Home Health 360: Presented By AlayaCare

Harnessing data for implementation success with Sarah Payne

• Erin Vallier

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Fear of implementation shouldn’t keep a good platform on the sidelines. We break down a practical path to go live with confidence, comparing a fast, best-practice enablement approach with a deeper, customized PSO route and exploring how to pick the right fit based on outcomes and investment, not just organization size.

Sarah Payne, Associate Director of Customer Enablement at AlayaCare, pulls back the curtain on what separates “live” from “ready.” She shares why rushed timelines often create surface-level use, higher support needs, and missed features—then explains how to prevent that with the right project team, six to ten hours of focused time each week, and a learning plan that builds durable superusers. We get into the hard part many overlook: data migration. From extracting legacy data to cleaning, mapping, and validating it, Sarah outlines how to set standards and ownership so day one runs smoothly.

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If you liked this episode and want to learn more about all things home-based care, you can explore all our episodes at alayacare.com/homehealth360.

Sarah Payne:

Every customer we work with has a different story, different size, structure, priorities. But what unites them is the desire to see results quickly and sustainably. And our enablement model was built around that reality. So we move fast where it makes sense. We build strong foundations where it matters. And we empower teams to take ownership of their success. So implementation isn't about checking boxes. It's about helping customers see value faster with the depth of knowledge to sustain it. And so that's why we really focus on learning autonomy and data-driven proof, because when our customers thrive, we all do.

Erin Vallier:

Welcome to another episode of the Home Health 360 podcast, where we speak to home-based care professionals from around the globe. I'm your host, E rin Vallier, and today we're joined by Alaya Care's very own Sarah Payne. Sarah is the Associate Director of Customer Enablement at Alaya Care. She leads a team of consultants and specialists who help home care organizations successfully implement the Alaya Care platform using the Enablement Model. With over seven years at Alaya Care and a career rooted in home care operations, Sarah brings a unique perspective on bridging technology and frontline care. Welcome to the show, Sarah. Thank you so much for having me. I'm glad you're on the show today because this topic is really near and dear to our hearts. As a regional director, I get to speak to people every day who are wanting to implement a software, but they have this fear of the implementation process. So thank you for coming on and sharing your experience with our listeners today. My pleasure. We've been with a lag here for seven years. I've been with the company for about the same amount of time. So I know we've both witnessed firsthand just how much the product and all of our processes have evolved. I know from my perspective on the product side, it's a completely different product. We're doing some really cutting-edge things now that are serving the market like nobody else. And that's super exciting. But I want to know from your perspective, in a nutshell, on the implementation side of things, how has that process changed over the course of your tenure?

Sarah Payne:

Yes, it's honestly been amazing to see how much we've evolved, not just as a product, like you said, but how we help our customers succeed with it. When I first joined, implementation looked very different. We were smaller, more reactive and doing a lot of one-off work to meet customer needs. Over the years, we've taken everything we've learned from hundreds of projects and turned it into a prescriptive, repeatable methodology that balances structure with flexibility. We've moved from every project is unique to every project has a proven foundation. And that shift has allowed us to scale, reduce risk, and create a much more predictable, confident experience for our customers.

Erin Vallier:

So it sounds like we've learned a lot. We've been a business 11 years. So it sounds like from the beginning to now, the whole process has evolved. And I know that Alaya Care takes two different approaches to implementation. And some of our users might not be familiar with that concept. So we have a PSO model, if you will, that engages professional services and more consulting. And then we have the enablement model, which is what you're supporting today, Sarah. So I want to know can you walk us through what each of these pathways look like and how customers might understand which path would be best for them?

Sarah Payne:

At AlayaCare, we recognize that not every organization's journey to implementation looks the same. So that's why we take a toothpath approach. PSO and enablement. Because what works for a large, complex organization isn't always right for a fast moving agency that wants to start seeing value right away. Enablement was purpose-built for the SMB space. It's a prescriptive best practice approach that helps clients move quickly, follow proven processes, and start realizing value fast. And we designed it so customers aren't reinventing the wheel, if you will. They're implementing in a guided, structured way that gets them to success sooner. What's really been interesting to see is that mid to large size agencies are now choosing this model too. They're saying we want a best practice, purpose-built implementation that helps us move quickly and get to value faster. So it's proof that enablement doesn't just work for smaller organizations, it works for any team that values agility and wants to leverage our expertise. PSO, on the other hand, is geared towards customers with more complex needs. Maybe they're operating across multiple regions, have extensive integrations, or are using implementation as part of a broader business transformation. So that added complexity naturally translates into longer or phase timelines because there's more to align, test, and customizing along the way. So deciding between the two, it really comes down to two things desired outcomes and cost. If your agency wants a guided best practice rollout that gets you up and running quickly, enablement is the clear choice. If you're looking for a deeper, more customized transformation, PSO is the right fit. It just comes with a different level of investment and timeline.

