Cristy Ballard, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Solstice Senior Living, and her team had a clear, simple idea about how to better serve seniors looking for all-inclusive senior independent living communities: provide a consistently great customer experience.
Over the past year, they’ve delivered that experience and then some. They did it by working with FURTHER, the leading AI-powered software designed to drive move-ins through an improved online experience for individuals and families trying to find the right senior living community.
The proof of Solstice’s success is in the numbers:
FURTHER’s influence was so powerful and unique that, of the move-ins they helped Solstice generate, 41% were after-hours leads, ones that Solstice would not have gained without a 24/7 lead engagement solution.
The Carlsbad, California-based Solstice operates 32 communities across 12 states, including seven communities in California, five in both Washington and Texas, three in New England and two in New York. With a portfolio spread that vastly nationwide, connecting with prospects in all of their markets was a challenge.
“We needed to generate more qualified leads, especially in slower traffic markets,” Ballard says. “We were facing obstacles in converting visitors to leads. Leveraging new, innovative solutions and automation helped to deliver the consistency we wanted in the experience. This helped improve traffic and lead capture across the board.”
Enter FURTHER, the AI-powered software that enables senior living providers to connect with exponentially more prospects than would otherwise be possible. FURTHER is built to improve the entire end-to-end experience for people searching for a senior living solution — across phone, email, SMS and the web. FURTHER enables a seamless experience where people can find answers to pressing questions like pricing, available amenities, and more.
“A colleague recommended FURTHER, and I really liked what I saw,” she says. “Plus, their solution was easy to sell to C-suite executives due to the monthly flat-fee cost structure. It’s easy to budget because our costs stay consistent from month to month.”
“We pride ourselves on making the launch process as smooth and easy as possible,” says Thomas Bierlein, Chief Customer Officer of FURTHER. “Connect us with the right resources and we will work diligently on your behalf to stand up the product and start converting.”
Solstice connected with FURTHER because they wanted to increase their qualified leads across all of their markets, especially in those where they specifically struggled. More broadly, they wanted to deliver a consistently great experience to prospects, residents and their families.
“It has (done that),” Ballard says. “It’s really done two things. With automation in place, we’re delivering the same high level of engagement to everyone, every time. It’s also allowed our sales leaders to spend much more of their time engaged in valuable activities with high-value leads.”
However, after launching, Solstice found that more changes needed to be made. The FURTHER team was right there ready to help streamline the process quickly and painlessly.
“As soon as we implemented FURTHER, we saw that it was generating more leads for our communities,” she says. “But it was almost too many. We realized FURTHER needed adjustments to generate better qualified leads specific to our portfolio.”
Things really started to click for Solstice when they connected FURTHER with their marketing agency. Both teams partnered together to better define the target market and messaging needed to attract the right prospects.
“It went from our communities’ feeling overwhelmed to asking for more leads once they saw the shift in quality being delivered,” Ballard says. Additionally, the Solstice staff saw a lot of benefits from the FURTHER business intelligence tool in their dashboard. It helped them gain a better understanding of their customers, from which they could best target their strategies.
“What I really appreciate is the overall partnership with FURTHER,” she says. “They are truly invested in the success of our company and go above and beyond to support us.”
This article is sponsored by FURTHER. To learn more about how you can improve your website and drive more move-ins, visit talkfurther.com.
When not covering senior news, Jack Silverstein is a sports historian and staff writer for SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron, making regular guest spots on WGN and 670-AM, The Score. His work has appeared in Chicago Tribune, RedEye Chicago, ChicagoNow, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Chicago Magazine, and others.
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