Maintenance requests
Families report an apartment issue with a description and an optional photo, then see its status until it is closed.
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Customer Self-Service App for Assisted Living Communities
A customer self-service app for assisted living communities lets families report an apartment issue, change a dining request or book transport without calling the front desk. Each request reaches the right team with the apartment number attached, on iOS and Android apps that SIZ Group would build.
01
What the owner or customer experience lead must see before signing off
The owner or customer experience lead needs proof that families feel informed without adding calls to the front desk. We would agree a few measures before build: the number of maintenance and dining requests handled in the app, the share of family questions answered without a call and the change in satisfaction scores from the family survey the community already runs.
The app also protects residents. Family members need to see what is theirs to see, such as an appointment or a laundry request, but never another resident's details. Each access is logged, and a photo of a resident is shared only when the resident or their representative has consented in writing.
02
Which request types ship first
The first release should cover maintenance requests for a resident's apartment, questions about dining and events, transport for appointments and a shared calendar of activities. Each request goes to the right team with the apartment number and a time stamp, so staff never have to ask for the details again.
Care-level updates, payment history and visitor pre-registration can come later. Care updates need clinical review before families see them, and payment features depend on how each community bills for care, which varies widely. The first release focuses on the daily requests families make most often.
- Apartment maintenance requests, with a photo when the resident agrees
- Dining changes and dietary notes sent to the kitchen
- Transport requests for medical appointments and outings
- Activity calendar families can add to their own calendar
03
The systems family requests have to connect to
Many communities already use a resident management system for care records and billing, a work-order tool for maintenance and a calendar for activities. Some run a separate family messaging tool. The family app should read activity dates and work-order status from these sources where the vendor allows, rather than copying them by hand.
We list those tools on the scoping call and agree how each one is read. Where a live connection is not available, a daily export of work orders and activity dates keeps families informed. The community decides later whether to replace any of those tools.
- Resident management system for care records and billing
- Work-order tool for maintenance and housekeeping
- Shared calendar for activities and outings
- Family messaging tool, if the community already uses one
What you get
Key features
Dining and meal changes
Ask about a menu item, a dietary note or a guest meal, with the request sent to the dining team.
Transport bookings
Request a ride for a medical appointment or an outing, with the pickup time confirmed in the app.
Activity calendar
Community events and outings, with the option to add them to a family member's own calendar.
Guest sign-up
Register a planned visit in advance so the front desk can greet guests without a long wait.
Preference and consent settings
Families choose which updates they receive and manage photo permissions for their resident.
04
What state rules mean for resident privacy
Assisted living is regulated by the state, and state rules set how care is documented, how medications are handled and how incidents are reported. The family app should never be the place where a care record changes, and it should not show families information the community must release through its own process first.
Resident privacy matters. Photos of residents need written consent, visitor lists should show only what the community needs, and each family account must be linked to the right resident. If the community bills for health services, the privacy rules for those records apply too. State requirements get checked with the community's own compliance adviser before any screens are designed.
05
Mistakes we would steer assisted living communities away from on a project like this
The first mistake is treating families as a sales audience. Families of residents want to know the apartment is fixed and the meals are right. A newsletter full of promotions will be ignored, and it can make the community look more interested in new residents than in the ones it already has.
The second is letting requests disappear into a shared inbox. A maintenance request that sits for two days will be remembered longer than the repair. Each request needs a named team, a visible status and a way for the family to see when it is closed.
06
Price factors, and how the community holds the first release
Cost depends on how many request types the app supports, how many work-order and calendar sources it reads and whether families need iOS and Android apps or a web version too. A mobile build starts at $4,500, and the features the community picks decide where the final price lands.
We hold the first release to the list agreed in writing and send each extra request type to a later list with its own estimate. Post-launch support covers wording changes, new request types and store updates, so the community keeps the app current with its services.
Can families see what other residents are doing?+
No. Each family sees its own resident's requests and the shared activity calendar. Other residents' names, rooms and requests are never shown. Access is set per resident, and every login is logged.
Does the app replace our care documentation?+
No. Care records stay in the community's resident management system, and the app does not change them. Care-level updates can be considered in a later phase, once the clinical review process is agreed.
What happens to a maintenance request outside office hours?+
The request is logged with the time, the apartment and the description, and it goes to the on-call team's queue. The family sees that it was received. Emergencies must always be reported to staff directly or to emergency services, and the app says so.
Can the app work for families who are not comfortable with technology?+
It should. We keep the screens short with large buttons, and the community can offer a phone option for anyone who prefers it. Staff can enter a request on a family's behalf, and the app records who did it.
How do we decide which family members get access?+
The community invites each family member and links them to a resident, and the resident or their representative approves the link. Access can be removed at any time, which matters when a family's circumstances change.
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Let's make it happen
Make everyday requests simple for families
Talk to us on a free call about the features you need, and the price follows in writing.