Erin Vallier:

That makes total sense. So you've got one route that is more for a larger organization, let's say enterprise space that has a whole host of applications that they want to integrate into the product and they want these custom workflows. And maybe there's a custom Alaya app that needs to be built to support some of their workflows. If it requires something like that and a lot of business consulting, if you will, trying to transform a complete business to work in a different way that's more efficient, that would be the PSO route. But for many, and I'm happy to see that or hear that we are growing our ability to accommodate larger organizations, because not all large organizations are super complex. But if you want to implement fairly quickly, you want to use best practices for how the platform was designed to use and not really tweaks too many of the workflows, then the enablement model is your best bang for your buck. Did I get that right?

Sarah Payne:

Absolutely. It's so exciting that we've seen such strong results and faster timelines, more autonomy in customers taking real ownership. And that's why we're expanding the enablement methodology into our mid-market and larger clients. A lot of those organizations have been saying we want that same agility and speed. And now they can have it.

Erin Vallier:

Awesome. Can you share an example of a client who really benefited from one path over the other?

Sarah Payne:

Yeah, one great example is a customer who was moving off of a legacy software that was being sunset. So they needed to learn AlayaCare quickly, configure the platform, and train their end users all within six weeks. So by following the enablement implementation model, they were able to go live in under six weeks, actually. And they not only met their go live target, but also built autonomous super users along the way. So this is a perfect illustration of how when a customer has the resources, time, and dedication, enablement can deliver rapid results and lasting capability.

Erin Vallier:

Gotcha. That sounds very promising, but we know that six-week myth is not always really beneficial for clients. I know I've heard some horror stories. I'm sure you have too. And a lot of our competitors out there will promise, hey, I could get you live in two weeks, four weeks, six weeks. From your perspective, Sarah, what does live really mean in those particular contexts? And is there any risk to the customer when speed comes at the expense of depth of knowledge?

Sarah Payne:

Oh, absolutely. I always say there's a big difference between being live and being ready. At a live care, being live means our customers are actually using the platform to run their daily operations, not just turning it on. So, yes, it's absolutely possible to get a customer live in six to eight weeks, as in my example, and we've done it. But doing it well in a way that builds real confidence and capability across the organization, it takes a bit more thought and investment. The reality is speed often will come with trade-offs. So when a team rushes to go live, often they may only scratch the surface of the platform. And that surface level knowledge can lead to inefficiencies or higher support needs and a lack of confidence down the road. Our goal isn't to just get clients to go live, it's to make sure they thrive once they are.

Erin Vallier:

Gotcha. I know that our clients really appreciate that. I'm curious what challenges have you heard from some of our clients that they faced maybe a year or so later after doing like a really fast implementation?

Sarah Payne:

Again, they just don't have the deeper knowledge of the platform. It feels almost as if they're just doing their daily functions and treading water, if you will. Having that deeper knowledge will pay off later with easier adoption of new products and more efficient day-to-day operations. And think about onboarding in the future. That's where we really strive to create those superusers of Alaya Care.

Erin Vallier:

I know in speaking with some of our prospects who have undergone that really fast, hey, I got live in two weeks. Oftentimes it leaves them with just a complete lack of knowledge of what the platform can actually do. And not to not sell software, right? But sometimes the software can actually do what they want it to do and they're looking for new software because they have no clue that their current software can actually do what it could do because they sped through that implementation. And in Eliya Care, it sounds like we don't want to create that kind of experience for anyone. We want them to truly understand the tools and be able to leverage them. Absolutely. We really want them to see the power of Elia Care. It's a fun tool. So when a client is starting implementation, I get this question: how much time and effort should they realistically expect to invest on their side? And what do we do at Alia Care to make sure that investment of their time is as smooth and effective as humanly possible?

Sarah Payne:

Enablement is typically fast, but not effortless. So the most successful projects are the ones where the customers have the right people engaged, the time is carved out, and the focus to make good real-time decisions. So identifying the right resources is key. Having project participants who truly understand the business, understand your workflows, your pain points, your goals. That really makes all the difference. While we move quickly, we move purposefully. So that means having the right people available to make decisions in real time so progress doesn't stall. And the actual time commitment really varies depending on project scope, but we're always upfront about it. We estimate around six to ten hours per week of customer effort, and we lay that out right at the beginning of the project. So it really helps us set clear expectations and align the plan and timeline accordingly. Gotcha.

