A new era for care home reviews: e-Reception Book and Autumna

Reviews, whether critical, insightful, or penned with praise, each provide sought-after information for care seekers to compare.

With that in mind, both Autumna and our new integration partner, e-Reception Book, felt that it was about time to digitise reviews in care settings that have an e-Reception Book.

After all, knowledge is power and we want people searching for care on Autumna to feel empowered to make informed decisions.

Introducing e-Reception Book

e-Reception Book technology has revolutionised the way visitors check in and out of care settings, creating a digital log to improve the safety of residents and staff.

Not content with creating a leading digital visitor management system, they continued with their journey to excellence in the healthcare sector.

In partnership with Autumna, e-Reception Book has yet again pushed for better communication and clarity, this time with live ratings.

Live ratings are… live

Ever innovative and looking for ways to improve transparency between care providers and people looking for care, this new partnership allows us to provide reviews from visitors directly to their Autumna premium profile in real time.

If you’ve ever compared a service online based on reviews, you’ll know that the review date isn’t always available. That’s because reviews are often manually uploaded, and a lack of resources means they become outdated quickly, which isn’t helpful if you need care and want to know the quality of the service.

A decision about who to trust for care services can’t be made wholeheartedly when based on outdated information that might not reflect the current standard in a care setting. A person with accurate information based on real-time data can make an informed decision. Without that, people searching for care simply don’t have the right tools to make decisions with confidence.

We thought about this with e-Reception Book and concluded that the solution was live-ratings.

How do live ratings work?

Imagine a reception at a care home; the traditional, dusty logbook is replaced by a tablet that allows visitors to sign in and out effortlessly. Simple, smart, and handy for when staff are unable to man the reception desk.

Through this recent collaboration between Autumna and e-Reception Book, visitors can now leave a review as they sign out.

That information, whether positive or negative, is automatically pulled through to the care provider’s premium profile on Autumna, the UK’s largest directory of care homes, home care, live-in care and retirement living, with 2.5 million visits a year.

That’s great news for care providers

Care providers could be more likely to receive reviews. Asking a visitor for a review via email can be fruitless. Even with the best intentions, people say they’ll leave a review later but don’t always.

In comparison, prompting a visitor as they sign out is more likely to result in a real-time review. They’re already on the tablet, signing out after their visit. Asking at this point is convenient and because the review is left directly after their visit, the information they leave may be more accurate too. A review built on accuracy is valuable to potential future residents and their families.

Transparency builds trust

The ability to read real-time reviews based on recent visits creates transparency, builds trust and ultimately results in care seekers contacting care providers.

Autumna and e-Reception Book work with hundreds of care providers and are both aware of the outstanding work that goes unrecognised. Asking for reviews naturally falls to the bottom of the to-do list when you work in care.

Live ratings don’t require busy care staff to manually upload or manage reviews; they can rely on the technology to pull through the review and be assured that care seekers visiting Autumna can see the latest feedback on their services.

We have improved the process of visitors capturing live feedback

Mike Gainey, Head of Sales at e-Reception Book, commented on the integration, saying:

“This integration strengthens our commitment to real-time responsiveness and ensures that every visitor’s experience is heard, valued, and utilised to foster improvement and refinement in our offerings. We are excited about this great collaboration and look forward to delivering an even more enriched and dynamic experience to all visitors.”

Every piece of advice, praise, or criticism is immediately available

Debbie Harris, Managing Director for Autumna, shared her passion for the integration, stating:

“This powerful collaboration enables us to capture and showcase feedback in real-time, ensuring that every piece of advice, praise, or constructive criticism is immediately available, relevant, and actionable.

Together with e-Reception Book, we are pioneering a new era in care home reviews, setting unprecedented standards of authenticity. This synergy amplifies our ability to make informed decisions, promote continuous improvement, and uphold the highest levels of satisfaction and excellence in care home services."

*The integration is now live, with both e-Reception Book and Autumna confident that it will bring about a positive change in the way care homes interact with their visitors and use feedback for growth.

Live Ratings on Autumna will require a premium profile which costs £58 p/m + VAT. Click here to see an example of a premium profile with Live Ratings.

Other pages you may find useful

• Contact Autumna: If you are considering your later life options and have questions that need answering, Autumna is here to help.
• Live ratings: To learn more about digital visitor reviews, visit our live ratings page or contact Kelly Cox on email or 01892 335 330.
• e-Reception Book: Contact Mike Gainey on email or 01489 336390 to find out more on e-Reception Book for care homes.