by Catie Ballenger
The American Red Cross is known, worldwide, for helping during people’s darkest hours. Whether we’re assisting disaster survivors or military families, we are often the only safety net for many people who face crises. This critical work is fortified by key systems that allow us to meet their needs. Among them is a set of client management tools. They unfortunately predate cloud-based technology and do not interface with each other, making it difficult to see the full scope of a client’s needs.
Eric Myers, Executive Director, Red Cross of Western Colorado and Interim Regional Disaster Officer for Colorado and Wyoming describes the merits of a new system, “Over the past several years we have been innovating improved methods and processes to better serve our clients in a more accessible and user-friendly way. We have finally arrived at a place where our current systems cannot evolve further to meet the changing technological requirements needed by Red Cross to serve clients, including increasingly remote situation.”
Myers explains that integration is the key. “RC Care, the new client relationship management system the Red Cross is developing, brings our disaster and military clients into a single platform where all their Red Cross services and interactions will be connected. With the demand for our services growing, the Red Cross must be ready to help on a bigger scale and more efficiently than ever before.”
More Disasters, More People to Help
Red Cross disaster workers are on the front lines with climate change, helping after more frequent and intense weather events. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of major disasters to which the Red Cross responded steadily climbed until it doubled. Populations have also grown in disaster-prone areas, meaning that, even as we’re responding to more major disasters, more people need our help when disasters strike. All the while, our most common disaster, home fires, and other smaller disasters like localized flooding, continue to harm people nationwide, creating tremendous demand for our relief and recovery services.
Even Heroes Need Help
At the same time, the Red Cross is also helping more service members, veterans and military families. Through our Hero Care Network, a support system for heroes facing crises, we assist nearly 300 of them every single day. Many have experienced the death of a loved one or medical emergency. Others face a financial crisis—a rent payment or healthcare expense they just can’t afford. Whatever our clients need, Red Cross workers spring into action, providing or finding resources to get them through.
A Client-Centered Approach
RC Care centralizes client data into one seamless, user-friendly platform. This important new tool tracks everyone who needs help after disasters and every military family that turns to us in crisis, allowing us to manage all client interactions for every service rendered and have a complete understanding of clients’ unique needs.
Key Features
- Increases productivity: Ease of use reduces time spent on training and administrative tasks. The system also streamlines collaboration when multiple caseworkers assist a client.
- Reaches more people: Self-service capabilities enable clients to register for services, scaling our reach following major disasters, and “virtual aid” features enable us to meet clients online, no matter where they are.
- Delivers aid faster: With automated electronic fund transfers for financial assistance, we can deliver critical aid to clients faster.
- Fosters inclusivity and improves client experience: Language preferences and self-service registration enable us to reach clients from varying backgrounds, plus the system simplifies their experience with user-friendly interface, automatic updates on their cases and more.
- Strengthens collaboration: Key programmatic partners will have access to the system, expediting referrals for assistance and partnership.