The Assisting Hands® Home Care leadership team has over 25 years of experience in the health-care industry and business operations, including finance, marketing and home health franchising. Andrew Dahle started his career with Assisting Hands in 2010 at a local office in Nampa, Idaho. By Nancy E. Williams
The Assisting Hands® Home Care leadership team has over 25 years of experience in the health-care industry and business operations, including finance, marketing and home health franchising. Andrew Dahle started his career with Assisting Hands in 2010 at a local office in Nampa, Idaho. After earning his bachelor’s degree and working in the solar energy sector in California, he decided to move back to Idaho. In 2016, he reconnected with Assisting Hands and joined the national team, which shares the same office space as the local team. In January 2021, Dahle was promoted to director of franchising and technology, and he recently shared how the franchise is performing and what sets it apart from other in-home care businesses.
“One of the things that gives Assisting Hands an advantage over other senior-care companies is that we have a smaller organization, which makes us very flexible. We’re able to make changes quickly,” explained Dahle.
“When COVID first hit, everyone was scrambling about. We had a team in place, working with attorneys in the home-care field, as new Department of Labor rulings were coming out. We were making adjustments in different states as they were materializing. That gave a big advantage to our franchise owners because we had directions and instructions for them, which meant they didn’t have to hunt down answers themselves. Those resources we provided gave them a competitive advantage. We put best-practice procedures in place very quickly. This directly contributed to growth in 2020 and led to our overall best year ever in franchise performance.”
Assisting Hands also implemented two new programs at the beginning of the pandemic: EnsureCheck and EnsureConnect. “When a client had a loved one in a nursing home, and no one was allowed to visit, our caregivers were able to go in because they were considered essential,” Dahle said.
“We provided peace of mind to families because we could visit and report back to them about the health and well-being of their loved ones. That’s EnsureCheck. With EnsureConnect, we set up video chat, FaceTime, and phone calls to make it possible for clients that did not want anyone coming in their house or if doctor’s orders were no-entry. Enabling them to connect electronically allowed them to check in and remain safe. We rolled those out quickly to include talking points and great marketing materials.”
Another thing that sets Assisting Hands apart from the competition is their trademark: Quality Home Care You Can Trust – which is further supported by the brand’s client-centered technology. Dahle explained: “From the very beginning, a core pillar for us is having quality home care and having it be something people can trust. We have an app that caregivers log into to clock in and out. This is only possible when they are at the client’s home. That ensures that the client is only being charged when the caregiver is on-site. It can also trigger alerts if someone is late clocking in, allowing an office staff member to proactively contact the client to inform them. This is excellent customer service that builds trust. The app also allows adult children, who are often the ones paying for care, to log in and see all of the activities related to the care of their parent – in real time. It’s the ultimate in transparency, reinforcing trust.”
Lastly, Dahle shared just how important trust is for Assisting Hands’ FOFO, or family of franchise owners, which is a phrase that is so significant Assisting Hands trademarked it.
“Family-like culture is very important to us. We can’t care for clients if we don’t care for our franchise owners. When an owner becomes part of Assisting Hands, they become part of the family.
We have franchise owners go on vacation with other franchise owners. It’s not uncommon for business relationships to turn into personal relationships, and we appreciate that, because they turn to each other for help when needed,” Dahle said.
To learn more about franchising opportunities at Assisting Hands, visit assistinghands.com/franchise.
– Nancy E. Williams