Anyone running or employed by non-profits or agencies that track client information knows that doing great work requires more than just sweat.
People who serve their communities need organizational skills, productivity, and a bit of technology to keep their agency moving. If you want to run your charity more efficiently, adding human services software will do the trick.
What is Human Services Software (HSS)?
Human services software manages non-profit cases, acting as a central repository for case-related information and the client.
For example, a top-of-the-line health and human services case management software can create compliant cycles of reporting, billing, and documentation, manage multiple service plans, and track to meet regulatory requirements.
Software of this kind is meant to be used across multiple social services organizations to facilitate case planning, conduct assessments, and manage client data. As a full-cycle solution for human service organizations, they provide a lot of help and efficiency to these industries.
Human Services Software falls under the umbrella of non-profit software, including Case Management Software (CMS), because it provides a modern solution to paper filing.
How to Improve Your Agencies Efficiency with HSS and CMS
Although all software requires a bit of a learning curve, it’ll start to improve your efficiency in the long term. Here are six ways a great HSS and/or CMS can help your non-profit or agency.
1. Online Accessible
Your software must give you access to the remote world, especially in a time of crisis. The best HSS allows you to look up client records from anywhere with mobile functionality and unstoppable connectivity.
Case managers and social workers can refresh their knowledge about their clients’ offsite security and ensure everything is up to date and accurate.
2. Tracks Client History
The ability to track client history with HSS is important for any agency that works with multiple staff members and clients. At the same time, you’ll likely have a couple of employees that come and go intermittently.
HSS can help agencies ensure no information is lost over time with staff and client turnover. Plus, you’ll have a history of treatment and services readily available.
3. Customization Options
HSS helps organizations customize their preferences to fit their unique missions and programs. Other programs may have a spreadsheet with standardized fields that can’t be renamed or removed to suit your needs, but the best HSS will allow complete flexibility. With this added complexity, you can easily manage incoming data and look up needed data quickly.
4. Automated Features
Non-profit agencies often work with a shoe-string budget, making it difficult to hire staff for specific tasks.
Software that allows you to automate some of its features will allow you to service more clients and improve efficiency. If your HSS has atomization for scheduling, waitlisting, task management, custom screening, and reporting, you’ll save a lot of time.
5. Managing Volunteers and Staff
As HSS is primarily used for non-profits, agencies that use them likely have a pool of volunteers and staff members who work on different projects at varying times.
With software, your agency can simultaneously manage both employment types, making it easy to schedule and track service deliveries and personal access files. Some HSS even allow you to control access levels.
6. Email Message Integration
Email marketing is 40 times more effective than social media, making e-newsletters and solicitation messages fruitful for your agency.
Since HSS users often fund their projects with donations from foundations and other individuals, they need an easy and effective way to communicate with them. At the same time, past donors may want to stay in the loop.
With many high-quality HSS, you receive seamless email integration that reaches out to the right consultants, saving you time writing individual or personalized messages.