Top 10 Tips for Implementing Home Care Software Successfully

The number one tip to implementing home care software is making sure that you have a dedicated resource (i.e. a person or people) and contingency with that resource so that someone else can pick up their other duties if needed while they are involved with the implementation of the software

This resource will be someone or a group of people in your organisation who will take ownership of the software. This resource will need to:

• Have enough time to attend the training sessions
• Be comfortable with technology
• Know how the business operates

In most cases, 1-2 resources are normally adequate. Who you choose your domiciliary care software will depend on the type of system being implemented, for example for a home care rostering system you may want your accounts person or care coordinator to take the lead.

The number of people needed will depend on the size of the company and the number or types of software being implemented. For example, bigger companies will have separate business system teams, so will need to bring in people from the relevant departments such as HR, finance, operations, etc. who understand what they need from that perspective.

As well as a resource, you should assign someone to take overall ownership of the software. Having key decision-makers involved will save a lot of time and stress. And if they can’t decide, they will need to take it away as an action and say that this is our decision and this is our approach.

All kinds of communication in health and social care are vital when implementing new software. If you don’t understand something during your research or training, then you should speak to the provider and show a proactive attitude to get the questions answered. You shouldn’t be afraid to confirm what you’ve purchased and what every aspect of the system is used for, as this will allow you to use it to its full potential.

Internal communication is also very important. For example, you should keep staff in the loop and let them know that change is happening. Tell them that you’re switching to a digital system if you’re paper-based and the benefits the software has to them and the service users. If the care team is aware of the change, and importantly why you are making this change, then they will have time to prepare themselves and will be more accepting of it.

You also need to have somebody who owns the software and is responsible for it. This person will need to know how things work across the business, have the availability to attend the training and have time to play around and familiarise themselves with the system and new processes. Remember that it will take extra time to get simple answers to questions and address any concerns that have surfaced due to no communication or poor communication management. 

Understand your requirements and relay them. You need to be upfront and honest about requirements so a plan for rolling out the project can be put in place. Communicate with the supplier about what you need, what resources you need, and what time you need. Work with your assigned project manager or consultant to put a proper plan together.

Ask yourself if you want consistency across your branches/agencies or if you want the flexibility of branches being able to do what they want. In most cases, managers will prefer autonomy as it helps them feel in control. However, if you’re trying to pull in reports from everywhere and the system has not been set up in a consistent way, it can become complicated fast. 

You must be prepared when searching for software to implement and train. You need to make sure you have the correct people, commitment and cover for training. Putting a structured plan in place is highly recommended. For example, you shouldn’t implement the software during the holiday seasons as a lot of the care team will be off work and unavailable for training. 

Before the software is rolled out, you need to understand what level of consistency and flexibility you want to give each service. And during training, the team needs to be available, focused and undisturbed.

When implementing software, the managers and care team need to come into things with an open mind. It’s important to remember that systems are in place and have specific processes for a reason – to benefit people and businesses. If you and your team are adaptable, then you will benefit more from the system and will fully understand the processes.

User experience testing is a process where a variety of user experience aspects are tested to determine which method works best for you.  This can be extremely helpful when it comes to rolling out new software. However, even though it’s very important it’s often overlooked in many projects. Two forms of user experience testing you should consider include:

• Pilot runs – if you have multiple branches, doing a pilot run will help to ensure that mistakes and errors are only targeted to one of them. This allows common issues to be corrected before the software is rolled out across the business.
• Dual runs – Compares the output of your new system against the output of your old system. For example, on a payroll or invoicing run, to check if there are any big discrepancies between the two outputs. Big discrepancies may indicate something isn’t right in the setup of your new system. Or it could identify where the new system is more precise, either way, it presents a problem to be investigated.
• Parallel runs – A strategy when changing over to a new system that slowly allows the new system to assume the roles of the older system, while they both operate simultaneously. This makes the transition less intense and allows you to highlight the advantages or disadvantages of making the switch.

A super user is a highly privileged user account used for system administration. Assigning someone to be the super user is greatly recommended when implementing software. The number of super users your care service needs will depend on the size of the business.

Most smaller businesses will only need one or two super users. But in bigger organisations, they may sit in the business systems team or project team. The super user could be a process manager or a member of the care team.

Another thing you should consider is getting senior and standard carers who like technology and assign them as ‘app champions’ or ‘digitisation champions.’ These people need to be excited about the implementation and should be involved in the process. They can be a form of support for everyone at the ground level. This means that care staff won’t have to go to management when they’re stuck or confused. Instead, these carers will be able to encourage others to use the software and if there are any teething issues, they will be responsible for telling the higher-ups so that issues can be addressed as soon as possible.

When implementing software, you must be realistic and you should never rush things. When things go too fast, vital information will be missed or misunderstood, which will make implementation more difficult.

Instead, listen to advice from the supplier when it comes to timeframes and doesn’t underestimate the intensity of rolling out a new system. Not doing so may mean you haven’t set aside adequate time to implement the software properly and get the most out of it.

As a manager, you shouldn’t disengage yourself. If you’re not comfortable with the system and your project managers or members of your team leave or become unavailable during training and implementation, you will be back to square one and would have wasted a lot of time and resources. Everyone in the business should spend time playing around with the system and getting comfortable with it between sessions.

Another thing you should keep in mind is to not underestimate internal reviews and to never ignore processes. These need to be fully understood and streamlined for maximum benefit. During your training, you should never be afraid to ask questions.

If there is anything that you’re unsure about, you should always flag it. The same goes for any changes made by the superusers. By asking questions and flagging up anything that you’ve changed or you’re unsure about, it will avoid bad habits from forming which can lead to repeated mistakes.

When implementing domiciliary care software, you should always be curious and attend your regular training sessions. You need to be prepared for updates and changes that will be put in place to improve your experience with the system. It’s important to remember that new functionality gets brought into systems regularly and just because it can’t be done today, that doesn’t mean the software you choose will never do everything you want from it. So don’t get disheartened if it doesn’t do something you’re looking for, especially if it meets your other requirements.

Instead, keep engaged with the updates your supplier sends out on new developments to the software to ensure you are getting the most out of your system now and in the future.