By Susan Saldibar

Back in my software days, we’d develop applications for all kinds of companies, large and small. Occasionally we’d get a contract for a big, nationally recognized company.

And, let me tell you, their demands were brutal. 

They had reputations to protect, so nothing short of perfect was acceptable. 

So when I learned that Glennis Solutions (a Foresight partner) had developed a CRM for Atria, one of the most respected brands in our business, I knew they had to jump through a lot of hoops.

I also knew the software, at a minimum, would have to be:

  • Super flexible
  • Easy to use
  • Scalable to the max
  • And glitch-free! 

All That and More

Turns out Glennis is all that and more.

I spoke recently with Mark Campbell, VP of sales for Holiday Retirement. (Atria acquired the management services for Holiday back in June of last year.)

By the way, Mark’s a great example of the kind of people we need more of in this industry.

Mark had been successfully heading up sales, marketing, and circulation for a midsized newspaper agency. But after they announced a divestment of their properties, he decided to make a change.

His wife suggested senior living.

It made a lot of sense. Mark was devoted to his 84-year-old dad, who is legally blind and lives with them. He saw a way to start a new career and make a difference in the lives of seniors.

And he’s doing just that at Holiday. With the help of Glennis.

Mark and I chatted recently about the installation of Glennis at Holiday. It’s not an easy task to have to replace an existing CRM (especially one that’s working just fine) with a new one.

Here’s an excerpt from my Q&A with Mark.

Q: So you were basically told to replace your existing CRM with Glennis, right?

Yes, and obviously, there was some trepidation related to such a massive conversion. Plus, we loved and were comfortable with our old CRM. But Glennis’ innate functionality and ease of use sold us quickly.

Within just a day or two of training, our teams were able to get right back to work with limited distractions or obstacles. All of us were genuinely surprised by how fast all our communities were back up and running.

We quickly became big fans. Glennis is a better CRM than what we had previously, and our team would echo that from top to bottom.

Q: Wow, it says something about Glennis that your team embraced it so quickly. What are some of the standout features?

Aesthetically, it’s gorgeous. It’s colorful and inviting, which really matters to a day-to-day user. It’s designed to guide the eye to the priority items on the screen. I learned over time that the colors and layout really make a difference and contribute to how intuitive the program is.

I find the home dashboard to be really useful for our team. The first thing they see is the inquiries and leads needing quick attention, including new inquiries or updates.  

The “Line of Sight” approach essentially tells our communities how they are pacing towards their sales goals. Do they have enough new leads? Have they booked enough tours? Most importantly, how many new move-ins do they have signed and scheduled?  

We also like the Bonus Plan calculator. It tells sales at any given time how much commission they are earning for the month. 

The reporting functionality is intuitive and straight to the point.

There are no untouchable components of the CRM that can’t be adjusted. In just these past few months, we’ve made some adjustments to better align with the nuances of the Holiday brand.

(There are plenty more modules and features, which you can learn more about here.)

Q: I know Glennis has an open architecture. Are you connecting to any other third-party sources?

Yes, we currently have an API with Caring and APFM and are always looking to connect with other referral partners to enhance data and visibility into the sales process.

We are also connected with our engaged life and resident experience platform, as well as our revenue management system.

Q: Can you put any numbers to this — more tours, move-ins, etc.?

Our first full month for all of Holiday on Glennis wasn’t until January of this year. But, already … 

  • Move-ins jumped 17% from January to February. 
  • Total tours increased by 10.7%. 
  • New-inquiry-to-tour improved by 4%.  
  • Tour-to-move-in moved up 2%, and most importantly, 
  • Inquiry-to-move-in improved by a full 1%.  

Q: No way, that’s unreal! Any thoughts for others who could benefit from Glennis?

The key for us was the way Glennis keeps our sales team focused on the critical pieces of the business. We don’t like to leave things to chance. With so many families looking for help, it’s not unheard of that we could overlook someone or forget to respond to an e-mail or return a call. It happens to the best. 

The Glennis CRM removes the opportunity for human error. Not only does the functionality within Glennis help us with that, but there are also system-based structures and parameters that give us guidance on best practices related to contact cadence, touchpoints, etc.

So as long as we allow Glennis to guide us on how frequently and when we reach out to our families, we’ll find success in spite of ourselves.

Dip Your Toe In

What’s cool about all this is that Glennis CRM is just one solution in the Glennis Suite, yet they don’t demand that you buy the entire platform upfront. You can dip your toe in with just one solution for starters and build out as you go. 

Doesn’t get much easier than that. 

What could this do for your tours and move-ins? Find out here.