How to Convince Your Boss to Invest in Care Software

For example, are there multiple branches that they need to target? Do they have the time and money to dedicate to implementation? Are they too comfortable with paper-based records?

So, what is the best way to win them over? Here at The Access Group, we have over 30 years of experience digitising all types of care services. We’ve seen how the benefits of care software are undeniable, in improving quality, efficiency and safety. But you may have noticed that sometimes, some people in your organisation need more convincing than others.

That’s why we’ve created this guide on how to convince your boss, or other key stakeholders, of the benefits of care software and why they should invest in it. This will allow you to approach management and colleagues with confidence and a strong proposal on how the switch to digital could benefit the team, your service users and the overall quality of care.

The Importance of Investing in Quality Care Software

Whether you specialise in residential, nursing or domiciliary care, the importance of investing in quality care software is high. If you choose to go with a low-quality or unstable system, not only will it waste time and money when it comes to implementation and training, but it can also make work within the care service more difficult for staff, which is the complete opposite of what it has been designed for.

On the other hand, quality care software will do its job properly. It will simplify processes and improve efficiency when it comes to work, allowing you and your team to deliver more person-centred care alongside improving your quality of care and boosting your CQC rating. Not only will this better your work life, but it will make your manager’s job easier while enhancing the safety of your service users.

Convince Your Boss to Invest in Care Software

The benefits of investing in care software listed above are just the start. While there are many advantages to management, care staff, back office staff, the service users and the care business itself, every care service will have to adopt care software eventually. The government is pushing for all social care providers to have electronic records by December 2023, so the switch to digital software will be a change your boss will have to take on board eventually.

So, instead of dealing with the stress of rushing to adapt and digitise your care service at the last minute, why not get ahead of the game? When trying to convince your boss to invest in care software, it’s best to lead with the fact that it will be mandatory in the near future. The next step is to have an organised and accurate pitch to summarise why everyone in the care service, including them, will benefit from this modern and life-changing digital investment.

Do Your Research

The first step to creating your pitch is to do your research. There are many areas that you will need to look into to make your proposal strong and appear fully prepared for the conversation with your boss. If you think that there could be technology out there that could increase your productivity and save you time, there is a high chance that there will be a solution for you.

Doing a simple Google search will highlight the biggest brands in the market. However, a closer look into the different suppliers, what they have to offer and the reviews from their users is essential to ensure you are making the right choice. You should also talk to your colleagues and other connections within the care industry to see if they have any recommendations.

Nothing beats first-hand experience. This information will be able to give you insight into solutions that you may not be able to find online right away. However, although useful, reviews and people’s experiences can also of course be misleading or not give you the full picture. Therefore it is important once you have identified a short list of suppliers to get demonstrations of each system. This will give you a proper in-depth look, enable you make comparisons.

Combining the impressions you got from demonstrations with other people’s shared experiences and honest feedback will give a more complete evaluation of the software options, which you can pass  back to management. Your boss is likely to have a lot of questions during your proposal, so being well-researched will allow you to answer them all with confidence.

Highlight the Benefits

There are many benefits to investing in software. When presenting these to your boss, make sure you highlight both tangible and intangible benefits.

Tangible benefits include things like budget, investment and ROI. While this can take time and requires research, numbers can be calculated and they’re an easy way to show a positive impact. Intangible benefits involve employee experience and customer service. These can be harder to show, but it's not impossible. You just need to know what you’re looking for, such as reviews, case studies and information directly from other software users.

In addition, benefits that may seem intangible or even fluffy, may actually impact your bottom line. For example one national home care provider recorded a 63% increase in care worker job satisfaction  by using care home software like electronic care plans. This is probably going to reduce the number of care workers leaving to work somewhere else and therefore reduce the amount of time and money spent on recruitment.

Likewise, the same national provider found after implementing care management software, 81% of staff felt better equipped to deliver high quality care, while quality audits scores across their branches nationwide increased by 12%.

This in itself is obviously massively important. But if you’re talking to a colleague who is just concerned with finances and the bottom line then you can explain how higher quality care means a greater likelihood of retaining and attracting privately funded clients directly, and will make it easier to win new tenders too.

It might help to categorise the benefits into:

• Time saving
• Cost reducing
• Safety increasing
• Quality/Compliance improving
• Data, reporting and visibility

Alternatively you may want to look at specific processes, such as how your care service manages the care assessment and care planning process, and how software can improve the efficiency, consistency and robustness of this process.

Using either categorisation method should help you express the benefits of the software clearly. It also means you will be able to easily refer to those benefits that matter most to each individual stakeholder. For example, if you have a director of care, or quality, or clinical lead, they will be interested in different benefits than someone who is responsible for managing staffing.

Make it Compelling

It’s likely that when you approach your manager with a proposal, they will already have a million other things on their mind. So, when you bring this new software to the table, you need to provide them with a compelling reason to care about what you have to show them to avoid being put on their never-ending pile of things to do and not being paid the attention you deserve. There are three things you should try to aim for when creating your proposal: 

1. Keep it simple – Don’t give your boss unnecessary or unimportant information that they will need to filter through. Instead, you should summarise exactly what you’re trying to say and the key benefits in a short, snappy and simple way. Once they’re listening and you can see they’re starting to get on board, start filling in the gaps and answer all of their questions along the way.
   
   
2. Create a feeling – People best respond when you can connect with their deeper emotions. Instead of using numbers to convince them, try to paint a picture of what you’re trying to say by telling them stories about the challenges you want to solve. Creating a feeling will help them feel more interested and comfortable with the switch to digital.
   
