Click the Links Below to be Taken to that Discipline's Article(s)
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COMFORT KEEPERS® WORKING WITH MEDLINE INDUSTRIES
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New Access to Thousands of Medical Supplies
 CK Franchising, Inc. (CKFI) is proud to announce a pilot program with Medline Industries. Medline Industries is the largest, privately owned medical supplier in the U.S. with over $5.2 billion in annual sales. Through Medline, Comfort Keepers® franchise owners will have access to more than 100,000 products, and since Medline is a manufacturer, they offer manufacturer advantages in pricing.
This opportunity with Medline is a good example of the synergy occurring with CKFI and Sodexo. Sodexo's Senior Strategy team leveraged their long-standing relationship with Medline and introduced Comfort Keepers to Medline's CEO. This relationship will make it easier for you to provide seniors with the medical supplies and assistive devices they need in the privacy of their own homes.
Medline offers toll-free support and superior customer service. Franchise owners will enjoy numerous benefits, including free shipping in the U.S.; no minimum order; and fast delivery, usually within 24 to 48 hours. Clients will also be able to order supplies directly from their homes and enjoy a Comfort Keepers discount. Medline will complete the billing process for clients and deliver right to their doors.
To ensure quality and an easy-to-use ordering system, CKFI will conduct a 90-day pilot program with approximately 20 different Comfort Keepers locations across the nation before rolling this service out to the franchisee community at large. Our goal is to gather information, monitor processes, and gather feedback from our pilot members in order to work out any unforeseen issues.
We are very excited and look forward to a rewarding relationship with Medline as we continue to provide our clients with the best quality of life possible.
Please contact Judi Collins RN, Manager of Homecare Services, at JudiCollins@ComfortKeepers.com with any questions.
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 MARKETING |
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Take 5 Minutes to Give Us Your Feedback
The News You Can Use (NYCU) e-newsletter, which uses Constant Contact as the delivery platform, was developed originally as an inexpensive marketing tool for you to stay in contact with your referral sources and continue to position Comfort Keepers® as the expert in topics related to senior care. It was designed as a means to keep our brand front and center so when referral sources are ready to make that recommendation, they recommend Comfort Keepers. Since its inception, NYCU has evolved, and a number of you use it to communicate with ALL of your contacts whether it be business to business or business to consumer.
CK Franchising, Inc. has taken NYCU one step further and repurposed its very relevant information, parlaying it into bylined articles for you to submit to your local media and a press release to use as you see fit.
As we evaluate all of our communication tools, we would like to get your feedback on the usefulness of NYCU and how we could potentially improve it to be a more meaningful marketing tool. We would like to know if you are using this newsletter, how you are using it, and what you think would make it more effective. We would be grateful if you would take a few moments to answer a short survey on NYCU.
The survey comprises eight questions, primarily multiple choice, and should take no more than 5 minutes. It will be open from February 7 until February 21. We will use this information to incorporate changes and aid us in planning the editorial calendar and topics for upcoming issues.
Please click here to take the survey, and thank you in advance for your feedback.
If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact Lisa Marie Hayes, Communications Manager, at LHayes@ComfortKeepers.com.
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CONSOLIDATED PRINT SERVICES UPDATE
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New Print Services with Standard Register Start March 3
As many of you know, CK Franchising, Inc. (CKFI) has been working with a franchisee committee to determine ways we could improve printing services. The committee expressed a desire to have streamlined, one-stop-shopping and a fresh updated look for printed materials. To meet this request, CKFI is in the process of moving our printed collateral to a single print vendor, Standard Register, and rebranding these materials in the process.
We are pleased to announce that this transition is on track, and the planned launch date is March 3. Since Standard Register operates on a proprietary platform, we will be offering numerous webinars throughout the week of March 3 to walk you through the ordering process.
If you have any immediate print material needs, we recommend you place your orders with the current print vendor if you cannot wait until March.
However, the new materials that will be offered from Standard Register in March will offer greater personalization of the back panels on materials, which would be advantageous for those of you who have unique back panel designs.
If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Epple, Senior Director Marketing and Advertising, at KimberlyEpple@Comfortkeepers.com.
