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How Automation Improves Customer Care
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries
- Healthcare & Hospitals
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Field Services
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Predictive Maintenance
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
As they have grown over the years, Circle of Care began to employ more staff and volunteers, making for a more complex schedule. It became increasingly difficult to provide the same level of service to each of its members while keeping costs within acceptable amounts. Suddenly, managing the sheer number of people and transportation needed became a burden on schedulers. In the early days, it was sufficient to have a person in the office with a spreadsheet and a phone in order to keep everything running smoothly. But this was evidently no longer the best option.\n\nGrowing the number of members and caregivers is one of Circle of Care’s important and supported values and they have achieved this through the years. But suddenly, they found themselves with a staff of 500 and more than 300 volunteers, spread over a diverse collection of home support and community programs including: Homemaking, Personal support, Social work services, Meals on Wheels, Transportation, Day programs for seniors with dementia. As is usually the case for all non-profits, savings are felt directly at the ground level, with members seeing the benefit to fiscal responsibility. They are mainly funded by community resources and the City of Toronto. This means that transparency and reporting are highly important features and challenges that needed to be addressed.
About The Customer
Since 1974, Circle of Care has been committed to providing independence, mobility and improving the quality of life for individuals in Toronto and its area residents. It is a community-based not-for-profit registered charity that helps clients live healthier, happier and longer lives. This is done through a combination of volunteers and caregivers working both in the home as well as with transportation services. Because transportation issues take a back seat to the care they can offer their members, Circle of Care has focused mainly on their community and the standard of services they provide.
The Solution
In order to de-clutter the job of scheduling trips, a demand response software solution was desperately needed. Their growth in membership also meant that they needed to serve a larger geographic area. This too could be handled by a demand response software solution. With more accurate data collection, reports could be generated that revealed a greater breadth of information as well as accuracy.\n\nThe implementation of scheduling, routing, and dispatching software allowed Circle of Care to coordinate many moving parts more efficiently. This software solution enabled real-time booking, which streamlined trip booking and customer service. The automation provided by the software allowed for better information collection and scheduling, which in turn improved customer care. The software also facilitated the addition of more staff and volunteers to the schedule, helping to serve the ever-growing client base of aging people.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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