By Susan Saldibar

I recently bought my daughter (who lives alone) one of those alert siren keychains. So if someone jumps out at her in the dark, she can activate its ear-crunching siren and whirling red light.

I dropped it off with her and said, “Charge it. And use it.”

I should have known better. It sat there. And she’s pretty tech-savvy. I visited recently, and we took the time to go through the instructions. That, along with my cheerleading, got her all stoked about it. Now it’s charged and ready to go.

My, what a little human interaction can do. …

And no wonder our residents don’t use half the great stuff we install in their rooms and apartments.

When was the last time you really got an implementation right — and I mean really right? I thought so.

Hopefully, you learned in the process that it’s not enough to just make them understand it. You have to make residents fall in love with it.

That takes a little more time and TLC, but it’s really cool when you see someone get an implementation right.

The folks at Caavo (a Foresight partner) get it more than right.

Groundbreaking Technology

For those who don’t know Caavo, it is a groundbreaking TV-based system/technology platform that literally transforms any TV into a hub of interaction, allowing staff to do remote check-ins, which helps residents retain their independence. There is a slew of other features which let family members check in on loved ones — and lots of other really cool features.

And their installation/implementation program is a big part of getting residents (and everyone else) to love using Caavo.

Michelle Wright, Caavo’s director of marketing, recently told me why their installations are so successful. Here’s what she had to say. Listen up. (And dust off your pom-poms).

  • Conduct a site survey, which consists of …
    • Technology check. It’s important to understand all the technology details; every resident has a different TV brand. The details include things like who has Roku, etc.
    • Issues, special needs. We address any issues residents may have up-front. We also look at the key features that everyone wants to enjoy immediately. 
    • Meetings with key individuals. In addition to staff, that also includes residents and possibly a few family members. Some communities have a technology council consisting of residents.
  • Contact providers in advance. We work closely with the community’s suppliers to iron out any potential glitches prior to installation.
  • Create a plan for a phased rollout. This is key. Features are rolled out one at a time. We look at the most popular and most useful to roll out first. 
  • Do a dry run (or two). We’ve found these dry runs to really make a big difference. We typically do a couple of them to make sure everyone is in sync and comfortable with the application.
  • Create hard-copy printouts of features and instructions (including screenshots and buttons). This is key because many residents are more comfortable with something they pull out and look at. We will sit with a resident who brings out the printout with their questions next to each feature.

Smooth Implementation

Throughout the process, Caavo makes sure that there are regular communications and follow-up meetings with key team members and key residents. 

And that, folks, is how it’s done right.

You can imagine that the payback for a smooth implementation is huge. 

“As simple and easy to use as Caavo is, you can’t over prepare in this environment,” Michelle tells me. “It’s why the technology has been so well accepted by residents, team members, and families.” And it’s why the level of adoption has been so high. That helps the community realize a more powerful ROI. 

And yet, like most technology providers, Michelle tells me that Caavo had their own list of lessons learned, which is how they got to where they are today. One of the most important is not to get so caught up with your technology that you start replacing valuable human interaction with it. 

Increasing Face Time

“We never want to make residents feel that, with the technology, they are losing out on face time,” she says. “There is a balance to strike. Find that balance and don’t lose it.” 

That’s a great reason, by the way, to check out Caavo. Because it’s connecting people in a way that few technologies can do. 

So if saving staff time and increasing face time between residents, family, and other residents are important, you’ll want to check out this amazing TV-transforming solution. 

Because they got that right too.

You can find out all the ways Caavo can transform your residents’ TVs here.