8 Ways Home Care Agencies Can Improve Customer Service

80% of revenue comes from just 20% of repeat customers, and one of the best ways caregiving agencies can retain clients is to improve their customer service. 

Here are ten easy ways to improve customer service that caregiving agencies can implement today.

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#1. Add contact information, pricing, and booking options to your website 

Adding key information like pricing, booking options, and contact information to your caregiving agency’s website is an easy way to improve customer service. This reduces the need for clients to contact you (and wait for an answer) but makes it easy to get in touch if needed. 

Additionally, caregiving agencies should consider creating an FAQ page and reviewing it regularly to ensure the information is current and covers the main topics a potential or existing client might have. 

You should also create dedicated landing pages for each non-medical healthcare service you offer, with information about what each service entails to give clients more information. Dedicated landing pages are also an easy way to increase visitors to your website because they’re a great place to add relevant, targeted keywords to improve your website’s SEO.

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#2. Clearly state your refund/cancellation policy 

One of the worst customer service issues for clients to run into — aside from rude customer service agents — is finding out after they booked that their appointments are non-refundable or can’t be rescheduled. 

Clearly displaying your caregiving agency’s refund and cancellation policies on your website, and getting clients to agree to them at the time of booking, ensures that clients know what they’re getting into before it’s too late. 

Make sure to include

• The minimum notice period for cancellations/rescheduling 
• Any fees a client is liable for when canceling and if these can be avoided with enough notice 
• If you have an extenuating circumstance clause for cancellations 
• What happens if a care-giver has to cancel, i.e., refunds issued, discounts offered, etc. 

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#3. Introduce a customer loyalty program

Another easy way to improve customer service for non-medical home care businesses is to make your clients feel valued. Customer loyalty programs are a great way to do this and simultaneously encourage repeat business for your care agency. 

Tip: Introduce a customer referral scheme as part of your customer loyalty program to encourage clients to bring new clients for your healthcare agency.  

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#4. Optimize customer service channels

Reviewing and optimizing communication channels is essential for non-medical healthcare agencies looking to improve customer service. Don’t fall into the trap of offering too many communication channels in an effort to please everyone if you don’t have the resources to monitor them effectively. 

Clients shouldn’t wait more than an hour to get a response during business hours, and never more than 24 hours. If you can’t guarantee a fast response rate, consider condensing your communication channels down to just a few main ones, such as phone, email, and your most used social media platform. 

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#5. ‍Use online booking to reduce wait times 

Introducing online booking is the most significant change a home care agency can make to improve customer service. More than 70% of clients prefer to book and manage service appointments, like home healthcare, online because it’s fast and convenient. Most online booking software for home care agencies also has integrated online payments for a secure way to take payments for services. 

Online booking helps care agencies reduce client response times and remove scheduling delays that impact clients' perception of a business. Online booking software with integrated employee scheduling, like MarketBox, also makes organizing providers easy and provides instant confirmations to client requests. ‍‍

#6. Hire quality care providers

For service-based businesses like home care companies, the quality of employees you hire significantly impacts customer service levels. It’s important to invest time into finding the right caregivers to maintain a consistent, high-quality service across your business. 

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Related: 8 Hiring Mistakes to Avoid

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#7. Automate appointment reminders

Another easy way to improve customer service is to automate appointment reminders. Automated appointment reminders significantly reduce the admin tasks your team has to deal with and reduce no-shows by up to 85%. This ensures that clients receive their services in a timely manner and don’t have to reschedule appointments. 

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#8. Collect client feedback and action on it quickly

The last way home care businesses can improve customer service is by listening to their clients. Collecting feedback, either formally through surveys and focus groups or second-hand through client reviews, is an effective way to highlight areas to improve and take action to avoid negative customer experiences. 

If your home care agency uses online booking software like MarketBox, you can automate review requests and send clients follow-up messages after appointments to collect feedback quickly and easily.  

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