Charter Senior Living

In this interview, Senior Housing News sits down with Jayne Sallerson, President & COO of Charter Senior Living, to talk about the importance of resident safety and security, and why it is a critical talking point among resident families as they vet prospective communities for their loved ones. She also discusses the impact of Google reviews in the senior living space and lays out the steps her organization has taken to supercharge this initiative using the Accushield solution.

Senior Housing News: What career experiences do you most draw from in your role today?

Jayne Sallerson: Two things: listening and humility.

More recently, I’ve put a lot of emphasis on listening closely to the staff and associates, and asking a lot of questions to understand their needs and concerns. I don’t think I did that as well in the past, so now, I really try to listen.

Humility, on the other hand, means checking your ego at the door. Just because we did something a certain way for 20 years doesn’t mean it’s the right way. It’s important to be open to new ideas in the senior living space, and I try to implement that mindset every day in my current role.

How has the advancement and digitization of front desk processes affected visitors’ initial impressions and overall experiences in senior living communities?

Technological advancements in senior living, especially at the front desk, have helped create a greater sense of security for the families and prospects walking through our doors. We have taken it to the next level, asking everyone to sign in and wear a badge. This process gives us the ability to track who’s entering and leaving our buildings while simultaneously screening them for safety.

Additionally, we can use advanced front desk technology to track families that owe us money but ignore our calls and avoid administrative staff. Usually, these individuals come in at night when they know there’s no one there — or they sneak in during the day. Now, our communities can set alerts when they come in so we can address the situation appropriately and better manage outstanding accounts.

Many communities have indicated that providing visitors with name badges helps residents remember names and serves as a visitor verification resource at the front desk. How do you think this practice has impacted safety and security?

I’m a big proponent of requiring name badges because it gives communities confidence that each visitor has been screened and cleared to be in the building. It also reassures families that everyone in their loved one’s environment is accounted for. When I don’t see badges, I know the community is not following the safety and security protocols that they should be following, so it helps identify opportunities for improvement as well.

In what ways does a strong reputation through positive Google reviews help integrate newly acquired communities into the Charter family?

The Google Reviews (Reputation Accelerator) program is incredible! It has made a tremendous impact on our existing communities to drive positive reviews and get our search results higher. I always used to worry that we’d see a spike in negative Google reviews if we increased the volume, but 95% of the Google reviews we received through this program were positive.

With new communities especially, getting a taste of what people are thinking is essential as most of the communities we take over have very few Google reviews, and the reviews they do have usually need to be updated. We took over six new buildings on February 1st, and they were all using Accushield for visitor management but a different platform to manage their Google reputation. This presented a significant opportunity to get a gut check on where the community stands in the public’s impression, and to take full advantage of Accushield’s Reputation Accelerator to address that perception as needed.

How has real-time visitor feedback impacted the relationship between community teams and families while enabling them to improve resident care?

We don’t get a ton of negative feedback. It’s a small percentage. But when we do, we know it’s a pretty angry person. Accushield gives us the ability to get in front of negative experiences and take the necessary steps to address each inquiry. Regardless of the scenario, we can respond in real time and address customer inquiries immediately instead of waiting six months to get back to them. It offers our teams instantaneous feedback to stay proactive and keep a finger on the pulse of stakeholder sentiment at all times.

You’ve been working with Accushield for a long time now. How have you seen the company evolve over the years, and how has this evolution impacted the senior living industry?

Accushield has been incredible throughout the last three years, and they stepped up to the plate to help us implement the systems we needed to do what we had to do. Currently, we’re launching their new Flex scheduling program to help schedule staff more efficiently and effectively, which is a significant pain point for most of our communities.

With Flex, staff can instantly punch in and out at the Accushield kiosk, and we’ve started weaning off of our other clocks because Flex integrates with our existing time clock and payroll systems, which is excellent. It’s all in real-time, and it is intuitive and simple for employees to use.

In a couple of words, finish this sentence: “In 2024, the senior living industry will be defined by…”

…operators with more technological advancements and AI.

Editor’s note: This article has been edited for length and clarity.

To learn more about how Accushield can help your community, visit Accushield.com.