Category: Data

Over the past two decades, the senior living industry has witnessed remarkable changes driven by technology and data. From improving operations to enhancing resident care, these advancements have transformed the way we serve aging populations. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) presents an even greater opportunity to reshape the future of aging services. 

AI isn’t just another technological trend; it is a transformative force that has the potential to improve every aspect of retirement living—from resident experience and wellness to sales, marketing, and operations. But achieving this transformation requires a clear, strategic approach. 

Varsity and the data scientists at Pavone Group’s data and analytics firm, WildFig, have watched this digital transformation unfold and have tracked the rise of AI over the past few years. Together, we’ve partnered with clients to embrace this innovation, helping them leverage AI to enhance decision-making and drive operational efficiency. 

Here’s a closer look at how the process we use to make that happen:  

THE AI ROADMAP: A PROVEN PROCESS FOR TRANSFORMATION 

Before an organization or community can truly embrace AI, we first need to develop a roadmap that aligns with their mission and strategic goals.  

1. ENGAGE LEADERSHIP THROUGH INTERVIEWS – We start by sitting down with your executive team to uncover key challenges, opportunities, and goals. AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution; understanding your organization’s unique needs ensures that AI initiatives are both practical and impactful.
2. MAP WORK PROCESSES – Using the insights from leadership, we map out workflows across departments. By identifying inefficiencies and opportunities for automation or enhancement, we lay the groundwork for targeted AI applications.
3. IDENTIFY PILOT PROJECTS – Pilots are critical for demonstrating quick wins and building organizational buy-in. Whether it’s optimizing sales pipelines, improving operational efficiency, or personalizing resident engagement, we help you select and implement high-impact pilot projects.
4. GUIDE STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION – With the success of pilot projects, we support your organization in scaling AI initiatives across departments. The result? A cohesive, AI-enabled operation that enhances resident satisfaction, improves employee productivity, and drives overall organizational success. 

WHY NOW? 

AI is no longer a future concept—it is already transforming industries worldwide. For senior living, the stakes are high. Aging populations are growing, expectations for personalized services are increasing, and competition is fiercer than ever. Organizations that embrace AI now will be positioned as leaders, delivering unmatched resident experiences while optimizing their operations for long-term success. 

TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARD AI TRANSFORMATION 

Embracing AI is a continuous evolution that calls for thoughtful planning, clear priorities, and a commitment to change. With the right guidance and strategies, your organization can unlock its full potential, transforming the way you serve and support your community.

Got questions about AI and how your community can embrace it? Contact Varsity President Derek Dunham at ddunham@varsitybranding.com. 

Senior living communities typically collect hundreds of data points on each prospect throughout the sales process. This data is used by sales counselors to inform their strategy and interactions with the prospect. Once the sales process is complete, all of this valuable data sits unused in the customer relationship management system (CRM), benefitting nobody.

Alternatively, you can use your historical data to uncover new insights and guide sales strategies. Rather than relying on anecdotal evidence and gut feelings, your own data can give you a clear picture of which factors really matter in the sales process. A few examples of the questions you can answer are:

• How many phone calls does it take, on average, for a prospect to convert?
• Which market sources have the highest conversion rate?
• How many days does it typically take to go from initial inquiry to deposit?
• How frequently should we reach out to a prospect if we haven’t heard from him or her?
• What is the relative value of each interaction? (For example, are calls more impactful than emails?)

Solutions

At WildFig, we work with our senior living partners to develop data-driven prospect scoring solutions to help answer these questions. In simple terms, all of this data is passed through a statistical model that weighs things such as the interactions with a prospect, their market source, their demographic information, and whether or not they become a resident. This outputs an effective, unbiased picture of how important each of the factors is in securing a conversion. Each version is a custom to each organization, so the insights are unique and tailored to each community.

Looking Ahead

Once you begin using data to get a clear look at past performance, the next step is to incorporate the findings into your sales process and impact future behavior. For example, if phone calls tend to have a high impact for your community, it may be smart to take the time to reach out and initiate that conversation rather than sending a text message or email. Further, if you find that getting a prospect to visit your campus makes them 8x more likely to choose your community, it would be prudent to evolve your sales process to encourage campus visits early and often. As behaviors change, the data will also change, which will in turn will require behaviors to change again! This continuous cycle of analyzing and adapting to what the data shows is how organizations can stay ahead of the curve. While this may sound daunting from a management perspective, the model will continuously update as new information comes in, and will show you what is most important.

For more information on the benefits of a data-driven prospect scoring solution and how to put your own data to use, please contact Dr. Kevin Purcell, Chief Data Scientist of WildFig, at kpurcell@wildfigdata.com.

At our weekly sales & marketing roundtable, we all shared creative tactics we’re using to attract prospects as COVID-19 rates spike in some areas. We’d especially like to thank Lana Peck, senior principal at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) for sharing the latest insights from executive surveys completed since the pandemic hit.

Check out the insights and survey results below. We also invite you to our next roundtable this week.

NIC Executive Survey Insights with Lana Peck

The full report is on the NIC website. Wave 14 findings can be found here.

