AAA November-December 2021 Cover Story

NOV- DEC 21

australianageingagenda.com.au

Solutions with a difference

– e-Tools Software partners with you

AN ADVERTISING

FEATURE

SPONSORED FEATURE

Solutions with a difference

With 60 years of collective experience working and consulting in the aged care sector, e-Tools Software puts strong client partnerships and industry knowledge-sharing at the forefront of its service.

A

ged care software vendor e-Tools Software has a firm focus on partnering with clients to provide them the essential support they need to maintain compliance and financial viability.

The organisation offers user-friendly, applicationbased management solutions developed specifically for the David Powis aged care sector. Its software applications are used by 1,200 aged care homes and over 200 home care organisations nationally.

The solutions are creative, progressive, dynamic and tailored for the industry, says David Powis, Managing Director of e-Tools Software.

“That is because we have a very good working knowledge of the industry. We work from the provider’s perspective. In other words, because we have been hands on providers and consultants, we understand the user’s viewpoint. We have been there ourselves,” Powis tells Australian Ageing Agenda.

Powis founded the organisation 17 years ago in response to gaps in information technology 22 | NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2021

Mark Kong

Jenny Burley

Abdul Waheed

support he identified over decades of consulting to the aged care sector.

“I became aware that there was a deficit in the IT support available to providers to help meet department compliance and reporting requirements, particularly in residential care, which had become increasingly more complex at that time,” Powis says.

“As a result of my direct experience as a provider and consultant, I decided to start an IT business to help deal with the specific, complex needs of the industry.”

He says the objective was, and remains, to develop an affordable, user-friendly and task

SPONSORED FEATURE specific solution for aged care to meet providers’ compliance and financial viability needs.

A key approach since its inception has been to foster close relationships with clients.

“Above all, we partner with our clients, we don’t simply sell software. We don’t see software as the end result, we see it is an aid to achieve better outcomes.

The real benefit is our ongoing support to clients, understanding their needs and delivering on those needs. This has continued for the entire period of e-Tools’ existence, and will continue,” Powis says.

In addition to technology, e-Tools Software has specialist accounting and management consulting skills that it offers to aged care providers. Powis points to the senior management team’s collective 60 years of experience working in aged care with providers.

Jenny Burley, e-Tools Software’s National Sales Manager, says they offer a close relationship to assist clients with functional problems, including business strategy and direction.

“It is about clients feeling and knowing that they can just ring us at any time. Clients often ring for advice on operational or compliance matters as well as other areas, such as new ventures,” Burley tells AAA. “If they’re looking at going into another part of the aged care sector for example, they’ll often send through their application for us to provide comment or input, which I don’t believe a lot of other software vendors do.”

Powis adds: “We seriously are committed to our clients being successful in their business.”

Nimble and responsive The software has been developed in a modularbased form that “bolts together” to share data if required, to deliver specific administrative, financial and broader management outcomes.

This approach enables quick updates and helps providers remain compliant, says Mark Kong, CEO of e-Tools Software.

“We adopted a ‘one app one task’ software development philosophy, creating packages that users find relevant to their daily tasks and are easy to navigate because they only see screens and functions appropriate to their immediate job function and role,” Kong tells AAA. “e-Tools Software applications are small, discrete and target a specific function.”

This means providers can purchase the specific software they need and not have to install a complex, expensive solution, Kong says.

“That, I think, sets us apart from other software vendors in the market,” he says.

Powis says the decision to modularise “makes us a nimble, responsive provider of software in the sense that we can react very quickly to government requirements and other changes.”

It also means the software is easy for providers to implement and train staff to use, he says.

“There’s a considerable cost saving from our client’s viewpoint in staff training and having an understanding of the software due to its discrete, specific nature. Staff only need to learn the application relevant to their role. From a training and maintenance of knowledge view, that’s a lot easier for our clients to come to grips with,” Powis says.

To support financial viability, e-Tools Software also has built-in tools that highlight the areas where providers are in financial “jeopardy” or where they

“It is refreshing that e-Tools is always receptive of our ideas for potential product enhancements. The continued support we receive from the e-Tools team and their readiness to provide assistance has embedded the e-Tools Software programmes into Moyne Health Services.”

Kevan McNamara, Moyne Health Services "NeRA ensures we are able to produce Residential Agreements in a time-effective and accurate manner, always having current fees and charges available. We are thankful to e-Tools for creating easy-to-use applications and always being available for queries our staff may come across, big or small."

Myriam Freer, Pennwood Aged Care Services

can maximise financial returns through operating more effectively and efficiently, Powis says.

“The secret to the whole process is assisting our clients understand how they operate within the environment they find themselves in, and our software does that,” he says.

Looking ahead

“e-Tools Software applications are small, discrete and target a specific function.

This means providers can purchase the specific software they need and not have to install a complex, expensive solution”

In response to changing technology, e-Tools Software is transitioning its applications to full cloud and taking the opportunity to respond to client feedback. This includes its flagship solution, the National e-Tools Resident Agreement (NeRA) application, launched in 2006 to help providers navigate the complex aged care resident agreement process.

“We’re now moving our flagship solution, NeRA, over to the full SaaS [Software as a Service] cloud platform. That will be launched in early 2022. It’s quite exciting and hopefully will ensure longevity of the product for another decade or more,” Kong says.

Abdul Waheed, e-Tools Software Development Manager and Technical Lead, says moving to the cloud is an example of how the company is keeping up with industry changes.

“We are trying to keep our products contemporary and whatever assists our clients, we try to accommodate. Many clients are trying to get rid of their locally-hosted server. We are coming up with all possible solutions to help them,” Waheed tells AAA. This is the first of many, as e-Tools Software is planning to migrate its other solutions to the cloud by the end of 2022.

Powis says e-Tools Software is also keeping up with industry changes through its commitment to ISO 27001, which is the international standard for information security. The work required to achieve that is also due for completion early in the new year.

What’s next?

Powis says e-Tools Software is planning to launch new applications in 2022 to add to its existing software packages.

“We will also be offering start-up businesses and smaller providers a lower pricing option to support them during their growth phase, so they won’t be overburdened with financial pressures.

As they expand, they can move into our normal mainstream pricing arrangement,” he says. n Contact e-Tools Software T: 03 9573 3277 E: enquiry@e-tools.com.au W: e-tools.com.au

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