By Rebecca Wiessmann
In this episode of Directly Speaking, Steve talks with Justin Smith, Senior Manager of Innovation at Direct Supply, about how senior living operators can think more practically about robotics, automation, implementation, and return on investment. Watch the full conversation here.
It is easy to get distracted by the robot.
Does it look cool? Will residents like it? Can it navigate the hallway? What does it cost? What happens if it bumps into someone? Will families think it is weird?
Those are not bad questions. But they are not the first questions. For senior living operators, robotics should not start as a technology decision. It should start as an operations decision.
That is one of the most useful parts of Steve’s conversation with Justin Smith. Justin is not arguing that every community needs to rush out and buy robots. He is arguing that operators need a disciplined way to evaluate where automation makes sense, how to implement it, and how to measure whether it is actually creating value. In other words, the robot is not the strategy… The strategy is better operations.
Start With The Business Problem
Justin says Direct Supply does not begin by simply selling a robot. The first step is understanding the operator’s problem.
- Where is the community spending the most time?
- Where is it spending the most money?
- Which tasks are hardest to staff?
- Which parts of the operation do not create meaningful differentiation?
- Which workflows are inefficient before technology even enters the picture?
That last question is especially important.
Sometimes the answer is not a robot. Sometimes the first answer is process improvement. If a workflow is clunky, confusing, or poorly designed, adding technology may simply make a bad system more expensive. That is why operators need to slow down before they speed up. The best automation projects begin with clarity: What problem are we solving, and what result would make this worth doing?
Every Stakeholder Sees The Robot Differently
A robot entering a senior living community is not just entering a building. It is entering an ecosystem.
Residents see it one way. Staff see it another way. Families see it another way. Owners and executives see it another way.
Each group has a different concern.
Residents may wonder whether it is safe or strange. Then, according to Justin, many quickly adjust. Some even name the robots and start asking where they are when they are not in use. Staff may worry that automation means job cuts. Families may worry that technology is replacing human care. Executives may want to know whether the investment actually saves time, money, or operational strain.
All of those perspectives are legitimate. And all of them need to be addressed.
A robotics rollout is not just a facilities project. It is a communication project, a training project, a culture project, and a financial project.
The Family Message Matters
Families may be the toughest audience. Justin notes that residents may adapt faster than family members. That makes sense. Residents see the robot in context. They watch it clean a hallway, move around people, stop when needed, and become part of the rhythm of the building.
Families may only hear, “They are using robots now.”
That can trigger all kinds of assumptions. Operators need to get ahead of that story.
The message should not be, “Look at our cool robot.”
The message should be, “We are using automation for repetitive operational tasks so our team members have more time and energy for residents.”
That is a stakeholder-friendly story. It tells families the community is investing in efficiency, safety, staff support, and resident experience. It also makes clear that robots are not replacing the relational core of senior living. In fact, the goal is the opposite.
Implementation Is Where the Value Is Won or Lost
Steve asks what happens if an operator wants to work with Direct Supply on robotics.
Justin explains that the value is not just in finding a machine. Anyone can buy a robot online and have it dropped at the door. The harder part is making it work inside a real senior living community. That includes evaluating the problem, choosing the right solution, installing it, training the team, supporting adoption, monitoring performance, and helping the operator quantify value.
That ongoing support matters because senior living communities are not static environments. Team members change. Leaders change. Workflows shift. A community may have a great rollout in month one, but six months later, a quarter of the original staff may be gone. If the knowledge leaves with them, the technology can lose momentum. That is why customer success and retraining are not extras. They are part of the operating model.
Uptime Is Not A Small Detail
Steve also asks the practical question every operator should ask: What happens when the robot breaks?
Justin says robots do not break constantly, but like any equipment, they need maintenance. He uses the phrase “spa day” to describe taking a robot out of service, checking it over, and keeping it running properly. But when something does go wrong, downtime matters.
If a community has redesigned a workflow around automation and the robot is suddenly unavailable for weeks, the community is forced back into old habits. That can frustrate staff and undermine trust in the technology. Justin says Direct Supply’s approach focuses on uptime, including remote diagnostics and, when needed, swapping out a unit so the community can get back up and running quickly.
That kind of detail may not be exciting, but it is exactly what determines whether robotics succeeds operationally.
The glamour is in the demo. The value is in the uptime.
Measure the Value Before Scaling
For owners and operators, one of the most important questions is whether automation actually pays off.
Justin says Direct Supply helps communities quantify the value being created, including how many hours are being given back. That matters because once an operator can prove value in a single workflow or building, it becomes easier to make the case for expansion.
This is how robotics should scale in senior living. Not through hype. Not through fear of being left behind. Not through a giant systemwide rollout before anyone understands the implications.
Start with one workflow. One building. One clear operational problem. Measure what happens. Learn from it. Then decide what comes next.
That approach is less flashy but far more likely to succeed.
A Better Way To Think About ROI
The return on robotics is not only financial. Yes, labor hours matter. Cost matters. Efficiency matters. Operators have to make the numbers work. But the stakeholder return may be broader.
- Staff may get relief from repetitive work
- Residents may get more consistent service
- Families may see a community investing in smarter operations
- Executives may gain a scalable way to manage staffing pressure
Owners may see a path to protect margins without simply asking teams to do more with less. That is why robotics belongs in the operations conversation, not just the technology conversation. The future is not about filling communities with gadgets. It is about building communities that work better for everyone who depends on them.
And that means the most important question is not, “Should senior living use robots?”
The better question is, “Where can automation make the community stronger for residents, staff, families, and operators?”
