Customer Profile

LivWell Health offers a secure, cloud-based solution for senior living and community-based organizations to enhance communications with seniors and their loved ones, improve staff productivity and drive innovative programs for future growth.

The LivWell Health information management system was born out of the desire to offer seniors living independently at home, or within a community, a vibrant lifestyle rich with hospitality-level services. Based on the highly scalable Force.com platform, applications include resident/senior portals, integrated CRM, service request management and interactive digital signage solutions.

The Challenge

Innovative senior living communities are upgrading their communities and investing in technology to deliver a resort-level lifestyle and attract the next generation of web-savvy residents.

In addition to resident portal solutions, LivWell Health’s customers wanted one system to replace print-based calendars, dining menu and community news with an aesthetically pleasing digital signage solution which fit into the theme of resort-style living.

“Our customers wanted to eliminate paper as the primary means of communication of classes, events, dining menus and news,” said Alex Go, LivWell Health CEO. “In addition, the marketing group wanted us to develop a solution with a WOW factor during tours to drive market differentiation.”

Despite the obvious intent to communicate with residents, these paper missives are not only inconvenient (residents typically have to walk to numerous posting locations from their rooms to stay informed) it’s also difficult to keep them up to date.

“Even if the paper announcements happen to be delivered to their rooms, scheduled events change all the time,” said Go. “The communities end up having lots of scheduling issues, and they don’t have a means of efficiently communicating the changes to residents.”

That, of course, is where the LivWell Health solution comes in. A secure repository for a community’s information, which can be entered by authorized individuals via an intuitive online interface, the cloud-based content can be updated and redistributed in a matter of minutes. It can then be digitally broadcast to various locations throughout the facility. Seniors can access it in room or via an independent in-house TV network, for example, for easy access to content that is always up to date.

The next step in the plan was to supplement these capabilities with accessible, eye-catching digital signage in high traffic areas such as main lobbies or social areas.

“We were looking for three key features,” said Go. “First and foremost we wanted the signage to be interactive, to engage the residents and encourage their participation. We were also looking for a portrait solution, which improves accessibility for those in wheelchairs. And we also wanted something free-standing, rather than wall-mounted, to facilitate greater interaction and easier installation.”

The Solution

After reviewing options from several manufacturers, LivWell Health selected the free-standing ViewSonic EP5555T 55″ double-sided interactive ePoster, which met all the requisites: vibrant HD display with top-quality color, contrast and clarity in a vertical, free-standing format – along with being a great value.

“The ViewSonic ePoster was just the right combination of finish, functionality and price point,” said Go, adding that in addition to meeting all requirements the ePoster really stood out. “We really liked the piano black finish, and it’s very sleek yet substantial. At about the size of a door, this signage really lends itself to capturing attention – it has presence and delivered on the WOW factor our customers desired.”

The Results

As predicted by Go, the ePosters displaying LivWell content are indeed making an impact in their initial pilot locations in three cities across California, including a facility managed by Brookdale – the largest senior center operator in the U.S.

“It’s been very well received. Everyone in these locations has really found it great,” said Go. “In terms of the residents, they love it. They see it as a giant iPad; it’s not intimidating. Not only is it helpful to them to see all the info they need there in one place and always up to date, it’s turned into a focal gathering point, creating new social opportunities.”
Residents aren’t the only ones enjoying the convenience and allure of the ePoster.

“The beautiful door-sized ePoster offers an outstanding marketing opportunity,” said Go. “By its very presence it demonstrates that a community is on the technology forefront, and it’s ideal for showcasing the facility to prospective residents.”

It’s common to see tour guides stop at the ePoster, said Go, using it as an interactive visual guide to the facilities’ menus, events and other community offerings.

“We’re even seeing marketing directors put community floor plans into the ePoster content as a way to facilitate discussions with prospective residents,” said Go. “Then they can stand in front of a large image of the map and point out various locations as they talk about them. It’s so much more interactive and engaging than just handing prospects a brochure.”

Deployment, said Go, has been trouble-free and easier than if they had used a wall-mounted display. In fact, he said, from start to finish working with ViewSonic has been a pleasure.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with Ryan, our ViewSonic CDW account rep. He’s been an overall great partner to work with,” said Go. “I think that often people don’t realize the value of good customer service – for me, finding a really strong partner helps us drive a transformation in long term care. Ryan has been just great and has been really proactive in supporting our market development.”

Go looks forward to expanding upon LivWell Health’s initial successes with his ViewSonic and CDW partners.
“Our software solution is cloud based and highly scalable, ViewSonic has the right functional requirements and support, and CDW has been a good integration partner for all of us,” said Go. “Now we’re ready to expand.”

With over 50 communities poised to deploy the LivWell Health digital signage solution via ViewSonic ePosters in the next six months, hundreds of active qualified leads, and a concept ripe for expansion into other markets, the future for LivWell Health looks as high-impact as the Viewsonic ePoster solution itself.