CUSTOMER STORY
How BrightStar Care Tinley Park Uses HCP Experience Management to Retain 85% of Caregivers For Their First Six Months
About BrightStar Care Tinley Park:
BrightStar Care of Tinley Park believes that caring is more than just a job– it’s a way of life. That’s why their home health aides mean so much more to the people, families, and organizations they serve. BrightStar Care nurses, therapists, CNAs, and home health aides deliver professional and compassionate care in the comfort and familiarity of home.
Amid a caregiver crisis, Brightstar Care – Tinley Park owner Gary Ratkiewicz has focused on creating a company culture that keeps retention rates high above the industry average.
Gary is so focused on staying attuned to the needs of his caregivers that he’s implemented HCP Experience Management into his daily management routine.
“Every single day when I come into the office, I get my first cup of coffee, sit down in front of my computer, and log in to Home Care Pulse,” he says.
His agency retains more than 85% of caregivers through their first six months, and they’ve done this by creating the right overall experience and culture. Home Care Pulse surveys and experience management tools play a key role in creating this culture and experience.
Gary uses the surveys to impact 6-month retention in three particular ways: real-time recognition, 90-day check-ins, and getting an unbiased view of their work culture so he knows where it can improve.
Using Feedback for Real-Time Recognition
Being able to stay up-to-date on what his caregivers and clients are saying allows Gary to quickly tackle problems and provide real-time recognition to his caregivers – something that heavily influences their retention rate.
“If somebody’s name shows up in a survey, we’re going to recognize them at that point in time. Even if you just pick up the phone and say thank you, they’re going to feel appreciated and they’re going to turn around and provide a great level of care to our clients.”
The real-time recognition model they’ve developed is one of the main things Gary leads with when it comes to recruitment and retention. They know that recognizing their caregivers not only creates a strong retention piece but ultimately creates better care for their clients.
“It’s up to our caregivers to deliver a great experience every single day – that’s why we’re really focused on helping them and doing what we can to make their experience a good one with us.”
“It’s up to our caregivers to deliver a great experience every single day – that’s why we’re really focused on helping them and doing what we can to make their experience a good one with us.”
Gary Ratkiewicz, Owner - BrightStar Care Tinley ParkChecking in on Caregivers Early
The surveys are also useful for 90-day check-ins with their caregivers. Home Care Pulse gathers both scores and qualitative feedback from caregivers, which Gary and his team use to keep a tight pulse on how things are going.
“If we see a new caregiver and their first three months haven’t been a good thing, or they’re not making as positive comments as we would want to see. I pick up the phone and say ‘I just read your Home Care Pulse survey, you didn’t necessarily say anything bad about us, but you really didn’t say anything good either. Tell me what’s going on.’ and I’ll get some really interesting feedback from people.”
Unbiased Feedback
The unbiased feedback received through surveys allows Gary to quickly spot and resolve issues and know where to improve.
“Looking at what people are saying in a survey gives you really good insights into what their satisfaction level is and if they’re not happy I’m going to try and do something about it,” Gary says.
Caregivers ultimately feel more comfortable giving unbiased feedback to a third party, which allows Home Care Pulse to gather more insights than regular feedback received in-house. According to Gary having this kind of feedback is critical.
“If you want to know what your clients and caregivers think, and ultimately want to make your business better – listen to the surveys. Read them, ask questions, and take action based upon the trends you see.”