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| LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE |
NEW FOR OUR 2014 LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
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Breakout and Roundtable Sessions-Great New Topics!
We are looking forward to seeing all of you at this year's Leadership Conference in Denver. Our key goal for the breakout sessions is for you to take away concrete tools that you can use immediately. This year, we are adding outside subject matter experts to facilitate breakout and roundtable sessions in the areas of sales, marketing, recruitment and retention, and organizational development.
This year the conference breakout and roundtable sessions are organized so you can identify them by professional roles:
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 Franchisees: Opportunities for peer interaction are key to professional growth and business development. Franchisee-only sessions will be strategic in focus and designed to help franchisees achieve business growth objectives. Join these sessions to learn from colleagues and subject matter experts on topics of interest for the business owner.
- General managers, marketing, sales, human resources, client care roles: These sessions are appropriate for anyone interested in sharpening their professional skills. Learn from the experts and talk with your peers on topics that will help build your local business.
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| WEBSITE REDESIGN |
WEBSITE REDESIGN IS MOVING FULL STEAM AHEAD
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Take Action to Finalize Your Site
Thank you to all of the franchisees who participated in the website redesign webinars. We have had tremendous participation, with over 230 of you submitting your informational surveys for your local website design. This redesign will help to make your franchise stand out in the online marketplace.
The next phase of the website redesign occurs the week of February 10. During this week, The Shipyard, our web design agency, will be completing local website customizations. Once your website has been localized, you will receive an email from The Shipyard containing a test URL. Use this link to access your new site and contact The Shipyard directly if you have any changes. This will be your last opportunity to provide any further feedback for your site prior to the launch.
We will also be offering webinars the week of March 10 that will show you how to update your site after the launch and provide an overview of the types of support packages The Shipyard can offer each franchisee.
If you have any questions, please contact Senior Director Marketing and Advertising, at KimberlyEpple@ComfortKeepers.com
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| OPERATIONS |
COMFORT KEEPER® OF THE YEAR
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Do not Miss This Final Opportunity to Nominate
 The last date to submit your nomination for the Comfort Keeper® of the Year award is Sunday, February 9.
Download details of the nomination and selection process here.
If you have questions about the process, please direct them to Joni Magnus-Ramsey, Marketing Manager, at JoniMagnusRamsey@ComfortKeepers.com.
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HOME CARE PULSE 2014 BENCHMARKING STUDY
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Final Chance to Take the Survey
 Take the opportunity now through February 28 to take the Home Care Pulse fifth annual Private Duty Benchmarking Study. This study compiles data for the most comprehensive report on the Private Duty Home Care industry. Participate in the study and receive personalized key performance indicators and a special discount on the 2014 Private Duty Benchmarking Study results, which you can use as a strategic guide to help grow your business.
If you would like to learn more about the process and benefits before participating in the study, the free kick-off webinar, presented by Home Care Pulse CEO, Aaron Marcum, is still available on demand. This optional webinar reviews what is new in the 2014 study and will show you how to:
- participate in the 2014 Private Duty Benchmarking Survey.
- use the 2014 Private Duty Benchmarking Study to grow your business.
- use the study to see how your business compares to others in the industry.
- obtain your historical results.
Click here to receive a link to the webinar recording via email.
To go directly to the survey, please visit Home Care Pulse.
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| INFORMATION SYSTEMS |
EMAIL SECURITY ENHANCEMENTS
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Take Action and Strengthen Your Password if Notified
 Last month, our ComfortKeepers.com email server went down for several days. One cause of the downtime was a malicious program that exploited a email user's very weak password and accessed that user's email account. Once inside the account, it started sending thousands of spam emails from that user's account. That caused our Comfort Keepers® mail server to be blacklisted from other major mail servers (like Yahoo.com), and for several days caused major disruption to the entire Comfort Keepers email user community.
To minimize risk of a repeat recurrence, the information systems (IS) department is enforcing a password strength policy.
