Engage Y ur families! From the very first moment you speak to them!
Communication Guide for Initial Family Contact for
Referral Coordinators
Engage Y ur families!
Engaging Families starts with great first impressions and compelling conversations! Follow this outline when you make initial contact with a family after receiving a referral!
WE ARE
WHO
This is likely the first time this family has ever heard about Brighton. In addition to telling them who you are be sure to give them an overview of who Brighton is and the work that we do for children and families in San Antonio!
IT IS IMPORTANT
WHY
As the first point of contact, you play a critical role in making the connection of why Brighton Services are so important for their child's future! There are a few short and simple statements that you can make that can really drive home how critical it is to have an evaluation and/or take the ASQ Screener.
TO EXPECT
WHAT
Give them an overview of the process but don't get bogged down in the details as it can be overwhelming. Give them a high level overview of how their experience with Brighton might look start to finish.
WHO WE ARE
WHO WE ARE
To know Brighton is to LOVE Brighton! But you have to tell people all the wonderful things about Brighton so that they can start understanding all the great resources we can offer their child and their family! And if you can do all this with an upbeat and energetic voice, they are going to be that much more likely to want to move on to the next steps!
1. ALL ABOUT YOU
YOUR NAME YOUR TITLE WHY YOU ARE CALLING
2. ALL ABOUT BRIGHTON CENTER
Don't use Acronymns! NO ECI, EIS, PT, ST, OT!
NON-PROFIT AGENCY BEEN WORKING WITH CHILDREN IN SA FOR OVER 50 YEARS FOCUS IS ON GETTING CHILDREN THE RIGHT HELP AT THE RIGHT TIME - OUR FOCUS IS GETTING KIDS READY FOR KINDER. LARGEST NON-PROFIT PROVIDER FOR CHILDREN WITH DELAYS IN SA HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH FOR CHILDREN EARLY INTERVENTION THERAPY FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS TO THEIR 3RD BIRTHDAY NATIONALLY ACCREDITED PRESCHOOL CENTER EDUCATION ADVOCATES TO HELP PARENTS ENSURE THEIR CHILDREN GET THE RESOURCES AND SERVICES THEY NEED ONCE IN SCHOOL SO THEY CAN SUCCEED
WHAT IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE "Hi, my name is Susie Smith and I am with Brighton Center and am a Referral Coordinator. The reason I am calling today is because we have received a referral for Johnnie from Dr. Smith to complete a developmental evaluation to see how we might be able to support Johnnie. Dr. Smith mentioned on the referral form that Johnnie might have a delay as a part of his Diagnosis. Were you aware that Dr. Smith was going to be making a referral for Johnnie? I want to give you a little of background about Brighton. We are a non-profit organization that specializes in early childhood development and our mission is to provide resources and services to children and families to in Bexar County. Brighton provides pediatric therapy, operates two nationally accredited preschools and even has a special education advocacy team. We serve over 3,000 kids in the San Antonio area every year!"
TOOK 40 SECONDS!
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT People make time for what is important to them. Make their child's development important by expressing the severity of them NOT getting services NOW! Tell them what the result might be if they overlook this opportunity to get their child evaluated and enrolled.
1. THE RIGHT HELP AT THE RIGHT TIME
90% OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT HAPPENS BEFORE THE AGE OF 5 EARLY INTERVENTION BEFORE THE AGE OF 3 COULD BE THE KEY IN ENSURING YOUR CHILD IS ON SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY ON TRACK CHILDREN WHO ENTER KINDERGARTEN DEVELOPMENTALLY, SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY ON TRACK ARE 4X MORE LIKELY TO BE SUCCESSFUL AFTER HIGH SCHOOL (EMPLOYMENT, COLLEGE, ETC.)
Make it personal and relevant! When talking about the "why" use the child's name, their particular delay, anything you can to make the "WHY it is important" really resonate with them!
