Customer experience innovation in aged care

Our increasingly customer-driven world means great customer experience is a more powerful differentiator than ever before. Technology is leading changes in customer expectations and, with 86% of buyers willing to pay more for a great customer experience, businesses are competing to provide better service.

For aged care businesses, perfecting the customer experience can do wonders, and ignoring or failing at customer experience can come at great risk.

How can you improve customer experience in your business?

A customer-centric strategy calls for creative ideas. Customer experience (also known as CX) innovation is a design-thinking method to help you radically improve how you serve your customers.

For aged care, it means improving care recipient’s, and their family’s, customer experience to the point where every interaction is natural, streamlined and value-driven.

Map out the customer journey

It’s important to incrementally introduce and take your customers on a journey. A starting point for customer experience innovation is mapping out the customer journey. Take time to explore the following:

• articulate buyer personas
• understand buyers’ goals
• identify customer pain points
• focus on fixing roadblocks
• take the customer journey yourself
• continually update and improve

Working through these steps will give you a comprehensive understanding of your customers’ journey. Only now can you properly address any inefficiencies or confusion to strengthen your overall customer experience.

The Lean Startup methodology uses a ‘build-measure-learn’ cycle with hypothesis-testing to determine if a proposed business model, such as CX innovation, is viable. Build-measure-learn cycles are one design approach to help test then launch CX initiatives.

Create and execute strategies based on customer feedback

Customer feedback is the number one driver of successful customer experience strategies. Improving transparency can greatly enhance a customer’s experience. Eliminating confusion, or opportunities for confusion, will ease a major pain point for your consumers and potential consumers. Taking surveys and talking to customers will help you understand your impact, as well as give you a chance to engage with your customer network. This can be done at almost all stages of the aged care cycle: from choosing a provider, to receiving care, to communication with families.

Customer experience innovation done well will give you a long-lasting market edge with a loyal customer base. In an industry so focused on quality, building and sustaining excellent customer experience is essential.

How can I develop innovation in customer experience?

Australians with an innovative idea, start-up or project in customer experience are encouraged to apply for CareFactor – Australia’s first aged care incubator program. CareFactor will find, fund and incubate up to 15 ambitious projects or start-ups in the aged care sector, giving them the skills, connections and opportunities they need to fast-track commercial success. Through CareFactor, participants will be given the tools and methodologies to innovate, develop and expand into national and international aged care markets. The program will include:

1. 3 Day Masterclass (September 23 – 25, 2019)

Location: Brisbane

The Masterclass will include intensive workshops, expert presentations and mentoring on topics such as:

• Aged care industry
• Entrepreneurship and commercialisation
• Finance and Investment-ready
• Costing and budgeting
• Legal for start-ups
• Intellectual Property
• People & culture – scaling teams
• Digital marketing and customer acquisition

At the conclusion of the 3 Day workshop, each team will be matched with CareFactor mentors, based on team need and mentor expertise areas.

2. 8 Week Mentoring Course (September – December, 2019)

Location: Remote – online

Over 8 weeks, teams will engage online with their mentors, Entrepreneur-in-Residence and the CareFactor Community Manager once per week. Sessions will be focussed on goal planning, growth guidance and pitch preparation. Sessions will either be face to face or via video conferencing, depending on your location.

3. Demo Day and Pitch Presentation (December 11, 2019)

Location: Brisbane

On Demo Day, all teams will be given the opportunity to pitch their project or start-up to a panel of investors and/or buyers. Teams will receive constructive feedback, and may receive offers of investment. The panel will choose one final team, who will receive a short-term international residency to build international market connections and gain in-country mentoring.