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What’s your strategic COVID-19 move? Or is that in the too hard basket? It is easy to put off making decisions even when we feel the pressure building to find a better way. Perhaps we’ll muddle through, perhaps we’ll survive, but at what cost? Cost to our staff’s mental health, cost to our patient care and the added cost of covering mistakes and paying more for ill fitting band-aid solutions.
Ask any smart financial advisor and they’ll confirm, making strategic moves that payoff, is a matter of timing. If you keep putting something in the too hard basket, things are not going to get better, in fact you’ll miss that optimal moment of opportunity. You don’t have to look too far to see an example of missed opportunity, or failure to change when the time is right, but a prime example is that of US based video rental store chain, Blockbuster.
In the early 2000’s, Blockbuster sat atop of the video rental industry and no one would have foreseen their downfall to bankruptcy a decade later. The company had opportunities aplenty, in fact in the year 2000, Reed Hastings, founder of a little known company called Netflix, presented a partnership opportunity that was ultimately laughed out of the room by Blockbuster executives. After missing this huge opportunity to become early adopters of digital platforms and potentially the frontrunners to major changes in their own industry, Blockbuster continued to put off making decisions to move with the times. It wasn’t until 2006, when the real threat of online subscription services became apparent, that they finally made moves into the digital realm. Sadly, what makes their story even more perplexing is that when they finally made plans to invest in digital platforms, they were overturned due to dissension amongst executives over the cost of investing in such systems. This was, no doubt, the final straw that led to Blockbuster’s ultimate demise and bankruptcy. Who knows, maybe one day Blockbuster will pull themselves out of the dust and build up again, but at what cost.
So, what has finance and failed companies got to do with healthcare facilities?
Well, simply they are lessons we can learn from. COVID-19 has been a feat like no other to manage and regardless of what the future holds, it is clear to see that things won’t ever be the same again. A new normal has begun. Many healthcare facilities are making the strategic move to improve their technology services. Investing in systems to improve staff rostering and scheduling has seen our clients save precious time, amongst many other benefits. Not only saving the wasted time developing and redeveloping static rosters but the ability to future plan with contingency rosters, is a lifesaver whilst amidst a crisis.
The time to act is now! Step forward into the flow of change and make strategic decisions that are going to propel you and your staff forward to manage the chaos that is unfolding before us all. Become a forward thinking healthcare facility and discover Core Schedule’s clever Rostering and Allocation software. It is built for the healthcare industry by health professionals, is easy to use, transparent and accessible to all. Take a peek at our demo to learn more.