5 Tips for an Efficient Intake Process
The intake process of an organization is an important part of the process for any human service organization, but it can be challenging to manage. The intake process outlines how your organization receives applications, how it processes them, and acts as the first checkpoint into deeming the correct services for your clients. The clients that we work with have found that improving the intake experience yields the greatest efficiencies. Moreover, intake processes are generally the first interaction that you have with clients, and thus, are even more imperative to starting off a potential relationship on the right foot.
One thing is always constant, though: a smooth and efficient intake process will save your organization time and effort, while ensuring that the right people are enrolled in the right programs. You need people, process and technology to really leave a lasting impact - read below for 5 tips on how to utilize all these elements for your organization’s intake process:
Prepare Supporting Documentation Beforehand: Make sure your client has all of their supporting documentation on hand prior to the time of intake. That way, they’ll have all the knowledge at their fingertips when they need it most. It will also save you time in the long run, as you’ll be able to eliminate any back and forth communication between you, your client, and other organization members. Some ideas for your organization to socialize supporting documentation requirements include having an FAQ section on your website, showcasing infographics on your program pages, or adding an additional blurb or link about the eligibility information required, positioned closely to specific program information.
Define Clear Rules and Responsibilities: With so many pieces to the puzzle, it can get confusing to keep track of who’s doing what, and who to pass information along to. As a result, it’s important to ensure that everyone knows and understands each person’s role within your department and/or organization. Responsibilities can include screening, processing, administration work, paperwork, etc. Clear roles equals no confusion, and extra time saved on redundant tasks.
Strive to Showcase Eligibility Prior to Application and/or Referral: The more you inform others on what makes a client eligible for a certain program, the more effort you save (for both your team and the clients). Additionally, this reduces the amount of volume of applications you’d have to sift through, while getting higher quality applications from clients who are actually eligible.
Create a Structured and Streamlined Onboarding Process: This step requires detailed and up-to-date communication across various team members, which can take a significant amount of effort - but it will make a massive impact in the overall efficiency of your intake process. During the hand-off stages, whoever is taking over the case or client file should be briefed, and should know all the pertinent information at hand. Nailing this step will ensure no gaps in service or time for the client, and will make every step in the onboarding process as seamless as possible.
Utilize Reporting and Metrics: Measuring key success metrics will help team members gauge their performance, while creating opportunities to celebrate wins. Make sure to collect rich and high quality data from the start, and develop scoreboards and metrics that align with not only the intake process, but also your organizational goals as well. Afterwards, measure these metrics on a regular basis, so you can make changes and improvements as needed overtime.
By following these tips, your organization will be one step closer to reaching more efficiency. Sometimes, it may seem daunting to make foundational changes to an already-set process, but by making these tweaks overtime (and tracking it), you’ll start to see positive results.
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