Engaging alumni is on every treatment centers’ mind. What is the best way to keep in contact with alumni? What resources should you provide alumni? How do you continue to support alumni after they leave your program?
Below are 5 ways we have seen success from in terms of engaging alumni.
1) It’s not about data collection, it is about support
If you call alumni, and go straight into survey questions, you will not be able to successfully collect the information you want to improve your program. Make sure you put the patient and their needs first. There is absolutely no incentive for the patients to provide you with their updated information without anything in it for them. If you view your alumni program as a support program which provides continual support and resources to alumni post-discharge, then you will eventually collect the outcomes information you need. Many treatment centers use One Step to keep in touch with alumni using the HIPAA compliant chat, as well as giving them the ability to share resources (videos, articles etc) with alumni. Don’t wait until the 1 month or 6 month date to introduce yourself as their alumni point of contact. Introduce yourself prior to discharge so they become familiar with you and have the benefit of attaching a face to a name.
2) Alumni Engagement is NOT the same thing as Admissions
I’ve seen many treatment centers have their admissions manager also do alumni engagement. This is a terrible idea. Alumni relations is a support program. It should be focused on patient success. Admissions is a sales machine. There are completely different, and require a different set of skills and people to run the respective programs.
3) Create a digital community
Given this day and age, it is important to think about your alumni program from a digital perspective. Some programs only focus on the alumni that are in the same city as the treatment center by holding alumni dinners every quarter. It is okay to do in person events, but it is just as important or even more important to create a digital community for alumni. That way if they move away or are unable to attend the quarterly dinner, they still have a consistent way to keep in touch with you and other alumni.
4) Stay in contact regularly
Don’t wait until you want to collect information from an alumni to reach out. Reach out even before they are discharged to introduce yourself and be a supporter of theirs from the beginning. It is important to develop a relationship with them. You should be in contact with them weekly especially at the beginning.
5) Treat it as an investment
Building a robust alumni program is difficult and takes a lot of resources. If you try and do it with minimum resources, it will fail. An alumni program is an investment in the future of your patients’ success and should not be treated as merely a line item of your expenses.
If you want to learn more about how treatment centers use One Step to build and maintain an alumni program, email info@onestepsoftware.com or fill out the contact form below.