Emailing caregivers can feel a lot like yelling in a very crowded room. Inboxes are highly competitive environments, but your emails aren’t just important – they can mean the difference between caregivers being able to work and being taken off the schedule.
One of the things we help our clients facilitate here at EverCheck is renewal reminder emails – those quick notices to caregivers that they have an upcoming license, certification, or registration (LCR) that’s due for renewal. These notices are important because they give caregivers a leg up in keeping their licensure active and in good standing.
Having worked with roughly 350 health systems across the nation, we’ve dialed in a few key features of effective renewal reminders that help your message cut through the clutter, get seen, and be effective in helping your caregivers help themselves.
Take a look.
Get to the point.
The single most important piece of advice to take away from this article is this one. What’s the single most important thing for your caregivers to walk away with? Say that, and say it succinctly.
For instance, your subject line should read something like this:
[Notice] Your RN license expires in 60 days
Rather than:
It’s time to renew your license.
The more fluff you strip away from your emails, the more likely your caregivers are to resonate with your message. In fact, studies show that short, descriptive subject lines are more likely to be opened. The goal is finding the sweet spot between being succinct and ensuring your caregivers understand what’s to come in the body of the email – and always align your subject with what’s in the body. Aim for subject lines between 4-7 words.
Remember that large chunks of text are hard to digest for the body content of your email. Try for emails of less than 5 sentences, bullet information wherever possible, and be very clear about the expectation for the next steps.
For instance:
Be relevant.
Blanketed statements about license renewals aren’t a best practice approach. Include personalized bits of information in your email so that your caregivers are equipped to take action. We recommend including the following:
- The LCR that’s expiring: If you say, “your license is expiring,” and they hold more than one (which many caregivers do), you haven’t made their lives any easier. Help them by letting them know which LCR is due for renewal.
- The date the LCR is expiring: This way, the deadline feels real.
- How many days do they have to renew: It’s helpful to do the math for them. Not dire, but a thoughtful touch.
Be timely.
Your email to caregivers whose LCRs expire in 60 days should sound very different than your email to caregivers whose LCRs expire in 5. Adjust the tone of your messaging to match the increased sense of urgency as the deadline approaches.
For instance, here are our recommendations to our clients for subject lines for caregivers:
More than 30 days out: It’s friendly yet to the point.
[Reminder] Your license expires in 15 days.
10-30 days out Urgency, engaged!
[Action required] You have 15 days to renew your license.
Less than 10 days out Or else.
[Immediate action required] Renew your license now.
Now, let’s talk about how often you should send renewal reminders. How much is too much? In our seasoned opinion, caregivers renewing their LCRs on time is critical. Non-renewals can have a domino effect – disrupted work schedules, lack of coverage, and leaves the organization susceptible to non-compliance if they’re not aware of the non-renewal (which is why you should be using an automated solution for license verification anyway).
The point is, don’t hesitate to send renewal reminders often because you shouldn’t operate under the assumption that one email will get the job done. We recommend sending emails 90, 60, 30, 20, 15, 10, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 days, and 1 day prior to the expiration. Of course, discontinue the emails if the caregiver has, in fact, renewed.
Leverage leaders.
Get management clued into their direct reports’ renewal deadlines and ask that they reinforce the importance and urgency of on-time renewals. This also allows them to anticipate and prepare for any work schedule disruptions that may happen as a result of non-renewals. Just be conscientious of how many emails they receive and opt to send an email with a comprehensive and relevant list of caregivers with upcoming deadlines.
Set it and forget it.
If this seems like a lot, we get it. Fortunately, emails can be automated. And (get ready for a shameless plug), EverCheck’s system-generated renewal reminders are a set-it-and-forget-it approach. You’re able to set the frequency and tell us what you want your emails to say. We take it from there, including plugging in the information to make the emails feel more personal and relevant.
Learn more here.
