Tate Johnson
CTO at The Lookout Way
We believe supporting our Members to live life on their own terms is based on long and collaborative partnerships with their care workers.
We want Members to enjoy the company of their Helpers, and we want our Helpers to enjoy the honour of supporting their Members. Members, their loved ones and Helpers who are in it together are happier and have better outcomes.
That's why at Five Good Friends we put a premium on matching. Matching is putting the right Helper with Members ensuring a genuine and authentic connection.
Getting the match right takes a little time. There might even be false starts. But we've been told by Members and Helpers that taking a little time to get it right is worth it over the long haul.
Our software already allows your team to build rosters and to build support networks by manually matching Members and carers together.
With match requests we can now bring visibility of the matching process directly to members and their families while your team collaborates and supports in the background.
We think match requests are great for Members and families who want to hire their own supports, like those who are self-managing. Here we take a deep dive into what you’ll see on the App and how match requests work.
Members begin matching by describing their ideal partnership.
An ideal partnership is based on mutual respect. Taking the time to understand who a Member wants to be with gives us the best chance of finding ideal candidates so they can form long and collaborative partnerships.
Members can go People > "+" to create a new match request. They pick the services, they pick the times, and they pick the preferences most important to them. Do they have a pet they love? Pick pets. Do they speak Polish? Pick Polish. Do they enjoy cooking? Pick cooking. The more specific their match request is, the better we can find ideal candidates for you.
Members can have more than one match request. Each one can be personalised to suit the support they're requiring. If they're seeking companionship, they might emphasise hobbies and interests. If they're seeking personal care they might emphasise gender and qualifications. Matching is personal so our match requests are personal.
After they create their first match request the "About you" information they've entered is remembered so they don't need to enter it again. As they figure out their ideal partnership they can change their match request to suit.
Once a day, members review and shortlist their best candidates.
Great long-term partnerships are nuanced and take time to form. We don't want members to be overwhelmed with too many options, and we don't want members to wait too long.
Up to once a day at 7am we'll send 3 ideal candidates for Members to review and shortlist. Members control who they shortlist and they control whether they get another round of candidates the next day.
Candidates are presented one-at-a-time, from most ideal to least. The most ideal means they are the closest match based on the preferences outlined in the request and live closer to the member.
When viewing the candidates, the Member can choose to shortlist candidates by sending a request to match or skip to view the next best candidate.
Candidates are presented anonymously so no personal information is shared and members shortlist their best candidates.
Members won't see the candidate's name, photo, age, or location. They will see the candidate's bio, qualifications, rates, and driving time. When a Member is considering a candidate, we emphasise what they have in common, and we emphasise how they're qualified to support them. We want this to be the start of a long and collaborative partnership.
Your team gets looped in when members shortlist candidates so you can support them to safely meet.
Members can curate their own shortlist, but they need the support of your workforce team to be revealed to each other so they can safely meet for the first time.
When a match request is created it creates a request to loop your team in. You can customise which of your team is assigned the ticket by their role in the member’s community (e.g. care worker Coordinator), or to a specific member of your team.
Your care team will be able to see the entire matching request, including which candidates have been presented, shortlisted and rejected. Likewise, they'll also see when no candidates have been found. Either way, they'll be in a great position to provide gentle support to Members.
FAQ
Can Auth Reps create a match request?
Yes, either the Member or their Authorised Representatives can create a match request, edit a match request and shortlist candidates.
How are candidates presented?
Members who use a computer will get an email. Members who use a smart phone will get a push notification. Notification preferences can be customised at any time from inside their account.
When are candidates presented?
Up to once a day (at 7am) the day after the match request is created. This cannot be customised.
What happens if no candidates are presented?
Members will be told they are no ideal candidates and a comment will be posted to your team.
Are candidates really presented blindly?
Yes, and for good reason. We want Members to make their judgement on shortlisting the best candidates. The candidates who have common qualities. The candidates who are the most qualified.
We also want to protect the privacy of Members and care workers by keeping their personal information hidden. Members should learn a candidate's name and face before they meet them. They're only presented blindly to review and shortlist.
