Categories
Uncategorized

Fatigue management in the workplace: The Lifeflight Fatigue Tracker App

The diversity in our work is one of the things we enjoy most at Lokava. Every client and every project we undertake is vastly different, which means that whenever we begin a new mission, we gain the opportunity to absorb a lot of new knowledge around industries we might not otherwise have had an insight into previously. And naturally, working in such a hands-on manner with our clients, it’s impossible not to become invested in their goals.

Out of the many successful projects we’ve undertaken for clients, one of the many we’re very proud to have worked on is for LifeFlight Australia, a world leader in aeromedical care; that is, emergency services provided by helicopters or aeroplanes. For residents of Queensland, round the clock care is offered, regardless of where you live within the state. As a world leader in aeromedical care, LifeFlight’s round-the-clock effort in saving lives is nothing short of extraordinary.

For over four decades, the lives of Queensland residents have been saved thanks to LifeFlight’s bold response to emergencies. Being able to take to the air means response times are incredibly fast, and areas that may otherwise have been inaccessible can be reached. Staff training is comprehensive and intense, so any situation can be reacted to and adapted to on the fly. Dangerous situations are common, although for the experienced LifeFlight team, it’s all in a day’s work.

Lokava first came into contact with LifeFlight when they approached us in late 2018 with a special request. The nature of emergency medical services means that many staff end up working long hours, and burnout can come on quickly without careful staff management. LifeFlight needed us to develop them an app that would streamline this process: a comprehensive fatigue management system, built from the ground up.

 

Why is fatigue management important?

If staff fatigue isn’t handled well by senior management, burnout can occur. When people are stretched too far in their roles, working back-to-back shifts and losing out on sleep, there’s no limit to the potential negative effects. For the staff members themselves, this might mean a decline in physical health – sleep is restorative for our bodies – and serious harm to mental health, too. Without adequate rest, mental health problems such as anxiety and depression can spiral out of control. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Staff who are overexerted and running on fumes can mean a potentially severe impact of the wellbeing of emergency patients. This might stem from complications due to slowed response times, missed details, or the inability to provide adequate care. In short, when people’s lives are hanging in the balance, having an exhausted, burned-out team in charge of those lives can be strongly detrimental. Therefore, the app LifeFlight had called on Lokava to build was of utmost importance – and we couldn’t wait to get involved and help in making a positive difference.

 

How did we approach the problem?

After many in-depth talks with the team at LifeFlight, our proposed solution was to create a custom-made app for the company’s medical team to use via their mobile phones. Reporting in the app would be handled by a web-based system. The app would work by using data on staff member’s sleep, input by users. This information would then be used to perform a calculation on how fatigue would likely progress and impact the individual over the course of the next 24 hours.

This would mean that management within LifeFlight would have a clear view of which employees were likely to be more tired on any given day, and could plan shift patterns and staffing accordingly. The reporting functionality through the web-based backend of the app would be able to accurately interpret the user information entered, and could be thereby exported for closer analysis.

A key aspect of the app was its design: it had to be simple and clear. This was crucial for two reasons: to avoid taking up time from any given staff member’s day, and to prevent the incorrect entry of data – which of course, may have led to serious repercussions further down the line. In addition, to make the login process smooth and easy, we proposed using Microsoft Azure AD sign in, which would allow doctors and other staff members to log in to the app using their company email address and password, to keep things simple and streamlined.

 

The outcome

We first built a smaller-scale version of the app as a prototype, and when running early tests, we experienced very promising results. We took into account feedback from our early test group and added minor updates to the code as and when required. Several months later, the LifeFlight Fatigue Tracker app was finally ready to be rolled out to the rest of the organisation’s staff.

Since we first deployed the app and instructed the LifeFlight team how to use it effectively, it has become an integral part of the day to day business. Today, it helps keep medical staff operating all over Queensland to stay sharp, healthy, and happy – both on the job, and at home. In turn, this means that the patients treated by LifeFlight have access to the best care possible. If you’re interested in learning more about the software specifically, you can refer to our case study here.

 

An important addition during the pandemic

Since the beginning of 2020, doctors and medical staff have been run off their feet, all around the world. Reliance on emergency medical services has shot up in many countries and organisations like LifeFlight have been working hard to keep up. With apps like the one we’ve developed for LifeFlight, it is increasingly possible for lives to continue to be saved, and for optimum care to be provided, time and time again.

There will always be a need for innovative emergency care for organisations such as LifeFlight. Now, with effective fatigue management technology available to their entire workforce, they’re able to leave burnout in the past, and focus on saving lives.

Categories
Uncategorized

How a brilliant, personalised CRM system will help grow your business

It doesn’t matter how revolutionary your products or services are, a business won’t get far without customers – engaged, loyal, satisfied customers at that. You can have a useful and innovative product, a slicker-than-your-average website, and present inspiring talks to audiences around the world, but without an efficient, powerful CRM system, your business will forever struggle to retain customers, and in turn, gain new ones.

