Why Viibrant?

Viibrant first partnered with Shannondell in 2017. After a quick implementation, Shannondell rolled out the Viibrant resident engagement portal to its community in 2018. We spoke with Administrative Assistant Lori Foster to find out how things have progressed over the last few years.

Before finding Viibrant, said Lori, Shannondell’s staff relied on older, conventional methods for organizing activities and services, and administrative tasks. Many older residents felt satisfied with the largely paper-based system Shannondell was using. However, Lori said younger residents expressed an interest in using technology to simplify daily life around the community.

Shannondell wanted a solution with the technology and support to improve both their resident engagement and work processes. Viibrant’s combination of cutting- edge resident engagement technology and dedicated customer support exceeded their expectations.

Lori told us that the staff was impressed with how smoothly the onboarding experience went. Thanks to Viibrant’s configurable integration, continual support, and virtual training, Shannondell staff easily adapted to using the new system.

The Benefits: 

Since 2018, Shannondell has applied Viibrant’s resident engagement and administrative technology to multiple areas of the community. Lori described several key benefits that have helped them create a better living experience for residents.

• Less Busy-Work
  Lori noted that the centralized management dashboard and login have simplified daily tasks. The staff has less burdensome, paper-heavy busy-work and more time to focus on helping residents and expanding the community’s services.
• Better Activities
  Lori stated that resident engagement and satisfaction with community activities have increased. The activities department now revolves around Viibrant’s easily-customizable monthly calendars. This allows the staff to organize activities more quickly and ensure space and time slots are used efficiently.
• Simpler Reservation
  Shannondell’s staff uses the portal’s scheduling feature to streamline transportation and absences from the community. The automation has saved them time while giving residents more flexibility. Residents can now use the portal to easily book these items whenever they want. They continue to evaluate expanding the system for ordering to-go meals and dining reservations.
• Quicker Communication
  Lori said the staff likes how Viibrant’s communication tool allows them to quickly update residents on changes around the community. Without having to rely on mailboxes and flyers, their news and announcements reach residents far more quickly than before.
• Friendly Atmosphere
  Surveys of the residents reported that the portal makes Shannondell feel more intimate and inviting. Lori pointed out how it regularly facilitates new friendships by helping residents find others with similar interests. She noted that the more active and welcoming atmosphere makes a great selling point to potential new residents.

Resident engagement is increasing

Due to the popularity among both the staff and residents, Lori expects that Viibrant’s footprint will continue to grow at Shannondell. Residents have asked the staff to put more parts of community life on the portal to help make their lives paperless. In response, the staff is looking at the pieces of the resident engagement technology they have yet to fully adopt. These include voice recognition, document organization, interactive directories, kiosk solutions, apps, and digital signage.

To help new residents, Shannondell includes instructions for using the Viibrant portal in their welcome packets. Lori personally leads meet-and-greets every three months. Part of her presentation includes showing the new residents how to use the portal’s features. Volunteer “super-users” join each meeting wearing bright shirts inviting new residents to “ask me about our portal!” This has been key in getting new residents to quickly realize the system’s benefits.

Lori stated that Shannondell’s staff is always looking for ways to inspire current residents to take advantage of the portal. “There is such a wide range of people from all walks of life” at Shannondell, she noted. While many have quickly adopted Viibrant’s tools, the less tech-savvy members of the community have been slower to utilize it. To encourage their participation, Shannondell offers regular classes and a simplified user manual covering the portal. They also leave notes about the portal on their paper forms to remind residents to give it a try.