Executive Summary

Effective, real-time communication is the backbone of aged care operations—yet many Australian providers still rely on CRM systems that are less suited for the fast-paced, service-driven needs of care delivery. This white paper explores feedback around where CRM platforms have struggled to support operational communication in aged care, highlighting new thinking, industry data, and insights from thought leaders. The findings make a compelling case for aged care leaders to consider their communication infrastructure in favour of more efficient, purpose-built solutions that improve workflow, reduce costs, and enhance client outcomes.

The Communication Imperative in Australian Aged Care

Aged care in Australia is complex, involving multiple stakeholders—clients, family members, care workers, nurses, schedulers, and external providers. Clear and timely communication is critical not only for quality of care but also for operational efficiency. Any breakdown or delay can have serious consequences. In healthcare broadly, poor communication is linked to higher costs and worse client outcomes. Within an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, ineffective communication costs the Australian healthcare system over $1.5 billion annually in inefficiencies. Similarly, within aged care, research shows that delayed communication increases administrative burden by up to 30% and contributes to missed visits, rescheduled appointments, and client dissatisfaction.

These challenges are amplified in home care, where schedules frequently change. Support workers call in sick, visit times shift, and clients’ needs evolve. Each change requires immediate updates to multiple parties. If a worker is running late or unable to attend, failing to notify a client in time can result in anxiety, complaints, and even reportable incidents. Speed and accuracy are paramount—yet many aged care organisations still rely on fragmented systems, manual phone calls, and complex workflows.

Industry Snapshot: The administrative burden of communication in aged care is substantial. For example, a mid-sized home care provider with 6,000 clients handles, on average, 18,000 phone calls per month (inbound and outbound) related to scheduling, visit changes, and general inquiries. Each call takes an average of 4 minutes, equating to over 1,200 staff hours per month—or approximately >$750k annually in labour costs. Additionally, scheduling teams report that frequent call interruptions cause costly context-switching, leading to lower productivity and an increased risk of errors. This inefficiency directly impacts service quality, staff workload, and the provider’s bottom line in the thin margin environments.

Where Platforms Fall Short in Aged Care

Single view of customer systems were designed for managing customer relationships, sales pipelines, and marketing— less for the real-time, service-driven communication demands of aged care. In aged care settings, where the “customers” are vulnerable older Australians and their families, interactions are dynamic and often urgent. Yet, most platforms in market focusing on CRM capabilities were never built for operational communication.

Identified Platform Limitations in Aged Care

  • Delayed vs. Real-Time Updates: Most CRM deployments update on a delay (e.g., overnight syncs or other frequency). This lag is incompatible with scenarios like notifying a client of a schedule change or broadcasting an urgent message to care staff. A 2023 Gartner report highlights that traditional CRMs rely on outdated, transaction-oriented data models that do not support continuous real-time updates.
  • Designed for Sales, Not Service Delivery: CRM systems excel at tracking long-term client relationships and sales interactions—but aged care operations revolve around immediate, service-based coordination. Deloitte notes that modern service delivery requires intelligent automation, contextual awareness, and real-time responsiveness—capabilities missing from standard CRMs.
  • Fragmented Communication Channels: Many CRMs lack integrated multi-channel communication, forcing aged care teams to juggle multiple systems—email, phone, text, and separate scheduling platforms—resulting in data silos and miscommunication.
  • Poor Adoption by Frontline Staff: Aged care workers need intuitive, mobile-friendly tools for real-time updates. Yet, 83% of frontline staff in healthcare sectors report low CRM usability due to complex interfaces and rigid workflows. As one aged care CEO noted, “We implemented a CRM to streamline processes, but instead, staff still relied on phone calls because the system was too cumbersome.”

The result? Providers end up with a disconnected, inefficient communication system that increases manual workload, delays response times, and contributes to staff burnout.

The Case for Specialised Communication Platforms

To address these challenges, aged care providers are increasingly adopting purpose-built communication platforms that prioritise real-time, multi-party collaboration. Unlike generic CRMs, these out of the box platforms are designed for service-based environments, enabling streamlined coordination between clients, families, and care teams.

Key Advantages of Purpose-Built Solutions

  • Real-Time Interaction & Alerts: Instant messaging, push notifications, and live status dashboards ensure that updates reach the right people immediately, reducing call volume and manual intervention.
  • Designed for Care Delivery: Unlike CRMs, care communication platforms focus on service events, client needs, and live coordination, integrating seamlessly with rostering and care management systems.
  • Multi-Channel & Cohort-Friendly: Purpose-built solutions support SMS, in-app messaging, email, and voice, enabling clients and families to communicate via their preferred channels.
  • Reduced Redundancies & Errors: Automated communication flows prevent duplication, ensuring clients and teams receive consistent, timely updates.
  • Improved Client & Family Engagement: Proactive communication enhances family satisfaction, builds trust, and reduces complaint rates.

Industry Perspectives and Comparative Insights

  • Gartner (2024): “The ability to provide proactive, real-time updates is becoming a core differentiator in customer service technology. Static CRM platforms fall short in dynamic, service-driven industries.”
  • Deloitte (2023): “Organisations that continue to rely on outdated CRM communication models risk inefficiencies, higher costs, and lower service quality. Purpose-built communication platforms drive operational excellence.”
  • Forbes Tech Council: “Most organisations still rely on manual, fragmented communication. Future-ready businesses are investing in integrated, automated platforms that reduce administrative burden.”
  • Aged Care Leaders: An Australian home care provider noted, “Implementing a dedicated communication platform reduced communication efforts by 45% and freed up our care coordinators to focus on quality outcomes, not admin.”

Conclusion

Aged care is built on relationships, trust, and compassionate service—yet inefficient communication is a barrier to delivering high-quality care. Single view of customer platforms such as CRM’s that are useful for client records and sales pipelines, are noted as increasingly less fit for real-time operational communication.

Many leaders are now prioritising communication efficiency is now a strategic necessity focusing on purpose-built communication platforms that enable instant, proactive, and scalable interactions. The result? Better efficiency, increased speed to value, decreased implementation and operational costs, improved staff productivity, and higher client satisfaction.