Email account holders with extremely weak passwords will be notified via email and be given one week from the date of the email notification to change/strengthen their passwords. The email will give those account holders instructions on how to change their passwords themselves or how to contact the IS help desk for assistance. After one week, if the email account's password has not been changed, it will be temporarily disabled until the account holder changes the password to a stronger and compliant password.
If or when you or your staff receive such an email, please encourage your staff to take the time to change your passwords promptly or send an email request at any time to ChangeMyPassword@comfortkeepers.com to schedule a time to have a helpdesk specialist assist you with this process.
We appreciate your cooperation in this matter as taking this action will protect our overall franchise email system security.
If you have any questions, please contact Dan Dobbs, Director of Information Systems, at DanDobbs@ComfortKeepers.com.
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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
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LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE AND TIME MANAGEMENT ROAD SHOW
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Hurry and Register-Deadline Approaching!
 Take this opportunity to refine your leadership and time management skills. Mastering these skills is essential for growing your business, so join us for the Leadership Challenge and Time Management Road Show and learn tips and strategies that will help you succeed. Each participant will be given a 360° leadership evaluation from The Leadership Challenge program and will also receive a Learning and Development update. Over the two days we will cover the following
- The Leadership Challenge from Kouzes and Pozner
- Results of the 360° Leadership Evaluations
- The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership
- Time Management Best Practices
Registration is $100 per attendee, the road show will be held at the Spring Hill Suites Marriott in Houston, Texas.
Register here for the Leadership Challenge and Time Management workshop.
Registration closes on February 12.
Workshop Information:
Cost: $100 per attendee
When: February 26-27
Where:
Spring Hill Suites by Marriott
Houston Medical Center/Reliant Park
1400 Old Spanish Trail
Houston, TX 77054
Phone: (713) 796-1000
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Free Event to Enhance Your Sales Skills!
Sharpen your sales skills and those of your staff with this fast-paced, highly interactive, two-day sales training workshop, designed specifically for the Comfort Keepers® brand. This free event will offer three workshops:
Day One
- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Salesapalooza I: This workshop is tailored for people with less than 1 year of experience with Comfort Keepers, and/or new to sales in general.
- 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Accountable Care Organization (ACO)/Transitions: This workshop is appropriate for anyone with any level of sales experience who wants to learn more about how to maximize Comfort Keepers' Transition Programs with hospitals and other ACOs.
Day Two
- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sales Intensified: We have designed this workshop for the more seasoned Comfort Keepers sales people. In order to participate in this portion, you must have more than 1 year of experience in sales with Comfort Keepers.
Register here for Salesapalooza.
NOTE: When you register, you will be asked to indicate the workshops for which you wish to register.
Workshop Information:
Hotel Cost: $119 per night
When: March 4-5
Where:
Sheraton Suites Orlando Airport Hotel
7550 Augusta National Dr.
Orlando, FL 32822
Phone: (407) 240-5555
In order to receive this special rate, when you reserve your room, be sure to tell the reservationist that you are with the Comfort Keepers meeting.
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CALLSOURCE DATA ANALYSIS UNDERWAY
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The National Branding Committee Has Approved Analysis
Now that we have five months of experience with the national advertising (September 2013-January 2014), the National Branding committee has approved outsourcing the analysis of the Callsource call data. As the committee is planning for calendar 2014, all agreed it is imperative to understand call performance, as well as web performance, so they may make educated, informed decisions. There is a significant amount of data and the analysis will take approximately one month to complete.
The committee agrees that we must analyze the call and web data to gain an accurate picture of consumer behavior after viewing the television spots. The consumer research and the response data support the committee's original hypothesis that consumers who see the spot will most likely go to the web to research Comfort Keepers® before making contact with a local office. That appears to be precisely what has happened. Year-over-year web volume has increased an average of 92% each month since we began airing the commercials. The committee is trying to gain an understanding of why completed calls vary geographically. There are many franchisees across the network who are receiving phone calls and converting these to business, but there are other franchise territories that have not received a call, and the committee is taking a methodical approach to understand this phenomenon.
Please continue to monitor your CallSource reporting and your Google Analytics to gauge the impact on your individual offices.
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Did you miss a previous edition of the Friday Flash?
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