Credit: Dreamstime
Melbourne-based occupational therapist Keo Physio Group has ditched its Apple Macs in favour of Microsoft Surface devices in an effort to cut its administrative bottlenecks.
The aged care and disability specialist was relying on web-hosted email systems, non-cloud based file storage and Apple infrastructure after buying the devices from the local electronics store.
However, Keo Physio was struggling to keep up with the administrative burden of its largely paper-based and email systems, which was delaying patient requests.
Notable issues included having to copy paperwork into spreadsheets, resulting in duplication, and employees working remotely with clients, which resulted in paperwork delays.
“We just lost three months on the order for a wheelchair for a severely disabled client,” Nigel Tadros, director at Keo, said. “The email was sitting with a bureaucrat to be actioned and we hadn’t noticed they were holding it up because it was just one email among hundreds. It’s human error, it happens, but that has a huge impact on someone who can ill afford it.”
Keo Physio turned to Brisbane-based Microsoft partner Adopt and Embrace, which has specialists in Microsoft workplace mobility, using Office 365, Windows 10 and Surface portfolios.
Adopt and Embrace worked with Keo Physio to migrate its systems over to Microsoft 365, while equipping employees with Surface Go devices.
The migration spanned the therapist’s "basic" web email, Mac-hosted hosted file storage and Apple infrastructure while facilitating a shift from paper-based processes onto Microsoft 365.
Adopt and Embrace also set up SharePoint Online to help Keo Physio Group store and edit important core documents and coached them on how to use Teams as their new collaboration hub.
“Microsoft Teams has helped us to streamline our processes and get things moving much faster. And when we can move faster it impacts people’s lives,” Tadros said.
The partner also intends to help Keo Physio roll out Dynamics 365 Field Service to schedule home visits, keep track of appointments, invoice and manage billing information.
The company currently uses spreadsheets but hopes to build “significant” efficiencies in these areas in order to reduce the commute times for their teams, streamline administration and billing, while ensuring the team has the infrastructure in place to grow over the next five years.
Keo also hopes that reducing the administrative burden will boost staff retention among its physiotherapists.
“[Staff retention] doesn’t exist within our industry,” Tadros added. “For example, we think it will give us an edge for people returning to work after children. They can focus on the clinical work they love without getting bogged down with administration. And they can manage work alongside the very real life they have going on in tandem.”