We had 70 organizations respond to wave 14:

• Not the same 70 for every wave, but 60–70% are repeat takers, so there is some continuity.
• Geographical dispersion of respondents:
  • There’s a slight underrepresentation in the Northeast compared to national coverage of the NIC map.
  • For the most part, participants are coming from all over the country.
• We’re promoting this more strongly with operators, as we’re getting some national media exposure.
  • It is important for operators to know that, by participating in the survey, they have the opportunity to ensure that the narrative is accurate.

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• We went from ⅓ in wave 10 (early August) to just under ⅔ in the most recent wave — a lot more organizations are offering rent concessions.
• 90% of organizations are paying overtime to mitigate staffing issues.
• Staffing/temp agency usage has grown throughout the pandemic.
• About ⅔ of organizations that have IL in portfolio are offering rent concessions.
• Organizations with nursing care are less likely to offer rent concessions.
• Discussion from the group:
  • We are giving concessions on entrance fees and support on moving services.
  • We are offering $3,000 toward moving expenses and incentives to get people to move more quickly.

• Organizations reporting no change in pace have been growing. It’s the highest it’s been in wave 14.
• Deceleration of move-ins is lower in IL, AL and MC in wave 14.
• Most respondents are citing increased resident demand (increase in move-ins).
• Fewer organizations with nursing care beds in wave 14 reported acceleration in the pace of move-ins, with the fewest respondents citing hospital placement since wave 7 surveyed mid-May — presumably due to anecdotal reports of hospitals sending patients straight home to recuperate from surgeries or illnesses with in-home health care.
• A quarter of organizations have a backlog of residents waiting to move in.

• Organizations may be providing incentives. The month-over-month change in occupancy has been starting to rise.
• About ¼ of the organizations that have IL in their portfolio; ⅓ of those with AL; ½ of those with MC; and about ½ with nursing care are seeing an upward change in occupancy rates in the past 30 days.
• Fewer folks that have IL are seeing a decrease in occupancy.
• 48% in nursing care are seeing increases, and 37% are seeing decreases.

Please join our next roundtable discussion on Thursday, November 5, at noon ET.

For login information, please contact DDunham@VarsityBranding.com.

At our weekly sales and marketing roundtable, aging services expert Scott Townsley, principal of Trilogy Consulting, LLC, joined us to discuss consumer research and other insights related to the pandemic.

Check out the takeaways below. Please also join us for our next roundtable, coming this week.

Highlights from presentation on consumer research by Scott Townsley, Principal, Trilogy Consulting, LLC:

Opportunities are already emerging amid COVID-19—this will change who we are as a field and will change the product. Here are some resources that can be helpful as you deal with this situation.

The End of Competitive Advantage and Seeing Around Corners, two excellent books by Rita Gunther McGrath

• “Inflection point” is a key concept she discusses, which she describes as jerking the steering wheel while driving
• Unfortunately, by the time you recognize an inflection point, it can be too late; for example, discovering that occupancy has dropped from 96% to 80%, and it’s not going back up
• My observation is that skilled nursing is at an inflection point—it was already changing, but the coronavirus has pushed it to this point—and that a portion of it will be forever changed
• Life Plan Communities aren’t at an inflection point yet, but we need to have our eyes wide open

Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing, by Jamie Holmes

• “While uncertainties can be painful, they are also, by definition, eras of change. They’re destabilizing because they’re a threat to the status quo, which is also precisely why they represent an opportunity for innovative and cultural rebirth.”
• The risk is that we seek information or anecdotes that hint we’re returning to the “way things were” sooner rather than later—rather than seeking actual data
• We can’t look to the past (even January 2020) for clues about the future, because we’re probably going to be wrong; I refer to it as the “perilous backslide to the status quo,” in which we will innately make decisions thinking things will get back to “normal”
• Virtual tours are a great example of how we’ve adapted
• When I first saw a billboard for telemedicine, years ago, I thought, “Who’s going to want telemedicine?” But without it, many people (particularly in skilled nursing) wouldn’t have been able to see their physicians; we went from talking about it to it being a key part of life

Consumer Behavior Survey

We just completed a 1,000-person survey of four market areas in Pennsylvania (southeastern, south-central, west-central and northeast), one in Maryland and one in Delaware.

Too often, we’re talking in anecdotes, but we need to use data that tracks consumer behavior. This is especially risky when talking about the coronavirus.

• Background on the study
  • Participants are 60 to 80 years old; all income groups
  • Conducted last week in July/first week in August
  • Asked approximately 50 questions
  • All telephone conversations (landline and mobile)
  • Allowed us to reach the “essential non-customers”
  • With people at home, it was easier to reach them; they’re still answering their phones
  • Completed 1,000 surveys in five days
• What’s key is that this survey has statistical validity—it provides insight into the thinking of consumers rather than anecdotes

Early on, it was clear that we (as an industry) knew neither the questions to ask nor the answers. Today, there’s more clarity about the former (the questions that we, as an industry, should be asking) and an ability to obtain the answers. Hence this survey.