In 2021, managing interactions with customers has never been so important, and nor has it been so complex. With so many avenues to choose from in terms of communication, it can be jarring at the outset. There are many pre-built CRM systems out there, all claiming to be your company’s only hope at maintaining excellent customer relationships. And of course, some of them will work. Some will even work well. However, if you want your company to flourish, the best option is to have a CRM system built specifically to your company’s needs.

Now, before we get into ‘Why’, let’s start with ‘What’.

 

What is a CRM system, exactly?

CRM stands for customer relationship management. It refers to the various methods by which companies communicate with customers, whether that be for the purpose of driving sales, marketing, or keeping relations positive. These methods of contact typically use data analysis to spot trends and communicate with large numbers of customers at once, through tactics such as email campaigns. Once upon a time, CRM systems were complex and unwieldy and difficult to learn. As time has gone by, however, they’re growing increasingly potent and are far simpler to master.

By collecting, organising, managing and interpreting all of your customers’ data, a strong CRM system allows you to follow the buyer journey of each customer individually, to assess which parts of your marketing and outreach campaigns are the most successful, and which parts of your strategy need work. All of this can then be used to improve your customers’ experience, as well as the likelihood of them using your company.

 

What are the benefits of a CRM system built from the ground up?

A CRM system built specifically for your business brings with it many benefits, as well as dodging certain pitfalls that may be associated with more generic, one-size-fits-all CRM systems.

 

1 – Measure the metrics you want

Every company has wildly different metrics to monitor, and the benefit of a purpose-built CRM is that you can pick and choose precisely which metrics to look at. This can not only save time, but can help to ensure nothing goes under the radar.

 

2 – Streamline your data

Just as you can set the metrics you do want, with a personalised CRM system you can also choose which metrics you don’t want. With an overload of information, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed and focused on metrics which don’t matter to your vision overall. By selecting solely the information that you need, you can streamline your goals, save precious time, and focus more readily on what really matters: keeping your customers happy.

 

3 – Lower costs

The retainer costs of using a pre-built CRM system can, in the long run, be far higher than the one-off payment for having your own CRM system custom-made. Plus, if there are any issues with your custom-built system, you’ll be able to train staff up so they can make edits as necessary, rather than being forced to wait for a response from a remote IT team. 

 

4 – Increased flexibility

Many pre-built CRM systems are built within a rigid framework; one your business must exist within. When running your own custom-made CRM system, there is no task too great or too small; any request you have can be put into operation, whether it’s for new metrics and parameters or a decluttered interface. When creating your own CRM system, you’ll work closely with experts to design your ideal tool – one that puts all the information regarding your customers, plus the means of replying to certain numbers of them – all in one place.

 

5 – Custom Reports

When using a CRM system that wasn’t created specifically for your business, you’ll be using a one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to reporting. It’s common for businesses using pre-built CRM systems to experience difficulties and large costs when attempting to retrieve custom reports. When you have had a say in every step of the way to creating your own CRM system, however, reporting is simple, quick, and can hit every criteria you need with minimal fuss.

 

Case Study: Vitality Club

Lokava was approached by Vitality Club, a healthcare company based in Sydney. They were already aware of the benefits of having an effective CRM solution for their business, however they’d originally opted for a well-known off-the-shelf option. They listed the downsides of this as it being expensive long term, as well as a lack of flexibility within the tool itself, and an inability to make amendments to reporting options. Alongside the fact that customisation was very limited with their CRM system, it was clear they would benefit from something a little more bespoke, particularly as their company was growing. They engaged Lokava on an exploratory project to deliver a CRM design prototype.

The first part of the process was for Lokava to have a succession of conversations with Vitality Club about their exact needs and visions for their ideal CRM system. Over several months, this helped us get a clear picture of the processes that already existed, as well as ones that it would be beneficial to create and integrate. This was a deep dive into the existing end to end processes at the company and what could potentially be changed to achieve a better outcome. 

Once these requirements gathering discussions were completed the Lokava team spent several months creating the CRM design prototype. This was an interactive process where online tools were used to share and seek feedback on designs. Further in-person meetings took place as well to discuss elements of the designs as well as the underlying processes in greater detail. Ultimately Lokava was able to present a fully realised design prototype, one that provided Vitality Club with proof of what a custom CRM could do for their organisation.

 

The bottom line

A sleek, user-friendly customer relationship management system can save your company thousands of hours, and help you maintain your existing customer base while reaching out to new ones based on existing trends. A custom-built CRM does all this and more: it gives you full control, and a much deeper insight into your customers and how they browse and buy. Furthermore, you will be able to customise your reporting and analytics to an extent that would most likely be cost prohibitive in many cases with an off the shelf CRM. 

If you’d like to talk further about what a custom-made customer relationship management system can do for your company, get in touch today, and let’s chat!