   
3. Present it well – Your boss is likely suspicious or cynical about digitisation when they first sit down with you. Making sure your proposal is well presented will compel your boss to act. To fully grab their attention, you need to give them a big, convincing reason why they should act upon your proposition.

Another point worth mentioning is that there are many problems caused by the lack of care software, one of which is how much it costs the business. With more back office and care staff working longer hours to keep up with record keeping, alongside the requirements for paper and other office equipment to maintain paper-based systems, the care business will be wasting thousands of pounds and hours of time that could be better spent on a reliable, easy-to-use digital software.

When pitching this idea to your boss, you should be able to able to agree on the problems you face in the company and ensure management is aware of what these problems are costing on a financial level, along with the financial impact. They should also be made aware of how much it would cost to solve this problem with better software. In return, your boss will be able to see that the cost of the software is dramatically less than the cost of the current problems and inefficiencies within the care service.

Record Your Productivity

Making a list of your daily tasks and the amount of time it takes you to complete them will allow you and your boss to see exactly where productivity could be and what needs to be improved. This will also give you essential proof written in black and white to back up why care systems could make a real difference to you and your team's daily tasks and overall performance.

If you notice that huge chunks of your time are being consumed by long and tedious administrative tasks, then you should keep note and suggest other ways you could be spending that time. For example, in domiciliary care, you could be using that time to provide additional support to your service users during your visits. Or in care homes, spend more quality time with your residents.

A great way to get your manager on board is to highlight how this will save them time and money and reduce stress. If you can break down your time spent on less productive tasks into costs, this can be used to justify the financial benefits of your solutions. We have a fantastic case study from Bay Care Domiciliary Care Ltd that highlights how they used software to save over £70,000 a year.

Consider the Budget

Talking about financial benefits, considering the budget of your care service is key to backing up your claims. Showing your boss that you have considered and researched the financial impact of this digital solution will help them understand the costs and savings associated with the switch. While speaking to home care and care home software providers directly is best for accurate pricing, our complete guide on home care software prices could be of use. 

You should avoid listing prices you find displayed online, as these won’t include any additional fees, unpublished rates or payment plans that they may have available. This is why it's best to go directly to the provider for an accurate estimate. While the cost can be a shock for management, if you’ve done your research to show how much time and money they can save with this investment alongside the benefits to the care service and team, this should make the financial element less of a shock to them.

Arrange a Meeting

Instead of booking a call or sending all of your information over in an email, you should arrange a face-to-face meeting with your manager, or use your one-to-one to pitch them your preferred digital solution. During this meeting, you should show them all of your research and recordings to back up your proposal. Using examples from your competitors who have implemented systems and have benefitted from them is also highly recommended (if you can get hold of the information).

Research really does matter when it comes to convincing your manager to change the way their care service operates. But the fact that you have put in so much effort to create the pitch will show them that you’re truly dedicated and passionate about finding a better way of doing things. Showing them your preferred solution alongside other options you’ve looked into will making it easier for them to make the decisions as it removes a big chunk of research that they may not have had the time to do themselves.

Show Them How It Works

Some software companies will offer a free trial for a limited amount of time. Or you could book a demo and invite your boss to give it a go. Giving them a chance to see how the systems operate will give them a feel for how it would work in their care business. This will make it easier for them to understand why they should invest.

If your preferred software company doesn’t offer a free trial or a demo, or your free trial doesn’t allow you to use all of the features, then you should contact the provider directly. They may be able to set up a meeting or a call to help you fully understand how to use the system and show you how to do so. Bringing your manager along to this discussion is highly recommended. As well as allowing them, or any other stakeholders you feel are necessary, to see an expert demonstration, it will also give them the chance to ask any questions to a professional that will have the perfect and most accurate answers, which will give them peace of mind.

Get Your Team On Board

Convincing your boss is a big step to getting the software implemented in your care service. However, it will be harder to win over your boss if your team aren’t interested in or are against the change. If your manager decides to digitise the care service and the rest of your team disagrees with it and creates a counterargument, it could cause your boss to retract their decision.

On the other hand, if your boss announces the change, your team are aware of it and shows excitement and positivity towards the transition, which will help reassure management that they’re making the right decision. So, while it can be tough and you may not be able to convince everyone, getting the majority of your team enthusiastic about digitisation is key to a persuasive pitch.

Choosing the Best Software is Key

To summarise, convincing your boss to invest in care software will require a lot of time, patience and research. Some members of management may be easier to persuade compared to others and getting your team on board is essential. But the change is inevitable, so you might as well get ahead of the game. The results of implementing the right software into your care service will save you heaps of time, energy and effort in the long run, giving you the freedom to do more.

Choosing the best software for your care service is key. If you’re looking for a provider who has over 30 years of experience digitising thousands of start-up, national and international care services, then The Access Group is the perfect solution for you. We have a fantastic range of care software that works across many areas within domiciliary, nursing, care homes, autism and learning disability support and other services too. We have a structured and thorough implementation process in place and an experienced team to help you every step of the way.

If you want to learn more about the most widely used domiciliary care system in the UK, check out our home care management software. For all you to know about Access home care software, contact us.

Or browse our care home software to support your organisation. For more information about software for residential care, feel free to get in touch or book a demo to learn more.

Our software is also used by some of the UK’s leading providers of mental health, autism and learning disability support. Whatever your service type we have a solution for you. So get in touch and let’s see if we have the system you are looking for.