies too.  

Speaking of such, Foresight’s Steve Moran recently interviewed Shannon Moyes, director of sales and marketing for Volanté Systems (a Foresight partner). Shannon is a breath of fresh air in an industry full of hubris and feature dumping. And she is clearly stoked to be a part of Volanté. So I think that says a lot about Volanté too. (Don’t take my word for it; watch the interview video here.) 

To say Volanté is just a POS (point of sale) system is like saying a Tesla is just a car. 

It barely scratches the surface. The same goes for Volanté. They’re a great example of what today’s POS systems can do. And their technology is crushing it in the food and beverage area of senior living. 

It’s not hard to understand why:

  • Meal ordering kiosks are super, super easy to use for residents. That means they’ll use them!
  • Residents just scan their access cards and are automatically billed. No more staff standing at a register!
  • Don’t like kiosks? Menus can pop up on TVs, smartphones, and tablets. That means residents can order from their rooms.
  • The system stores data on things like food allergies and other dietary restrictions for each resident in the system. No looking up profiles every time someone orders.
  • A resident can therefore order a burger knowing it won’t have onions, cheese, or whatever it is that they either don’t like or can’t eat. (Talk about safety and peace of mind.)
  • Chefs can post meals du jour and quickly change menus on the fly, and there are virtually zero limits on à la carte and specialty menus you can create and provide. 

Tough Questions

As you might guess, if you know Steve, he had a couple of tough questions:  

How does Volanté help with the labor shortage?

  • Residents can do more on their own (and love it, by the way). So, staff members don’t have to spend time entering orders. Think of what they could replace all that manual entry with! 
  • When the Volanté system keeps track of dietary needs, staff don’t have to go digging for them. 
  • A staff member no longer needs to sit in front of a cash register. It’s all done electronically! 
  • Staff members have better days. They’re doing less busy work and having more face-to-face time with residents.

What about occupancy? Does Volanté help with that too?

When something is really good, people talk. And sales counselors spotlight it. So word gets around. Here’s what could boost occupancy for Volanté users:

  • No more questions about billing; it’s all right there for residents and families. Total transparency.
  • Knowing that dietary needs are automatically met gives everyone peace of mind. 
  • When technology is being used efficiently, this builds trust and confidence. 
  • So when people talk (and it’s good to talk), rooms and apartments start to fill up. 

Finally, the mother of all questions: With dozens of POS systems out there, why Volanté?

  • They don’t just offer great support; they are truly there for you. (Call them and you’ll wait maybe a minute, maybe even less. They boast the lowest phone wait times in the business!) 
  • They get how important it is for technology to work perfectly. So they make sure it does.
  • They are confident and don’t have to feature dump. Instead, they’ll make sure what they do fits exactly what you need. 
  • Shannon made a pledge that they will earn your business. So they’re working for you from your first conversation with them forward.
  • Finally, you’ll like them. And in an industry with its share of bad vibes, that’s important. 

Getting a Demo

And what’s great is that you don’t have to take Steve’s, my, or anyone’s word for it. 

You can get a demo. And if you’re planning on attending the HealthTAC West conference in August, Shannon urges folks to stop by and visit their booth — especially if you’ve been hammered by sales pitches all day. 

You’ll find people you’ll like there. People like Shannon, who are ready to chat, listen to you complain about sore feet or cheesy giveaways, whatever. No hard-court press sales pitches. Guaranteed!