Keeping Connections Alive

A Different Kind of CRM

Continuum CRM changes the way you'll view customer relationship management tools in Senior Living. It goes beyond activity tracking for the Marketing & Sales department. It helps sales people manage relationships and marketers track campaigns. For managers and corporate team leaders, it’s a powerful data-driven machine capable of providing insights to achieve better budgeting and strategic measures.

Keeping Connections Alive

Sales Associate, JoEllyn Bross Uses Continuum CRM to Keep Her Connections Alive

For faith-based senior living community, Villa St. Benedict, the dedication to maintaining a high degree of personal contact is non-negotiable and cannot be put aside, even as the pandemic has kept so many individuals from visiting them in person.

Villa St. Benedict, located in Lisle, Illinois is a not-for-profit senior living community with options ranging from independent living to memory care.

JoEllyn Bross, Sales Associate at Villa St. Benedict, is a big part of their commitment to remain connected to residents and staff, as well as to seniors living in the greater community around them. Sustaining that level of engagement means keeping track of an abundance of details shared during visits and phone conversations. And it means making lots of calls to check in with people. Anything less than a full out effort is not an option for JoEllyn, someone for whom assisting those in need is a deeply felt commitment.

JoEllyn relies on Continuum CRM to even out her calling schedule.

Prior to using Continuum CRM to support client and prospect interactions, JoEllyn, like many others, did a lot of her work on paper. “I used notecards to keep track of everything,” she says. It wasn’t easy, nor was it efficient. “On certain days I’d schedule like 40 calls, and I wouldn’t know it until that day. I’d end up with 40 calls; it would just be a killer.”

The amount of phone calls and other assignments JoEllyn faced on a daily basis helped fuel the decision several years ago to turn in her notecards for a CRM solution. Central to her needs was a sophisticated scheduling system to handle the variety and volume of work she had on a daily basis. She and the team turned to Continuum CRM for help.

Today, our calendar and planning functionality is what JoEllyn relies upon most to keep her organized and to eliminate nasty surprises. “What’s nice in this system, is that I can look forward. I make a note when I’m getting too many [calls]. Then I can look ahead and schedule to even it out. It tells how many calls scheduled in past month and the past due items,” she says.

“By having this tool in place, I know exactly where I am, what I need to do today.”

We refer to JoEllyn as one of our “power users”, and it’s what JoEllyn feels has made the relationship with Continuum so strong. “Being a power user means that we were able to help you create something super useful to us,” she tells us. “By us playing a role in building it, it became ‘ours’; customized for what we needed it to be.”

JoEllyn considers the scheduling functionality in Continuum CRM her “lifeline”. “I spend a lot of time every day talking to people or visiting them. By having this tool in place, I know exactly where I am, what I need to do today.”

Our philosophy at Continuum CRM has always been to make our software fit the organization’s needs and how they want to work… not the other way around.

“Then, when they move in it’s like they’re just moving home.”

And she has a suggestion for other CRM users; namely to make sure you are putting in as many details as possible about each resident and/or prospect, so that you are in a better position to ask questions like “How’s your son doing, has he recovered from his treatment?” or “How was your knee surgery?”

JoEllyn relies on these notes to keep her conversations personal. “Even if I don’t remember exactly what I’ve talked about, it’s in my notes,” she says. “Then, when they move in it’s like they’re just moving home.”

I’m here to help. I want to be a good resource!”

We asked JoEllyn what she looks forward to most as the pandemic lifts. Not surprisingly it’s getting out and connecting in person with seniors who are still reluctant to leave their homes. “I’m told that I’m a pretty good counselor,” she says. She feels that her experience and empathy as a former elder abuse case manager has served her well.

“Even if they don’t qualify to move here. I help them find resources. Do I want to make sales? Of course, I do! But I’m here to help. I want to be a good resource!”

And we are honored to provide the CRM tools that helps her do that.

Give us a call at 800-570-6030 and see how Continuum CRM can improve your sales and marketing effectiveness without breaking the bank. Or, feel free to visit our website www.continuumcrm.com to learn more.


Lynn Madderra

Lynn brings more than 20 years of experience in business process consultation, project management and data analysis. For over a decade, she has been focused on the CRM space. Lynn strives to ensure that all customers are successful in implementing, using, and realizing the ongoing benefits of their CRM investments.