April Lorimer is a certified Long Term Care Administrator, Red Seal Chef and Nutrition Manager with 25 years’ experience in the hospitality and healthcare sector. When she was supporting her long term care homes from a corporate level as Dietary Systems Specialist, her passion for making a difference in the industry through technology was ignited.

“It just feels really good to know that when you see something that is going to make their day better that you can put that into their hands and it truly makes a difference,” she explained.  

In her current role as Customer Success Manager with MealSuite, April shares her passion, knowledge and real-world experience to touch the lives of thousands of residents – and those who serve them – across North America.

Watch the video and read on to discover her story of advocating for, implementing and reaping the benefits of MealSuite technology in her former role in long term care:

MealSuite “simplified a very laborsome manual process”

April explained that some of the biggest challenges her homes faced before implementing technology were “not knowing how much food to prepare, where it needed to go, how much everything costs and helping to guide staff in their day to day.”

So, when seeking a solution, she said that “MealSuite really stood out... it was a way to be able to organize all of your standards and policies and procedures in such a way that you can get a harness on controls with your costing, knowing what your production numbers are, what staff need to do from day to day.” Plus, “what you need to purchase where food needs to go, how much to make and tracking waste.”

On adopting technological change: “The effort is always worth the reward”

Adopting change can sound overwhelming for anyone, especially when you’re used to doing things a certain way. But, April was determined to show her team that embracing technology will have a significant payoff in the near future.

“It does take time to adopt change, but the effort is always worth the reward. It took time to communicate with the staff and get their buy in to explain the ‘why’, and why it's going to make their day better. And explaining to the residents how their environment is going to change – and they saw immediate improvements,” she told us.

Click here to learn more about common myths about getting started with foodservice technology (HINT: it’s not as scary as it sounds!)

The onboarding process was “actually quite simplistic”  

When we asked April to describe the technology onboarding process, she explained that “it's actually quite simplistic... the time and investment that you put in will reap those rewards.”

With customizable training options available with MealSuite, April’s team chose a hybrid model that blended in-person and virtual options that best supported each individual in their role.

“One thing that really stands out about MealSuite is, when you're onboarding something new... they have a really strong support system. So, I never felt that I was by myself... and they were always just a phone call away. They do become like family... There was always somebody there to help guide you along,” she added.

After onboarding MealSuite: “we found that we had more time in our day”

“Once we got into a rhythm of using the system, we found that we had more time in our day,” April said. And the list of benefits went on – as she explained that after implementing technology, they were able to:

• Build resilient teams: Automation means more time to get back on the floor with staff, work with residents and build that ‘dream team’ culture.
• Attend care conferences with confidence backed by data: Digital tracking meant April’s team could “speak on behalf of what the residents received and that their preferences are being honored.”
• Empower team members to become less dependent on management: “Because they had the information they needed to do their job,” even if their manager was offsite for the day.
• Make the ordering process so much easier: “Having inventory on hand that you need and knowing what you need to order was a big game changer.”

“There's so many things that were immediate impact the staff and the residents in a positive way,” she concluded.

Click here to discover more way foodservice management technology can boost team culture and set them up for success.

April’s advice to other foodservice leaders considering technology? “Don’t wait!”

“If you're considering MealSuite, you should get it now because we're in an age where we need to be nimble, and we're flexing our service environment... There's new faces every day taking care of residents, staff need to know what they need to offer... be confident in their job, and not worry about putting a resident at risk.”

In her role with MealSuite, April is thrilled to pay her knowledge forward with fellow industry leaders, helping them to discover and embrace solutions to enhance their operation. Interested in learning more about what our technology can do for your operations right from April? Contact her today at april.l@mealsuite.com!

Click here to connect with April on LinkedIn