Over the past 20 years, the number of older adults wishing to age in place—in the home and community they know and love—has increased exponentially. For the technology team at the Right at Home franchise, the growing demand for quality in-home care is seen as a challenge to innovate. The Right at Home franchise opportunity empowers franchise owners and caregivers to help clients age in place.
Generally speaking, elderly and differently-abled adults can successfully age in place when they have access to adequate resources such as healthcare, housekeeping services, companionship, transportation, safety, social interaction, and physical activities.
As individuals overwhelmingly desire to age in place, more families are relying on external caregivers to keep their loved ones safe, healthy, and living as independently as possible. This, in turn, drives demand in the in-home care sector and the need for advanced technologies to manage and support in-home care business operations.
Right at Home, a leading in-home care franchise, is continually looking for new ways technology can improve the way people in need connect with exceptional caregiving services. Their franchise owners and caregivers empower seniors to accomplish daily tasks such as shopping, housekeeping, and meal preparation and provide wellness checks and companionship.
Right at Home Franchise—Where Technology Meets Demand
According to a 2023 report, the need for caregivers will continue to mushroom well into the next decade while the ratio of available home care workers to clients has declined. Brady Schwab, chief growth officer for Right at Home, says the two most significant pressures faced by in-home care companies today are caregiver availability and cost of care.
Raising caregiver salaries and providing opportunities for career advancement are two ways companies hope to attract and retain talent. Still, staffing shortages are likely to continue as the American population ages.
“The labor shortage creates pricing pressure for the consumer, and we’re committed to providing services to everyone who needs them, not just those who are fortunate enough to be able to afford them,” Schwab said.
Right at Home’s Innovation Task Force, made up of corporate employees and franchise owners, looks for ways technology can provide better care, improve caregiver relationships, and help franchisees grow their businesses.
Renee Pfister, a Right at Home Franchise Owner in Upstate South Carolina and a member of the Innovation Task Force, said, “It is the mission of Right at Home to Improve the quality of life for those we serve. To fulfill this mission, we continually look for ways to improve our businesses, increase accessibility for clients, and create a rewarding career, both intrinsically and financially, for our employees. To do this, we realize that we need to challenge ourselves to be innovative. We strive to integrate new ideas and technologies that will improve efficiencies in our office and allow us to remain competitive in our recruitment and retention efforts. As a member of Right at Home’s Strategic Leadership Council and specifically a participant in the Innovation and Technology Task Force and the Operational Efficiency Task Force, our office has tested and/or implemented new technologies to make our operations more streamlined.”
“For example, we use a technology that assists with recruiting efforts by contacting applicants, screening them, and allowing them to schedule their interviews. Once they complete the interview, it guides them through the onboarding process. We also use a technology that allows caregivers who have worked with clients, to choose future open shifts,” Pfister explained. “We are testing a new app that gamifies and rewards healthy work habits. This will be a workplace differentiator that embeds positive recognition into our employment practices. Soon, we will be one of the first offices to pilot a CRM. This system will reduce the tech stack, create efficiencies in our office, and help mainstream our communication with clients, employees, and referral sources to ensure satisfaction throughout their journey with Right at Home. These innovations will help Right at Home remain the best in the industry.
“Right at Home wants to serve the needs of our franchisees and support the families of the clients we serve. Human caregiving is not going out of style anytime soon and providing quality caregiving is central to what we do,” Schwab said. “We also need to be thoughtful about how we can use technology to improve the experience for our caregivers—whether it’s how they’re scheduled, what kind of communications they receive, or what kind of communication the client receives before a caregiver’s arrival. There are multiple lenses we look through—the sweet spot is our ability to provide value to our clients, franchisees, and caregivers—and then everything else can take care of itself.”
“Right at Home has a powerful franchise community. Our Strategic Leadership Council (SLC) helps connect franchisee and client needs with dedicated innovation and technology systems that work. The SLC helps corporate leadership understand the challenges and prioritize serving the needs of franchisees, attracting more clients, more caregivers, and in turn, making the business more profitable.”
How the Right at Home Franchise Provides Data-Driven Patient Care
As the Right at Home franchise system develops new technologies, it leverages its corporate-owned locations to test new solutions before rolling them out to its franchisee network. The company’s Innovation Task Force tests and provides feedback on any innovations the corporate office develops, ensuring that they make sense at scale before introducing them to franchise owners.
“Personal relationships, the cornerstone of quality care, are also critical to serving those in need. Technology can’t replace human interaction, but it can help caregivers and families connect and better understand clients’ needs,” Schwab said.
“Right at Home is currently testing several technologies in its corporate offices to see what solutions work best. As always, we are focused on balancing exceptional service with information collection and patient privacy.”
Experts in the company’s data and intelligence department are focused on leveraging artificial intelligence to develop applications that can bring clients into its suite of services sooner and over a longer period of time.
“That not only leads to a longer lifetime value for Right at Home clients but also enables franchise owners and caregivers to provide better care and build stronger relationships,” Schwab said.
“When we combine AI with the data collection that comes from devices in the home like motion detection and pattern recognition, for example, the opportunity to inform care decisions is taken to a whole new level. The data and insights enable us to provide care in anticipation of client needs rather than in response to a fall or change in health condition.”
Another key focus for the company’s innovators is solving the challenges of social isolation—which can have detrimental psychological and physiological effects on its clients.
