Comm.care Tour and the takeaways (for new NDIS businesses)

The NDIS market is dynamic, but the focus of all providers is the same, providing better care to clients. Because of the growing market and tough competition among providers, a very common question among new providers is how to find clients. If you are a new or a small to medium-sized provider, you would have noticed that clients often opt for larger, more established organisations, especially in the metro areas.

Recently, our CEO and founder Juan Pereyra took the opportunity to meet our clients across Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. A common concern among new small and medium businesses emerged is...

How to attract new clients and what to do to attract them to a small provider and away from the big, established NDIS organisations?

If you have the similar concern, below are possible solutions and marketing strategies for new NDIS business.

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1. Go Niche

Targeting a specific audience is a way to stand out from the competition and create positive recognition within the market. It will attract clients who need those services the most and feel comfortable with you, making them loyal customers. Offering services within a targeted group encourages word of mouth and positive reviews, which pave the way towards a larger, more profitable business ahead. Remember, the biggest advantage of going niche is YOU! You are the expert in what you do or offer best.

How to find your niche?

• Reflect on the hobbies or skills you’re particularly passionate about. Search if there is a market demand for that skill or hobby. E.g., swimming, drumming, painting etc.
• Some organisations also create a niche network of culture, language, age group etc.
• Identify customers’ common needs and problems in your area. Research your potential clients and identify their requirements.

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2. Target remote areas

One key observation was that because the metro cities had more NDIS organisations, they had more competition. Whereas in remote areas, the clients struggle to find organisations that provide the services they require. This is where you can win! Even within 1 or 2 hrs from the cities, you will find many clients waiting for good service providers. It’s just a matter of finding available staff to provide services in that area.

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3. Network hard!

Networking is the strongest asset and contributor to business growth. Sometimes traditional marketing, like websites, emails, and social media, is a secondary contributor. If you observe, you’ll see the Return on Investment (ROI) of Networking will be significantly higher than any other strategy.

How to build a network?

• Connect and talk to other providers within the same niche.
• Build relationships. Remember, relationships are two-way; you also have to refer clients to other providers to build rapport and show support in the community. This will create strong collaboration, and others will keep you on their minds too.
• Provide the best services to your existing clients. No matter how small the number is, word of mouth will always bring you loyal customers and build a positive review of your organisation in the community.
• Build relations with caseworkers. NDIS Caseworkers are the ones on the field and in direct contact with the client. Create a pool of caseworkers and hire them under casual contracts. This will give you the liberty to put your best staff forward with the right skills based on the client's needs. Moving ahead, it might become hard to keep track and record all staff manually; this is where a CMS (Case Management System) can help you record all staff skills, interests, certifications etc., in a centralised platform allowing you to match them and provide access based on client requirements.

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4. Share data and create a transparent, collaborative environment for your clients.

Clients appreciate your organisation's transparency about them and how their money is spent on services. Recently there’s been news about how some providers are over-charging participants. Whether this happened intentionally or not, in the end, the participant suffers and misses out on proper care services, and the provider suffers from a loss of reputation. Using a collaborative care management system like Comm.care will allow you to create Circles of Care and share data with everyone associated with the client, including friends and family, to communicate better and ensure mistakes like that don’t happen to you. Don’t forget to ask for referrals and reviews, ask them for a testimonial or whether they have friends that could benefit from your services.

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5. Build relations with Support Coordinators and Plan managers.

They have authority in the NDIS community, and their word is of value to the participant. Clients trust them with their service plans and funds and understand they’ll guide them in their best interest. Connecting with local NDIS Support Coordinators and plan managers will create a pool network for them and you. Advise them about your expertise and what you can offer. This will help them to register you in their database and keep you on their mind when a need for that service/skill arises.

When dealing with plan managers, they share more than just the invoices; they are a team that understands clients’ care needs. Share relevant and basic client information from time to time and exchange emails occasionally just to keep them updated about your organisation. This is all possible with Comm.care’s Circle of Care, where the plan manager can be a part of the circle and access the client’s profile, share important information, and directly view the invoices from the system. We bet no other system facilitates this level of collaboration!

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6. Create a Google Business Profile.

Make it official and recognisable for clients to find you easily on Google. List your services, location and contact details. If I am a new NDIS client, I will simply search ‘NDIS providers near me’, and if your organisation has a business profile, you’ll be recognised by google and suggested to the client. This is simple, no-effort, free marketing you should do immediately!

And the last but most important tip is - Believe in yourself! You focus on what you do best, and we’ll help you set up Comm.care like we've helped over 700 other organisations, and you will be able to manage everything in one place.

Comm.care by Pnyx allows you to streamline your daily care management and report efforts, so you have the time and energy to focus on essential tasks like attracting new clients and providing high-quality care.

Book a demo now to explore how we can help your business deliver person-centred care at scales.