 April 19, 2013 |
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Click the Links Below to be Taken to that Discipline's Article(s)
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 Dear Franchisees -
Like many of you, I am just back from the Comfort Keepers® Leadership Conference in Boca Raton, Florida, and all I can say is WOW! This was the perfect combination of a great location, exuberant attendees, and a passion for the business that I do not think I have ever witnessed in other organizations. Thank you all for your participation.
Conferences like this are so important to the cultural fabric of a franchise network. Clearly, there were many old friends reconnecting about your businesses, your families, and just rejuvenating and enjoying each other's company. This is important - it is the quality of life we all strive for and I was so glad to be a part of it.
Congratulations to all of you who achieved hard-earned business awards this year. It is the culmination of 12 months of hard work and the recognition of an award adds to the sweetness for you and your staff. This was the first year that we recognized franchisees for Operational Excellence and twenty four (24) franchisees were recognized. Thank you all for your hard work.
When my staff suggested I bring my Kleenex to the Comfort Keeper® of the Year luncheon, I didn't really think I would be moved to the brink of tears. Was I ever wrong! Intellectually and through my own family experiences, I know what joy and happiness our Comfort Keepers® bring to their clients and families. But I truly was not prepared for the selflessness and compassion that drives these men and women every single day. Thank you so much for what you do to make this world a better place.
This year, we all helped Kristina Butler (Clum) celebrate a very significant anniversary - just 15 years ago, Kris co-founded Comfort Keepers. I am sure if you ask Kris, she might say that it is amazing how the time has flown, and even more astounding, the growth and success Comfort Keepers has enjoyed. Comfort Keepers is a great entrepreneurial success story. For Comfort Keepers to celebrate 15 years of growth and success is testimony of what can happen when a great idea is coupled with hard work, and as importantly, the PASSION to do something that feels so good and does so much for so many.
Last, I would be remiss if I did not thank the dozens of people - franchisees and CKFI staff - who worked tirelessly to make the Conference a reality. Thank you all very much! We can't wait to see how you top this year's event at the 2014 Leadership Conference! We will see you all next year.
Thanks -
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THANKS FOR A GREAT CONFERENCE!
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Comfort Keepers® 2013 Leadership Conference a Success
 We've just experienced one of the best conferences Comfort Keepers ® has ever produced and it was the best attended Leadership Conference to date! Last week over 420 attendees uncovered the Passion in LEAP to help grow their business to the next best level of success! It was filled with dynamic experiences from meeting our new CEO, Sarosh Mistry, and CEO of the Personal & Home Services Division of Sodexo, Bruno Vanhaelst, to an outstanding motivational keynote by Chip Eichelberger, and the fantastic breakout sessions and Learning Paths. There were great social events like our franchisee golf outing, and the luncheon to honor our Comfort Keepers® of the Year who do so much to help our clients. We closed out the Conference with the unforgettable evening, 'A Night in Boca,' to celebrate our top performers including presentation of our inaugural Operational Excellence Award, and danced to the top Jimmy Buffet tribute band in South Florida, "Caribbean Chillers."
Please click here to view the photo galleries of last week's events at the conference. Expand the 2013 LEAP Album on the left-hand side to see the different albums within. In the next week, CKFI will post videos from keynote sessions, and PowerPoints from breakout sessions. Watch the Friday Flash for more details.
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 NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL (NAC)
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GET CONNECTED WITH THE NAC
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NAC Representatives Align With Franchise System Geography
 Several years ago, the NAC made the recommendation to eliminate the "geographic requirements" for a franchisee to run for the NAC. At the same time, the geographic alignment of NAC representatives with the franchisee community was eliminated, but that decision had some unintended consequences. What we learned is how important it is that the franchisee community has the opportunity to align with an NAC representative - someone franchisees can get to know - develop a rapport, and act as a resource for the flow of communication. Franchisees need to know who they can reach out to with comments, questions, or simply someone to contact for information. The 2013 NAC has remedied this and if you click here, you can access a spread sheet with each NAC representative's contact information along with the states for which he/she is responsible. Please know that you can contact any NAC representative at any time, but the goal with this exercise is to make sure the community understands they have a person they can contact. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Jack Warren, 2013 NAC Chair, at JackWarren@ComfortKeepers.com. |
NATIONAL BRAND FUND
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National Advertising Committee
 Since the formalization of the National Advertising Committee, the Committee has been meeting weekly and is focused intensely on several key priorities. The first is the distribution of the RFPs. The committee reviewed and had input on the RFPs and the vendors who were identified as potential participants in the RFP process. The committee has identified over 50 companies total to consider for the creative agency, strategic media planning and buying agency, and the call routing organization. These organizations are located all over the United States. The process is working and will culminate in three finalist organizations within each discipline (total of 9) presenting to the Committee in Dayton, Ohio in early June. The Committee agreed unanimously that the bookkeeping and accounting functions will be 100% outsourced and, of course, the audit process will be completely independent from the accounting firm. We have identified a very viable organization to perform the accounting function and will continue to vet out. We will continue to update the franchisee community on the progress, but if you have questions, please feel free to contact Jim Vercruyssen at JimVercruyssen@ComfortKeepers.com or Robert Myer at RobertMyer@ComfortKeepers.com. |
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
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LEARN TOOLS TO HIRE AND MANAGE EMPLOYEES
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Don't Forget the eRSP Webinar This Wednesday, April 24th
 Plan to join us for an upcoming training webinar, 'Human Resources and Client Management.' This webinar will provide you with the tools to manage the recruiting, hiring, and tracking of employees. This session will also provide you with the skills for managing client reassessments, quality checks, and general contact management.
