I think most folks working in the senior living industry would agree that a senior community’s biggest investments are its residents and employees.  After all, it wouldn’t be a business if there were no customers to bring in revenue and no employees to serve customers.  As the director of a senior community, you may believe you have a good gauge of how residents and employees feel about living and working in your community.

After all, they would just tell you if they were dissatisfied, right?  More often than not, this assumption is incorrect and allows problems to brew and escalate, resulting in resident and employee turnover that could have been prevented.

A FEW JAW DROPPING STATISTICS ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND RETENTION

  • 96% of unhappy customers don’t complain, however 91% of those will simply leave and never come back. – 1st Financial Training Services

  • For every customer complaint, there are 26 other unhappy customers who have remained silent. – Lee Resource Inc.

  • It takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience. – Ruby Newell-Legner author of Understanding Customers

  • It costs 6 to 7 times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one. – Bain & Company

Employee research says there are things employees want their boss to know, won’t say to their face, but contribute to dissatisfaction and turnover.  Lee Colan, author of best-selling Engaging The Hearts And Minds Of All Your Employees says there are SIX THINGS YOUR EMPLOYEES WANT YOU TO KNOW BUT WON’T NECESSARILY TELL YOU:

  1. I want to achieve. I cannot read your mind, so communicate clear and achievable goals so I can succeed. Do not be a barrier to getting things done by being a decision-making bottleneck. After all, I am getting them done for you.
  2. I want to master my work, so coach me often to help me get closer to doing so. I will take the good feedback with the bad, but I need all of it to improve.
  3. I need autonomy to do my work the best way I know how, so give me some space. I know you have done my job before, but let me use your experience and my fresh perspective to create even better ways to get things done.
  4. I need a sense of purpose. I want to work for a compelling cause, so help me see the connection between my daily work and how it makes a difference.
  5. I need to feel connected. I want our team to be special, and special teams start with special relationships. I don’t really care how much you know until I know how much you care.
  6. I crave appreciation. I do more for those who appreciate me, so pour it on! I know I make plenty of mistakes and we discuss those, but also try to catch me doing something right and let me know.

The best way to learn what your customers and employees really think is to provide an anonymous outlet for sharing honest feedback and ideas for improvement.  This is why many senior living companies conduct annual resident and employee surveys.

IF YOU PLAN ON CONDUCTING SURVEYS THIS YEAR, GET THE MOST VALUE FOR YOUR TIME AND EFFORT BY USING SURVEYS THAT:

  • Ask questions that are actionable (you should be able visualize the service or people being evaluated)
  • Uncover major themes behind what customers and employees say about your community so you can directly address top concerns.
  • Yield results that prioritize improvement opportunities according to their potential impact on customer/employee satisfaction and retention

HAVE YOU CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD LATELY?