THE LIFT | March 2020

MARCH 2020 //

Inspiring Senior Lifestyle Marketing & Sales Teams to New Heights

IN THIS ISSUE: Invoca: A simple best practice improves call performance

BHU: Sending brains to this university is simply brilliant

Social Media: A guide to navigating COVID-19 on Facebook

LISTEN. 1

Analyze.

Deduce.

Improve.

Review Invoca calls to ramp up performance

Brandon Wright, Associate Executive Director and Personal Care Home Administrator at Bellingham

What happens over the phone when a sales counselor engages with a prospect or lead is vital to our community’s life. And because every call matters, we review many of those calls on a regular basis so we know how we can improve each and every one.

It’s not complicated. In fact, it’s all right there in Invoca.

You just have to listen.

I can’t be there for every live call. But I can replay those calls later, and when I do, I hear how well my staff relates with the caller – what they miss and what they get right. It’s incredibly insightful and useful.

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Invoca best practice My best practice for Invoca calls review is as follows: Every other Friday, I get together with Theresa Wallace, our Director of Sales and Marketing, for a listening session. Time is of the essence, so we take about 30 – 40 minutes and limit ourselves to 5 calls from each shift during the previous week.

We hear the stories and invariably learn a little more about the people – seniors and their adult children – who are following the senior living buyer’s journey. That reminds me who we’re serving and why we’re all here.

Additionally, this time allows me to learn how our team is talking to our leads and prospects. Sometimes that means I’ll have a reason to start a discussion with a staff member, because I want to make sure our phone calls are consistently efficient and effective.

It works.

We all want to get it right when the phone rings. Having biweekly sessions with my colleague is a simple practice that ensures Bellingham team members are steadily improving on how well we answer our phone calls, hear the caller and meet their needs.

I recommend you get in the practice of reviewing Invoca calls and following up with staff about how they can improve their performance.

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Wellness starts at the top: B R A I N

H E A LT H

UNIVERSITY Jessica Daily, National Director of Resident Programs

Healthy brains for the win!

A brain-healthy lifestyle is practical, good for you, and best of all … achievable! Research shows that specific lifestyle choices and actions can improve the health and level of brain function – no matter our age. Good brain health guides us through life changes and is fundamental for healthy aging.

Pop Quiz!

Senior Lifestyle offers an award-winning turnkey Brain Health University Program as a signature component of our resident programs.

True False (Note: This is the wrong answer.)

Tell me more!

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BHU, Senior Lifestyle’s Brain Health University, provides Program Directors with a curriculum designed to be led in one of two ways: 1. Full semester, providing 30 programs within a 60-day period 2. Mini-series, which offers 18 programs within a 30-day period This curriculum is available in addition to or in place of the usual programs and activities on the community’s activity calendar. SLC Program Directors are required to lead 2 semesters (or mini-semesters) of BHU each year.

The classes demonstrate how an assortment of experiences and lifestyle choices can lead to improved brain health and more cognitive engagement. When people are presented with novelty, variety and appropriate challenge, their brains are stimulated to change and grow. Proper nutrition and physical activity contribute further.

BHU: Physical activity, nutrition, stress management, sleep, cognitive stimulation and social interaction Practicing brain health enhancement techniques in a social environment boosts the participant’s experience. Social connection is crucial to mental functioning, so rather than pursuing the exercises as isolated experiences, we learn and practice with each other in BHU’s social activities.

Residents can be awarded a BHU certificate of completion after they complete 18 of the 30 courses (or 10 of the 18 classes in the mini-session). The certificate of completion is usually presented at a graduation ceremony or community celebration.

BHU has won two industry awards: • 2011 Innovators Award from ICAA (International Council on Active Aging) • 2012 Best of the Best from ALFA (Argentum) This is a great program to share with your prospects because it highlights the benefits of engaging in programs in a community setting.

Talk to your Program Director today and find out when the next BHU semester kicks off at your community!

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Compliance Tip for March

Brittany Pape, Vice President of Compliance and Counsel

You, your community and your residents cannot accept gifts from potential referral sources, such as therapy providers or physicians, unless the gift is of nominal value.

See the Gift Policy for more information.

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Social Media & COVID-19 You can review Senior Lifestyle’s COVID-19 information at SeniorLifestyle.com, and familiarizing yourself with the organization’s position is recommended. It’s also wise not to share outside information, articles and perspectives in your social media posts.

Following these guidelines ensures your social media posts make their way to Facebook quickly.

WHAT TO AVOID. • Extreme words, e.g., “lockdown,” “seclusion,” “alone,” “desperate times” • The term “social distancing” • “COVID-19” – if you need to mention it, refer to it as “current situation” and reaffirm resident and staff well-being • Humor that makes light of the pandemic • Group photos • Mentioning outside people visiting your community – or events with outside visitors

WHAT TO DO. • When it’s true, affirm that all are doing well • Show pictures of people and staff having a good time • Show pictures of activities • Make it clear how to contact the community for family-resident video calls

FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY’S SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, PLEASE CONTACT GRAPEVINE.

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Follow these recommendations for posting behavior to maximize your Facebook engagement rates.

D AY O F W E E K Aim for posting or submitting to be posted on Tuesdays and Fridays.

T I M E O F D AY Post in the hours of 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m.,

Social Media: A simple guide to better posts

noon or 8 p.m.

VISUALS Include multiple photos, if possible.

WORDS Less is more, so try to keep it to 10 words or fewer in post copy.

Overall post engagement rates for February were 21.6%.

In fact, 39 communities had rates equal to or higher than 21.6%. Of those communities with 30% or higher engagement rates, all had 30 posts or fewer during the month. Once again, posting once per day is plenty good enough for a high engagement rate.

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Here are those communities with

30+% engagement: • Barrington of Oakley • Brookstone Estates of Robinson • Carriage Court of Kenwood • Carriage Court of Lancaster

SPECIAL NOTICE:

• Chestnut House • Granville Villa • Morningside House of Friendship • Valley View Gardens • Walden Place • Weatherwood

All Facebook events and Facebook posts supporting events in March have been deleted or canceled, due to COVID-19.

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303 East Wacker Drive, Suite 2400 Chicago, IL 60601 www.SeniorLifestyle.com 10