To join this webinar on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 11:00 AM, EDT click here and enter as a Guest. To join the audio portion of the call, please dial (800) 591-2259 and enter the participant code 886411.
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ENROLL NOW AND SAVE $700
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Certified Senior Advisors Courses
 The Society of Certified Senior Advisors announced a significant tuition reduction last week at Leadership Conference. Now until April 30, 2013, when you enroll in either the live or online classes, you'll save $700. Consider enrolling or referring an employee to enhance your knowledge and credibility with seniors.
Option 1 Live Classes:- Seattle, WA May 21 - 24
- Charlotte, NC June 4 - 7
- Philadelphia, PA July 23 - 26
- Dallas, TX August 13 - 16
- Nashville, TN August 23 - 26
- Chicago, IL September 17 - 20
- Denver, CO September 24 - 27
- Hartford, CT October 8 - 11
- Orlando, FL October 22 - 25
- Phoenix, AZ November 5 - 8
- Los Angeles, CA December 3 - 6
Option 2: Online Classes
- Save on travel costs and time as you experience quality education delivered by expert faculty in the comfort of your home or office
- Access the video tutorials anytime during the 6 month course period and review the material as many times as you wish
- Get comprehensive answers to your questions from the SCSA faculty via our easy-to-use online class portal
- Take a closed-book, proctored exam at a professional testing center (all students receive a CSA textbook, CSA participant workbook and CSA PowerPoint book
Contact Curtis Petersen at CSA (888)-819-3917 or curtisp@csa.us to enroll into either CSA course option at the reduced conference tuition rate of $895 available until April 30, 2013 (standard course price is $1,595). |
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NEW COURSE UPDATES
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Improvements to Interactive Caregiving™ and Nutrition Course
 The Interactive Caregiving™ course on Silverchair has been updated. The improvements include ease of navigation, guided page completion tracking, and MyPlate nutrition updates. With these changes, we hope you have an improved experience with the Interactive Caregiving™ course. Also, the instructor led Nutrition courses located on Members > Training > Training Opportunities > Nutrition have been updated to reflect the MyPlate nutritional guidelines. |
HUMAN RESOURCES
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HR HOT TOPICS
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Wage and Hour Issues for Home Healthcare Employers
 The home healthcare industry has become a target for wage and hour litigation and government investigations, and new issues are constantly emerging. Experts in Healthcare Employment Law, Littler Mendelson, have provided us with a report to brief us on the latest developments. Please note: The content of this information is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
Given the complexity of the issues, the frequency of new developments, the risk of becoming entrapped in expensive and time consuming litigation that may result in costly damages is great. To reduce this risk, employers should proactively analyze their pay practices and policies and seek legal advice regarding any potential issues. Click here to read the entire report.
Click here to download HR Hot Topics.
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SAFETYCHOICE
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SafetyChoice® Billing Error
Please disregard the March SafetyChoice® invoices you received by email earlier this week. There was a billing error from Guardian. Corrected invoices will be emailed to you early next week. We apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any questions, please call our Accounting Manager, Jennifer Fudge, at (937) 665-1308.
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Comfort Keepers® SafetyChoice®
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Have You Introduced Your Clients to Our New PERS?
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G4000 and LM5000
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As an expert in senior care, you know that our SafetyChoice® products help seniors to remain independent longer. We introduced two new PERS products on March 22 that will surely interest your senior clients. If you didn't have the opportunity to check them out at Leadership Conference last week, contact your Business Coach to learn more about them. In the meantime, here is a brief description of each.
The G4000 is a more compact version of the current G2000 PERS unit currently being used in so many homes. This sleek, attractively designed PERS combines the features and functionality of the larger PERS in a more compact, light-weight unit that is convenient and easy for seniors to carry. It offers the dependability of two-way communication and is also waterproof. Cost on the G4000 PERS is$18.45 a month and suggested retail is $38.95 a month, which is the same as the G2000 PERS.
The new LM5000 PERS is designed for the more active senior. It offers two-way, extended range communication that can be used confidently either inside or outdoors. The stylishly designed, waterproof unit can be worn as a pendant, wristband, or on a belt clip. Cost on this item will be $23.00 a month and suggested retail will be $42.95 a month.
Again, if you have any questions regarding these items, please contact your Business Coach.
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MASTERMIND
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JOIN THE CALL ON THURSDAY, MAY 2nd
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'Getting the Right People on the Bus'
 For this month's MasterMind call, we're reprising the highly popular conference workshop, 'Getting the Right People on the Bus.' Join our hosts, TJ Carter, Director of HR and Tom Welz, Vice President at Accord Management Systems, as they provide insight into Accord's Caregiver and CKFI Staff behavioral assessment tools. Founded in 1995, Accord Management Systems is an organizational consultancy that provides an integrated approach to managing the people side of business.
They'll cover the following tools and topics:
- Five-Star Caregiver Assessment specifically designed for caregivers.
- Staff Assessment - The McQuaig Job Survey®. Defining and benchmarking the desirable behavioral traits for CK staff positions, suggested interview questions and data to create an employee development plan.
- CKFI and Accord are creating benchmark assessments for each Comfort Keeper® staff position and will introduce the new CK Scheduler benchmark assessment.
The MasterMind monthly call, 'Getting the Right People on the Bus' will take place on Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 11:00 am, EDT (10:00 am, CST, 9:00 am, MTN, and 8:00 am, PST). To join the meeting online, click on the "Conference Link" below and follow the directions. CONFERENCE LINK You will be prompted to enter your phone number in order to join the audio portion of the call. If you are unable to participate in the webinar feature, but would still like to listen to the call, dial (800) 591-2259 and use the participation code 886411 for access.
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