0845 345 3300 tellmemore@theaccessgroup.com www.theaccessgroup.com/hsc

TRANSFORM YOUR HOSPICE THROUGH TECHNOLOGYHelping you to provide high quality care and improve organisational efficiencies

OverviewWith an increased demand on hospices, reduced government support and tighter budgets, hospices are looking to become more agile in the way they operate to increase efficiencies and to continue to deliver the highest quality of care. In order to achieve this, key areas for improvement are mobilising your workforce and having unified communications.

MOBILITY

Social mobility

In research carried out by Access over recent years, hospices have shown an increase in social activity in every area, whether it was number of people tweeting (+5 hospice staff members who tweet, are up by one third), number of twitter followers or having an engaging Facebook page. With so much more information now available online, it is becoming increasingly important for hospices to understand the challenges around the management of social media and to have a robust social media strategy in place.

Typical challenges around social media:

• Working out which information posted online is useful and merits a response

• Understanding who within the hospice is best placed to reply

• Responding to this information in a timely and knowledgeable manner

• Capturing the information for future follow up or engagement

The wrong tone, a delayed response or even worse, no response at all can all lead to potential supporters switching off, voicing their concerns to their followers and friends and subsequently eroding all the good work that hospices do.

How can technology help?

In our experience, the majority of hospices have some kind of fundraising/contact management system at its centre. Sitting separately is the social media side of things. However, today a much more joined up approach is required if hospices are to overcome social media challenges identified above, and effectively communicate with their audience. It is important for hospices to keep track of mentions, and join conversations online about their hospice.

Combining social media data with the organisation’s CRM, hospices gain the tools and information they need to boost their communications to the next level. Not only is it important to have the tools integrated but they need to be accessible for staff, whether they are in the office or out on the road. This is crucial for enabling the right person within a

hospice to respond to tweets and posts in real-time.

Workforce mobility

The whole topic of travel time regulation and minimum wage is a burning issue right now and like every problem of this nature the answers are never simple. From lack of adequate funding for hospices and covering the true costs, to staff not getting enough time and delivering quality care to the client, there are many elements that call into question how the service is delivered.

Typical challenges around workforce mobility:

• Making sure business expenditures are monitored and kept to a minimum

• Ensuring the right carers are rostered to the right client at the right time

• Responding in real time to ensure efficient rostering and aid communication between staff

• Capturing the correct information to ensure quality service provision.

Over the last 4 years expenditure has increased for local councils from 30% to 35%. The issues surrounding

travel time and minimum wage can negatively impact the bottom line of the hospice and the quality of the service they deliver if the correct rostering solution is not implemented.

How can technology help?

Using a mobile software solution to manage rotas with any changes being communicated directly to staff in the field will keep the on-call team up-to-date at all times without any need to print, post or collect paperwork. Having a comprehensive planning and rostering system will provide real-time monitoring, complete resource management ensuring the right staff are assigned to the right client, and full visibility of how funds are truly being spent.

UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONSInternal and external connectivity

Most hospice staff need to interact with several software applications daily, from roster systems and fundraising solutions to spreadsheets and email. Integrated systems that allow staff to respond to Twitter followers and post new information for example from within the fundraising system avoids

the hassle of switching between applications and makes it easier for time-pressed staff to interact with the hospice’s online community. It is not only the carers within a hospice who are out working on the road, now many hospices see their fundraising and marketing teams out and about opposed from working statically from an office. Previously obtaining key information from a fundraising or contact management system outside the office was seen as a challenge. However, since the introduction of cloud-based working, many hospices have enabled their staff with better on-the-move access to their systems and tools.

This has resulted in many hospices becoming more connected with not just their external audience, but their staff within the hospice too. If the marketing department are out running a fundraising event with new supporters, they can log new contact details at the event on the fundraising system using a tablet or mobile phone - easy. Staff can also update records in real time, instead of having to wait to get back to the office and potentially forgetting about it. With a more accurate record of fundraisers and supporters, hospices are becoming

more connected and are engaging better with their audience.

Staff recruitment & retention

Our society’s attitudes towards how people should be cared for is changing, with person-centred care being the top priority. Central to delivering this high level of care is greater operational efficiency. It’s about eliminating the unnecessary value-draining activities that take attention away from care giving, and to ensure that funds are spent in the best possible way.

A vital element in increasing operational efficiency is recruiting and retaining quality staff. Having the right software helps to see who most closely matches the requirements for a particular position as well as understanding which recruitment sources provide the greatest value. It makes recruitment and retention drives more focused – after all having the wrong staff can be a costly mistake.

With more effective people management and open communication channels between clients and staff, hospices will be better able to provide the service that their clients want.

About AccessAccess is an established software solutions provider to the not-for-profit and health & social care sectors. We help hospices provide better care, increase operational efficiency and make the most of their funds by delivering integrated organisation-wide solutions spanning finance, HR and payroll, fundraising CRM and membership, rostering and workforce management solutions. Customers rely on Access to unlock the potential of their people as well as their charity through better organisational insight.

0845 345 3300 tellmemore@theaccessgroup.com www.theaccessgroup.com/hsc

Workforce management

• Complete resource scheduling and planning for improved business efficiency

• Effective staff management from recruitment through to billing and payroll

• Secure access from the hospice or the field, transforming interactions with workforce and clients

• Real-time monitoring and reporting to rapidly identify current, upcoming and overdue tasks

CRM

• Achieve successful relationships with your supporters by communicating in a more personalised way

• Automate your key processes with Gift Aid declarations and online claim forms

• Respond to supporters social media interactions as they occur in real time

• Manage your volunteers efficiently by keeping your key volunteer information all in one place

Benefits of an integrated CRM & workforce management solution

SummaryHospices today cannot afford to ignore the benefits of becoming mobile and unifying their communications. While the majority have an online presence and are engaging well with a variety of audiences, they have a significant opportunity to enhance the reach and impact of their internal and external communications.

By taking the relatively simple step of integrating their contact database with an efficient CRM and workforce management solution, hospices will have a valuable 360˚ view of interactions needed to significantly improve every key area of their activity.