Are you Giving a One Size Fits all Tour?
It is easy to fall into a routine “tour package” that is comfortable and makes us confident, but if you are hosting a one-size-fits-all visit, you may be missing out on moves.
Get to know the family
From talking with well over a million families, we have found that family members really want to let us know what makes their senior loved one unique. This is a huge decision and they want to get the right fit, the first time. When a family has come in to your community for a visit, make sure and think “What can I show them now that they cannot see online or in a brochure?”
Ask open ended questions. The answers can help you know what areas to focus on that will delight this family.
Finally, don’t forget to review your referral alert from APFM! SLAs send along great information about the family situation and the senior when they send a referral alert, like this note from Lisa Opolion in California:
“Both (potential resident couple) are very active people. They like to square dance and play cards. They enjoy exercising and yoga is a passion of theirs. Carol is concerned that they won’t be able to dance or exercise for much longer. It is important to them that they are in a community where they will be able to age-in-place.
When you reach out to Carol, make sure you share with her how varied your activities are and how the schedule will keep their lives full!”
Have multiple care levels? Know your customer
Independent Living
These potential residents value culture, vibe and energy. When you give independent living tours, be sure to emphasize events and talk about opportunities for social interaction. Even if a family member is touring along, the focus should be on the prospective resident.
Assisted Living
When hosting assisted living visits, the family member is typically taking the primary role. These families are looking for cleanliness and a friendly staff. Showing off the interactions between staff and residents is very important here to making families feel confident in the reliability of care their loved one will get.
Memory Care
In a tour for memory care residents, the main focus should be safety. Families will want to see that the staff has knowledge of each resident and interacts in a warm manner. They will also be looking to see if their loved one would have dignity in your community, even with their illness.
Giving more personal tours takes more time and preparation, but will result in higher move-in rates for your community. By segmenting your customers into different groups based on their needs and desires and interacting with them based on those characteristics, you make them feel heard and understood.