WHAT IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE "Making sure your child is ready for Kindergarten is so important. While it might feel like that is a long time away, it will be here before you know it and it is so important that your child is on track before he enters school. With 90% of brain development happening before the age of 5, our Brighton therapy and intervention team can make a lot of progress with whatever developmental delay your child is struggling with. If we can get your kiddo on track before the age of 5, research shows that he/she will actually be 4x more likely to be successful after high school whether that means college, vocational school or just gainful employment. What we do NOW really can and will impact their future."
ONLY TOOK 30 SECONDS!
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT
Most people have never heard of Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) or therapy services so in addition to describing what Brighton does and why it is important, it is critical that you tell them what to expect as well! Don't get bogged down in the details but give them a comfort level on what they can expect with this whole process.
1. THE PROCESS
EVALUATION CREATE A INDIVIDUALIZED PLAN BASED ON YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR CHILD BASED ON THAT PLAN WE WILL DETERMINE WHAT EXPERTS YOU WILL SEE AND HOW OFTEN YOU WILL SEE THEM WE GO TO WHERE YOUR CHILD IS NORMALLY AT DURING THE DAY WE INVOLVE THE PRIMARY CARE GIVER WITH OUR SESSION. HAVING THE PERSON(S) WHO ARE WITH YOUR CHILD THE MOST BE INVOLVED WITH THEIR THERAPY AND OVERALL DEVELOPMENT IS KEY.
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WHAT IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE "The next steps is for us to schedule an evaluation with your child. One of our Early Intervention Specialists, along with a therapist, will come to your home, or the location of your choice and will do some activities that will help us understand where your child's development is currently at. Based on that evaluation, they will determine what services your child could benefit from by becoming enrolled with Brighton. We will ask you what your goals are for your child and will create a plan that will be a combination of visits with your Early Intervention Specialist and therapist(s). They may come weekly, every other week or just monthly depending on the needs of your child. They will work with you and involve you in every step of this process as you will be critical in working with your Brighton team to help your child. This evaluation is at no cost to you and will tell us what services and the frequency of services that your child might benefit from. The evaluation will only take about 1 hour. Can we go ahead and get that scheduled? You will be receiving information via email about what you can expect at that appointment so please be on the lookout for that email to come across. Do you have any other questions that I can help answer at this point? Great, well please be on the lookout for an appointment email from Brighton. Thank you and don’t hesitate to call me at (210) 826-4492 with any additional questions. " ONLY TOOK 30 SECONDS!
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL CALLS
TIPS TO BEING SUCCESSFULL ON THE PHONE 1. BE CONFIDENT
You’ve probably heard it many times, confidence is key – and this applies to practically everything. Try to sound confident and relaxed!
2. ANALYZE YOURSELF
Just like anything else, great phone skills takes practice, and you will get better as you deal with hundreds of different people and experiences. These experiences are an excellent source of information as they help you improve your skills and provide better service. Especially if you have all these conversations recorded and stored securely for reproduction. One of the most effective tips is to use these recordings to analyze your skills and identify weaknesses – you never know how good or bad you’re performing until you see yourself from an outside perspective.
3. REMEMBER IT'S OKAY TO NOT KNOW SOMETHING
It can be scary when you don't know the answer to something but it is OK to encounter a problem or a question that you don't know how to respond to or answer. Try to be resolutive, but don’t panic if something is out of your control – instead, let the family know that you will try to find the answer and you will call them back, or have someon else call them back as soon as possible.
4. HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
It can be scary when you don't know the answer to something but it is OK to encounter a problem or a question that you don't know how to respond to or answer. Try to be resolutive, but don’t panic if something is out of your control – instead, let the family know that you will try to find the answer and you will call them back, or have someon else call them back as soon as possible.
5. ADDRESS YOUR CALLER BY THEIR NAME
Addressing your caller by their name is a great way to provide better experience and make them feel understood. To do it properly, listen to your caller as they will let you know how they like to be addressed. For example, if the caller presents herself as “This is Jane Smith”, you can either politely ask her “May I call you Jane?”, or directly call her Ms. Smith.