We asked the question, “How concerned are you about coronavirus in your area?” Seventy-eight percent are very or somewhat concerned about the coronavirus in their area. For those whose adult children are involved in making decisions about retirement living options, that number increases to 87 percent.

It’s also notable that, in this and prior surveys:

• The percentage of people who are concerned about future long-term care needs is typically low
• The percentage of people who are concerned about their ability to afford their retirement is also low
• The percentage of people who are concerned about dementia or Alzheimer’s, for themselves and those they love, is incrementally higher than the other two—but still a fraction of those concerned about the coronavirus

We then assessed the impact of COVID-19 on Senior Living Community (SLC) interest later in the study:

• By and large, every cross-tab is very or less interested due to the coronavirus
  • With respect to SLC interest, there are as many people who are less interested as there are who are more interested—due to the coronavirus
  • Interestingly, people who identify as evangelicals are 17% less interested in senior living communities than the average (due to the coronavirus)
  • There’s still a core of people who remain interested, which may be proving the naysayers wrong, but: (a) it’s too soon to know for sure, and (b) the coronavirus has significantly reduced interest in senior living “congregate”-type options
    • The field could be in jeopardy if the virus stays around
    • The virus has, conversely, also made some people more interested
  • Note: This study won’t be valid six months or a year from now—everything is changing so quickly
  • It’s critical to talk to people who are “the essential non-customers”—those who are living outside the senior living world (and who aren’t on your lists)—to understand who is motivated and why
    • Ask how they feel about congregate living on their overall health and well-being
    • In unprecedented times, we need to rely on information that’s current
  • I was wrong about the recession in 2008–2010—I thought the loss of value in portfolios would have a searing effect on people’s decisions about senior living, much in the way the depression impacted how people spent money
    • This didn’t happen, and the for-profit sector took advantage of that
    • The not-for-profit sector did not jump on it
  • It’s possible that, six months from now, if there’s an effective vaccine, the consumer could forget about this—but it’s also possible that it will stay with them for a long time, perhaps forever
  • It’s important to note that concerns about the coronavirus did not increase the interest in a stay-at-home program (though the percentage of people “very interested” in a stay-at-home program is twice what it is for a senior living community)
  • HJ Sims is soon coming out with a national study that will be fascinating to review; it, hopefully, will include all regions of the country, not just those heavily impacted by COVID-19
  • The secret to success is data analytics, and WildFig (Varsity’s sister firm) is ahead of the curve
  • “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that: It’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” – Rahm Emanuel

Please join us for our next roundtable discussion on Thursday, September 17, at noon ET.

For log-in information, please contact DDunham@VarsityBranding.com.

Last week, communities swapped ideas about marketing during challenging times. Varsity partner and WildFig President John Bassounas joined our roundtable to share his thoughts on the importance of using data to drive decisions.

Check out a recap of our discussion below. Please also join us for our next roundtable coming up this week.

Recap of John Bassounas’ discussion on data and analytics:

We believe that:

• The future belongs to organizations that embrace a data-driven approach.
• A comprehensive data strategy is at the core of a winning organization.
• Analytical applications transcend disciplines and drive efficiency across the entire organization.
• First-party data, plus open-source data, has significant potential to transform strategy and drive positive outcomes.

Why be data-driven?

• Consistency
• Longevity
• Awareness
• Responsiveness
• Reason-based decisions
• Dynamic feedback

What are common obstacles to using data?

• Lack of strategy
• Poor objective mapping
• Resource limitations
• Lack of integration—data is in silos
• Poor collaboration
• Technology crisis
• Situational awareness
• Skill deficits
• Organizational culture
• No adaptive response
• Scalability issues
• Institutional bias

Analytics continuum

• Keep things simple—ask what questions need answers, and what data can help provide insight?
• It’s valuable to look at data through a descriptive lens.
• The more forward-looking the question, the more value it has for the organization.

Who is responsible for analyzing the data you collect?

• We have a web partner that does Google Analytics, and a digital marketing person on staff who pulls data. I was also a market analyst, so I do a lot of the analyzing myself, through Enquire. We’re not currently using open-source data.
• Once you collect and analyze the data, it’s important to get it to the right person, and teach them how to act on it/make it actionable.
  • Situational awareness
  • For example, we take fall data and present to a fall committee, which can make the findings actionable and integrate changes seamlessly into day-to-day behavior.
    • Fall data may inform decisions about ramps, bars for walking, needed staff, etc.
    • Frequent fallers may have decreased engagement in wellness programming, and there may be an opportunity to re-engage them.
  • Allows for proactive vs. reactive decision making
• We are in a position to predict the likelihood of a person contracting COVID-19 when they onboard to a community.

If you’re interested in seeing data and analytics examples, or tools that we use, please let us know. We would be happy to share any of the tools and walk you through the process in more detail. This is an opportunity for differentiation, growth and efficiency, and we would love to share more information. Contact John Bassounas directly, at JBassounas@VarsityBranding.com, or contact Derek Dunham at DDunham@VarsityBranding.com.

Join the next sales and marketing roundtable on July 9!

Please join our next roundtable discussion on Thursday, July 9, at noon ET.

For log-in information, contact DDunham@VarsityBranding.com.