In the heart of South Australia’s lively Italian community, Bene Aged Care started over 45 years ago, founded by a dedicated group of local doctors, business owners, and community leaders. Bene wanted to create a place that respects the cultural, spiritual, and lifestyle needs of their community. Today, Bene helps more than 2,500 people from all walks of life across South Australia.
We recently caught up with Anne Higginson, Manager of Community Services at Bene Aged Care, who shared insights into their commitment to transforming client communication and engagement. Bene teamed up with Hayylo to deliver their customer service and client portal platform, placing a particular emphasis on creating a seamless experience for customers, with a dedicated focus on supporting CALD communities.
As Anne noted, “Community is what makes Bene great, and working across our CALD communities meant our offering needed to include customers and their families in the care experience. We wanted all nominated family members to be connected through one source, and with Hayylo thats possible.“
Bene Aged Care Tackle Care Sector Challenges
The challenges Bene Aged Care faced are felt across the entire care sector. Anxiety around communication difficulties is experienced daily by clients and their families, especially when their are language barriers. Uncertainty about caregiver visits, changes and complaints, lead to escalating call volumes and potential negative outcomes, impacting the overall care experience for customers. With this top of mind, Bene aimed to reduce unnecessary calls and optimise back-office operations, whilst creating the best service experience possible.
Anne Higginson explains, “We were looking to create a better experience for clients and their families around the consistency and communication of services, whilst also enabling some optimisation across back office teams and communication capabilities.”
Vendor Selection and Implementation Experience
As providers navigate the task of selecting a vendor for their client portal, it’s important to work with a group that truly understands your organisation. In choosing who to work with, Bene took the time to assess all of the available options before deciding on Hayylo. When asked, Anne shed some light on their decision-making process, saying:
“What stood out was Hayylo’s clear messaging, simplicity, and alignment with Bene’s unique needs. The way Hayylo presented things was refreshingly simple, and free of jargon, making it easy for decision-makers to understand and assess.”
According to Anne, “The implementation process was smooth and efficient, making the whole experience even better.
Anne Higginson reflects on the implementation, stating, “The people that were on our team were all new, with limited experience with client management systems. And then Hayylo came on board, and you’ve got the team all engaged. The timelines were concise and the turn around times were good at each stage we went through”.
Benefits and Observations
Since implementing Hayylo, Bene Aged Care has observed numerous benefits, including improved transparency and communication, leading to reduced anxiety for families and clients. There has been a significant reduction in unnecessary calls to reception, allowing for the reallocation of resources to other areas of the organisation.
Anne Higginson notes the positive impact, saying, “It helped those clients and families that were concerned. Their anxieties went down and there’s a lot more positive feedback around communication from the organisations side.”
The smooth connection with AlayaCare stood out as a big win, elevating communication and efficiency levels across the teams. Hayylo makes sure that every client, no matter how often they call, gets fair and timely attention, promoting an inclusive approach. Hayylo makes communication more straightforward, cutting down on the need for endless emails and phone calls.
Anne notes, “Hayylo ensures equitable access for everybody to be responded to in a timely way,” emphasising the importance of inclusivity and efficient communication. Digging a bit deeper, Anne explained, “We used to focus on dealing with the customers that called the most, but now with Hayylo, we evenly service every customer enquiry while still being able to prioritise urgent work. This has led to increased CSAT and operational efficiencies.”
Advice for Other Providers
In offering advice to other providers considering Hayylo, Anne Higginson emphasised the importance of understanding the specific business problems and collaborating closely with the vendor to solve them. She states, “I think the important thing is to do your homework and understand what the problem is you want to solve, then select the best vendor to solve it with. It’s also important to see it in action and be able to speak with other providers who have similar needs”
As Bene Aged Care and Hayylo continue their journey together, the collaboration stands as a testament to the positive outcomes achievable when technology aligns with the unique needs of care providers and their diverse clients.
Future Outlook for Bene
Looking ahead, Bene Aged Care envisions a continued partnership with Hayylo, aiming to further take advantage of the platform’s potential. The organisation anticipates leveraging upcoming features and enhancements that will contribute to even more significant improvements in communication, efficiency, and overall service delivery.
Anne Higginson reflects on the future, “Allowing the voice of the customer across all of your customers to be heard and then managed by back office teams will ultimately create a better experience for more people.“
As Bene continues to pioneer innovative approaches in aged care communication, their experience with Hayylo serves as a guide for other organisations seeking transformative solutions. The ongoing commitment to transparency, efficiency, and customer-centric communication addresses immediate challenges for the sector, setting the stage for a more connected and responsive future of aged care services.
If you want to see Hayylo in action, get your link to the Hayylo overview here or visit our website.