“As individuals age or their health declines, the impact of social isolation can take a toll. People value connection, even if it’s virtual,” Schwab said. “Right at Home is particularly interested in ways technology can help clients stay connected to loved ones well before they require an in-home caregiver.”
“We want to solve the full spectrum of our clients’ and franchise owners’ needs. To empower franchisees to help folks age in place with a greater degree of health, wellness, dignity, and social connection.”
So far, early reaction to the company’s latest prototypes has been extremely positive.
“Not every technology or solution is right in every market. But where there’s a good fit, we want to ensure we have a robust solution, not just an idea,” Schwab said.
Matt Field, a Right at Home Franchise owner in Chicagoland has been engaging with the Right at Home corporate staff and franchisees to help reimage the future of home care through technology. “Working with this team on our latest innovations has been exciting! As the world is increasingly influenced by leaps and bounds in the development of groundbreaking innovations and technology, exploring ways to integrate new and augmented approaches to care and operations gives me great hope for the future of our industry,” he said. “The tools provided by Right at Home enable us to provide a level of care that will empower our clients to remain safely at home as tasks of daily living become more challenging. Right at Home is taking the necessary steps to ensure that it not only remains relevant but is a trailblazer in the home care space. The company continually works to identify, develop, and implement innovative solutions that represent a hybrid of new ideas and resources that were unthinkable 10 years ago. Together with the irreplaceable person-to-person connection with our clients, their families, and our employees—ensure that people are treated with dignity and compassion.”
Developing Technology That Supports Business Growth
There’s always room for greater efficiency and profitability in an industry poised for explosive growth. The Right at Home franchise is consistently innovating to provide cutting-edge tools and technologies that can help franchise owners provide exceptional care while strategically growing their businesses over time.
“Right at Home is exploring new process improvements, including adopting AI capabilities that will give franchise owners key marketing and sales insights that can help inform future strategic decisions around client acquisition,” Schwab said.
“On the care management side, AI will soon augment the caregiver scheduling process, better match caregivers with clients, and help owners better predict future care planning.”
Right at Home was founded in 1995 by Allen Hager, an administrator who spent nearly a decade working in hospitals. Having seen firsthand how many older patients were readmitted to the hospital after returning home with no one to care for them, Hager launched Right at Home. After five years in business, Hager opened the company to franchise opportunities to bring in-home care help to clients and their loved ones across America.
Today, Right at Home has over 700 locations across six countries and more than 90 support staff at its global corporate headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Its offices have provided over 280 million hours of care to clients.
Are You Motivated by Enriching the Lives of Those in Need?
Beau Green, a multi-unit Right at Home franchise owner in Alabama and Tennessee, said of his experience with the technology rollouts, “Being involved in and representing our franchise system has been incredibly fulfilling for me. Our technology continues to advance as we assess, adopt, and implement cutting-edge innovations in the home. It’s very exciting putting these plans into action! Having a unified, custom-tailored, best-in-class CRM specifically designed for Right at Home will likely represent the most impactful advancement I’ve witnessed in our business during my ownership tenure.”
Right at Home eases the burden for family and friends of seniors who are often overwhelmed with providing and coordinating care for their loved ones. At the same time, it provides a robust business model for owners looking to help clients and grow their businesses.
Each Right at Home franchise owner receives robust training, innovative tools, ongoing support, and one-on-one guidance from a dedicated Business Performance Coach.
The Right at Home franchise has won several awards from franchise and in-home healthcare organizations throughout the years. The franchise has been an FBR Franchisee Satisfaction Award winner for the past 15 years, claiming a coveted spot in Franchise Business Review’s Hall of Fame. It has also won several other awards from Franchise Business Review including Most Profitable, Most Innovative, Top Recession-Proof, Top Culture, Top Franchise for Veterans, and Top Recession-Proof Franchise from Franchise Business Review for several years.
Franchise Business Review recently asked Right at Home franchise owners 33 benchmark questions about their experiences owning and operating their businesses.
- 94% of franchisees said they would recommend Right at Home franchise ownership to others.
- 90% of franchisees said that the company acts with honesty and integrity.
- 88% of franchisees said they enjoy being part of the Right at Home franchise system.
Individual franchise owners are reaping the rewards of the company’s commitment to innovation. At the end of 2022, the average annual net billing per Right at Home office was nearly $1.45 million, with a 46.93% profit margin.
According to the company’s 2023 Financial Disclosure Document (FDD), individuals interested in investing in a Right at Home franchise must meet some financial requirements.
- Total startup investment: $88,719 to $157,669, including franchise fee
- Franchise fee: $49,500 or $37,125 for honorably discharged veterans
- Minimum Liquid Assets to be considered for a franchise: $150,000
- Royalties: 5% of revenue
Owning an in-home care franchise allows you to build wealth now and for future generations. Right at Home franchise owners serve clients in specific territories and do not compete with one another. Each territory is defined by zip codes that include 15,000 to 30,000 people aged 65 and older.
It’s important to carefully research any franchise opportunity and speak with franchise owners within the system. You must also determine your personal and financial goals and consider the time and money you are willing to invest in your business.
To learn more about the Right at Home franchise opportunity and request a free Right at Home franchise kit:
Call: 866-350-9770
Email: [email protected]
Visit: rightathomefranchise.com
