Since the pandemic, tech priorities have been changing, opening up new avenues for innovation in the seniors care industry, according to Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau.
Since the pandemic, tech priorities have been changing, opening up new avenues for innovation in the seniors care industry, according to Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau.
A graduate of the University of Ottawa, Audette-Bourdeau started her first business, a specialized goalie school called Camp Pulsion, at just 17. She then went on to create event marketing agency AmbiZion. Today, Audette-Bourdeau is best known as the founder and CEO of Welbi, a platform that helps senior living communities personalize the experience for residents by finding ways to get them out of their room and engaged.Â
In this instalment of Top of Mind in Tech, Audette-Bourdeau discusses how her company is taking advantage of changing needs in its client base, finding ways to maintain high retention rates, and fostering a positive workplace culture in an uncertain time for the tech industry.
The transcript is edited for length and clarity.
Changing tech priorities for senior groups
“There have been a few changes over the years, especially since the pandemic. There was definitely an awakening moment for a lot of senior living communities, understanding the importance of life enrichment and how crucial technology can be when they were short-staffed. There’s been this big change and the recognition that senior living needed the help of technology in order to provide the right care for residents, so they can be as healthy and well as possible for as long as possible.Â
“A lot of senior groups adopted technology very quickly during the pandemic because they needed solutions quickly. Now, they’re finally taking the time to readjust and reevaluate what type of technologies they’ve deployed and whether they were the best fit. We’re seeing a lot of groups are not satisfied with the tech they adopted over the pandemic. It’s a big advantage for us. Our clients are extremely happy and they’ve been telling others how satisfied they’ve been and the impact we’re having. Word of mouth is going out. It’s given us a big opportunity to grow.
“We’ve implemented a whole referral program. There’s a big churn in the industry where users will move from one community to another and they can recommend us in their new community. It’s been a very successful program. We’ve also been really trying to be at the forefront of this change by offering webinars online, so they can learn more about new technologies. By doing these two programs, it’s really helped us build our brand recognition outside of Canada. We own the majority of the market here, but we are now penetrating the U.S. That’s been a big focus of ours.”
Maintaining high client retention and satisfaction
“When we first started in senior living, what I noticed is that the quality of the software and customer experience was lacking. We’re talking onboarding that lasted months to years. It took so long to roll out one platform, and once it’s done, they’re taking a break before they jump into something new. One of the biggest things we wanted to do was (make sure people knew) this is not what you should expect. (You should expect) real technologies that are well-built, good user experience on the platform, and good support at all times. I heard horror stories that people would wait two weeks to get an answer from customer service. That is not acceptable in the tech industry. We need to listen to our users and be on the forefront of their requests and support them.
“Especially in our space, where we know that many clients are not extremely tech savvy, we needed to make sure that was our No. 1 focus. Our onboarding takes six hours and we get tons of comments about how empowered people feel. After that, we have regular check-ins. I think that has made us maintain such a high retention rate. It’s actually saving them time and we make sure that we are proactive instead of reactive.
“It’s our biggest differentiator in the industry. I know for a fact that our competitors are losing more and more of their clients. For me, it’s extremely important that we maintain those clients and make the experience on our platform happy. We want them to stay and tell others about us. It’s top of mind because as we are taking over some of our competitors' clients, we want to make sure that they stay on, because that means that we’re not only better, but that we’re actually delivering on our promise.”
Workplace culture and transparency
“I think in the tech industry, there’s definitely been a lot of ups and downs in terms of the market and how things are going. But I think even though this period hasn't been easy for all tech companies, our company really stood together, and they just decided we’re going to get through it together. My team decided to step up. I’m very proud to be at the stage where I believe we have the right people in the right positions. Everyone knows what they need to accomplish. Just knowing that I can sleep at night, knowing that my team is handling every aspect of the company and they’re giving it 100 per cent because they know the impact they can have, it’s just great. Talking to other CEOs and peers in the tech industry, it hasn’t been easy. I think in hard times, that is when you get to see the real side of your team and I’ve gotten to see the good of it.Â
“I think for us (building a successful team) has always been about being transparent at all times. I’ve always been transparent about where we stood, what was top of mind for me, and what ups and downs we were foreseeing. Because I was so transparent, I think everybody felt the need to step it up because they knew that what they were sacrificing or working towards would at the end turn into something positive for the company as a whole. Being transparent and leading by example have always been my top two ways to lead the team and, so far, it seems to be working out.” 
