More interested parties than seats: Every institution dreams of this. But many have vacancies and complain about a lack of interest. We will show you how to design occupancy management in such a way that your occupancy rate and profitability become ideal.
Kirsten Bergmann-Ritter always has a stack of business cards with her. No matter whether she is taking a walk with her family and dog or shopping, the customer advisor is asked about the services of Seniorenwohnen Alzenau. Nothing better could ever happen to her, says the committed employee. Because this gives her the opportunity to push the workload of her employer. „It’s important to always stay in touch,“ says Bergmann-Ritter, who has been working at SSG in Alzenau for two years. The occupancy manager and the entire team take care of contacts with the city administration, with hospitals or other care facilities as well as other institutions and partners such as local associations, Caritas and Malteser International. „We cordially invite you to visit us, but we also like to be seen with our partners.“
While the corona virus is rampant, personal contacts are naturally reduced to a minimum in Alzenau. „Of course, we provide advice on the phone and answer an increasing number of e-mail enquiries,“ says the communications expert. In addition to daily conversations, Ms. Bergmann-Ritter relies on classic sales instruments to keep bed occupancy constant at 100 percent. Outside of pandemic times, these include guided tours of the hospital, the open day, trade fairs and information evenings. In addition, there are regular individual appointments with relatives, which she or her colleagues also attend in the evening or at weekends. „Our measures are bearing fruit, now the second generation is already bringing their parents to us,“ says Bergmann-Ritter. Everyone can also contribute to full occupancy: 180 satisfied employees, convinced relatives and residents and last but not least the more than 100 volunteers ultimately act as ambassadors for the facility.
Tips for optimal occupancy
- stay in touch with local government and institutions
- Invite choirs, associations and kindergartens to internal events
- Organize trips to events in the village
- Manage and maintain lists of interested parties
- offer tours, information evenings, counselling sessions
- A constant drop: Keeping long-term efforts constant over years
- Outside and inside: When the employees and residents are doing well, they like to talk about their work and indirectly advertise their own facility.
