The alumni list keeps growing as more people complete treatment. But when it’s time to plan an event, getting a response from those contacts is a different story. Staff reach out, a few people reply and many don’t. Someone replies saying they’ll try to make it but that’s the last the team hears from them. The same thing happens with the next meetup. Eventually, staff aren’t even sure whether it’s worth planning another one.
It’s easy to blame the software when this happens. The software might be working fine. The team has a long list of alumni contacts but they aren’t really sure who still wants to hear from the center or take part in its activities. Or staff may have stopped using the platform because keeping everything updated takes more time than they expected.
There are a few things worth looking at before deciding the alumni engagement software for treatment centers isn’t useful.
-
Life Looks Different After Treatment
After leaving treatment, people have to get back into their usual routines. There might be work to catch up on, family matters to deal with or other things they’ve been putting off. So when the center sends an invitation to an alumni meeting, they may not have the time for it.
Some might be happy to come along once in a while but aren’t interested in attending something every week. Another person may prefer occasional updates without attending anything.
During discharge, staff can ask if the person wants to be part of the alumni program. Some might say they’d like to know when there’s an event coming up but don’t want regular calls or messages. Others may say they’d rather not hear from the center again. It’s worth asking instead of putting everyone’s name on the contact list.
-
Someone Has to Keep the Program Going
There’s an alumni event coming up and the coordinator has a few things to get through. They send out invitations, note down who’s coming and call a few people who had asked for more details.
The next week gets busy. A staff member is away, another event needs planning and the calls that were supposed to happen on Tuesday get pushed to Friday.
By then, more work has come in.
This is often how alumni follow-ups start falling behind. Nobody necessarily decides to stop doing them. Other work just keeps getting in the way.
The center may have started using alumni engagement software for treatment centers because keeping track of everything in emails and spreadsheets was getting difficult. Now the contact details and old conversations are easier to find. But if the staff are busy with other work and nobody has time to check on the alumni, those follow-ups can still be forgotten.
If three employees can see the same task but nobody knows who’s supposed to handle it, the software hasn’t really changed much.
-
Not Everyone Wants Another Message
Imagine receiving three invitations for events you can’t attend.
You ignore the first one because you’re working that day. The second arrives while you’re busy with something else. By the third, you don’t even open it.
A former patient might be doing exactly the same thing.
When replies start dropping, sending more messages isn’t always the answer. Sometimes staff need to look at what they’re sending.
Maybe people are only interested in certain events. Maybe they’d rather receive updates once a month instead of every week.
The alumni team can ask about those preferences and keep them in the system.
That way, someone who only wants event announcements isn’t getting every general update the facility sends out.
It also gives staff a better idea of who actually wants to hear from them.
-
Staff Don’t Always Like Using the Software
A facility buys a platform with plenty of features. Everyone gets a login, there’s a training session and the team starts using it.
A month later, someone is back to keeping their own spreadsheet.
Why?
Maybe finding a previous conversation takes too many clicks. Or the employee has to enter the same information in several places just to update one contact.
When a simple task becomes complicated, people find quicker ways of doing it.
Before choosing a platform, I’d have staff try the things they’ll be doing regularly.
Can they find the last conversation with an alumnus? Is it easy to update a phone number? Can they see who needs a follow-up without going through several screens?
These are small things but staff will be dealing with them almost every day.
There’s also no reason to start using every feature immediately. The team can begin with contact records and reminders, then add other features when they’re comfortable.
-
Some Contact Details Are Probably Outdated
A staff member sends an invitation to someone who completed treatment last year. No reply. A few weeks later, they send another message. Still nothing.
The team assumes the person isn’t interested anymore but perhaps they’re using a different phone number now.
Alumni records can become outdated, especially when people haven’t been in contact with the facility for months.
Checking contact details before discharge can help. If an alumnus gives staff a new number or email, it needs to be changed in the records too. If someone asks not to receive any more messages, staff should note that too. The center also needs to limit who can see those details and how they’re used.
-
Maybe the Events Aren’t What People Want
Sometimes the alumni team does everything right. Invitations go out on time, reminders are sent and contact information is up to date. But hardly anyone shows up.
That doesn’t necessarily mean people have lost interest in the facility. Maybe the events are always held during working hours. Or the activities just aren’t something former patients want to attend.
Some alumni may have moved away and can only join online. Others might not enjoy large gatherings. The team could talk to a few people who still attend events and some who stopped coming. Maybe the timing doesn’t suit them anymore or they’d rather do something different.
There’s not much point in having software that makes sending invitations easier if nobody is interested in the events being advertised.
What Can Facilities Do Before Changing Their Software?
Look at what happened with the alumni program over the past month. Who sent the invitations? Did anyone check the replies? Were people called back when they asked?
If staff have to search through old emails to answer these questions, getting another platform probably won’t help much.
Have one person keep track of pending calls and contact records. Check that alumni are only receiving messages they’ve agreed to receive.
It’s also worth looking at the last few events. Did more people attend when they were held in the evening? Has anyone mentioned that the location was too far away?
The team could try changing the event time or making follow-ups easier to manage before spending money on new software.
Final Thoughts
An alumni program can slowly lose momentum when staff get busy. Calls are forgotten, phone numbers change and events that once had a good turnout may not attract as many people anymore.
Alumni engagement software for treatment centers can help keep track of these things. Someone still has to call alumni, ask what events they’d like to attend and keep track of the replies. If the software already allows that, the team may not need another system.
Discussion about this post