PSA: Senior Living Weekly Conference Call Etiquette

The Elephant on the Line: Surviving the Weekly Senior Living Conference Call

The team at SCS consider ourselves to be a lucky bunch. We do what we love and are fortunate to have clients we adore. (Ok… with a few exceptions here and there!)

So when we get funny requests or tricky questions from clients, we try to respond. The one we’ve heard a few times lately relates to those fun-filled weekly conference calls.

As veterans of the senior care industry, we understand and feel your pain. We’ve been there. Some companies have kinder, gentler versions of these weekly calls while others are downright brutal.

What all of them have in common is a few folks in the crowd who make those weekly calls even more difficult.

Conference Call Etiquette Reminders

So by client request, here are a few conference call etiquette reminders:

It’s Called Mute

Much like the unicorn, the mystical mute feature eludes many folks. They just can’t figure out how to use it. Instead, when they have to answer a question from someone who barges in to their office without knocking during the call, they stick the whole conference call on HOLD. And people on the call are stuck trying to share their numbers and goals for the week over the Circle of Care song or — slightly better— the old Pointer’s Sister song that asks you to “jump, jump for my love!”

Then there are the folks who jump on the call and decide to listen while cleaning off their desk or answering email. Clickety-clickety-click on the keyboard.

Or even worse… have whole random conversations in a whispered tone that the phone only amplifies.

Here’s a tip for you folks: we can hear you. So that triple top secret conversation you thought you were having? It just went viral…

Solution: We checked around with a few conference call providers and the most common way to mute yourself on a conference call is either *5 or *9. To unmute the call to answer a question, it’s usually *6. Check with your colleagues or host provider if neither of those work for you.

Timing is Everything

When your VP schedules the call for 2:00, it means you should hop on by 1:55 and mute the line. Not jump on at 2:03 and scramble around trying to mute for another 2 or 3 minutes. Every time you join the call late, the announcement interrupts everyone who took the time to be there on time. Its only 5 minutes folks. Your peers want you to know how irritating they find it when the same people can never, ever be on time.

Solution: Set the alarm on your cell phone or Apple watch for 15 minutes before the call. Make an all-out effort to show your peers —and your boss— you respect them and their time.

Remain Calm

We know this is easier at some companies than others. The beat-up-the-sales-team approach is an old one and a bad one. But some company cultures just haven’t caught up yet. But one thing we all know… no matter how much senior leadership tries to act all surprised that no one is moving Grandma to assisted living on Christmas Eve… they really aren’t. Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself of that when you feel the hammer coming down on your head…

Even a well-integrated sales and marketing approach can’t overcome some seasonal and cyclical issues. Try to remain calm and don’t take it personally. Once the reindeer leave the rooftops, the phone will begin ringing and the start of one of the busiest times of year in senior living will be upon us.

Solution: Be out there in the community. Have a well-optimized website and blog. Ramp up your social media. Have your teams tour ready. Take up yoga or Pilates.