Erin Vallier:

So like six to ten hours a week spread across a handful of subject matter experts sometimes, or maybe just one or two, depending on the size of the team.

Sarah Payne:

Yeah, it really depends on the size of the agency. Sometimes they'll have a superuser for every functional area in a liable, and sometimes they'll have one superuser.

Erin Vallier:

So six to ten hours a week, that doesn't seem like something that's not doable. I know people get really cautious about how they spread their staff then because everybody kind of wears multiple hats these days. And something else you mentioned here is the importance of having the right people on that team. And I know that's critical. You gotta have the right subject matter experts. But I'm curious, is there anything else? What would you say is important for a customer to do on their side to make sure that an implementation is successful, other than six to 10 hours and having a team?

Sarah Payne:

I think understanding where the heaviest lift is also important and setting expectations. So building that foundational knowledge means developing a deep understanding of Alliacare, not just how it works, but how your configuration impacts your operations. So that investment pays dividends later when your superusers can make changes and onboard view staff and drive adoption confidently and independently. Another area is data migration, is often the underestimated challenge. Extracting data from legacy systems can be tricky. And as we all know, not all data is good data. So this step usually takes more time and attention than people expect because it's not just about moving information. It's about making sure what comes across is clean, accurate, and useful. So we provide detailed guides and pre-work activities to help customers prepare along with tools and support along the way. So setting those expectations early really makes this phase smoother and much less stressful.

Erin Vallier:

Data migration is definitely always a hot topic when it comes to implementation because software providers don't want you to leave. So they're not gonna make it super easy for you to extract all the data that you need and put that into a different software. I can imagine that is sometimes a gross underestimation of resources on the provider side. Is there anything else that comes to mind other than the data migration? Where do you see customers not allocating enough resources?

Sarah Payne:

Well, I think implementations sometimes get treated as a side-of-desk project, and that's where things can really start to slip. So when teams are stretched too thin, engagement drops, timelines stretch, and the knowledge just doesn't stick. So we find the agencies that plan for the extra time and see it as an investment in future efficiency are the ones that get the most value out of enablement. We talk about the J curve of adoption. There's always a point early on where it feels like we're taking a step back before you move two steps forward. And that's totally normal. But with the right champions and change management, that curve flattens quickly. So building internal Alliance care champions during implementation sets the stage for long-term adoption and growth. We always say that the best investment you can make isn't just in the software, it's in your people. So empowering them to learn, experiment, take ownership ensures you don't just go live, you stay successful. So the best way to save time later is to make time now.

Erin Vallier:

Gotcha. So save enough time so that people can actually learn what they're doing before they go live. Gotcha. That makes complete sense. And you mentioned something that leads me to another question. Something that I also get asked a lot when I'm speaking to people. It's about how we support those new users in their education, not only during the implementation phase, but afterwards. I know we have the Elijah University, so I'm just curious how we leverage that specifically. And is there any other kind of program that we use ongoing after the initial implementation that will allow them to stay up to date with Elia Care?

Sarah Payne:

Yeah. So education is really the heart of enablement. Our goal isn't to just teach customers what buttons to click, but it's to help them understand how Lie Care supports their business so they can make informed decisions long after Go Live. So we intentionally align the Alaya Care University or ACU content with each project phase, each berket segment, and the scope of work for the particular customer. And this means the learning experience isn't one size fits all. Like a home care agency's path will look different from a residential or disability service provider because their workflows and priorities are different. So the courses themselves are self-guided and interactive. So users can learn at their own pace. And then we supplement that learning with live implementation sessions led by our specialists. And that's where we can clarify questions, talk through workflow nuances, and make sure there's a deep understanding of how configuration aligns to their business. So really the combination of structured self-learning and the hands-on collaboration is what builds confidence. And that's what helps us create our superusers, which are those internal champions who understand not just the how of a lie care, but the why. And they become the go-to experts within their organizations.

Erin Vallier:

I love that. It's like tell show do. So you've got your homework that's interactive, and then you meet with a live person because we all love to meet with live people and dig into it, ask more questions, and go through some real life scenarios so that it really does get fully ingrained into the adult learner. Because we have to be multimodal these days.

Sarah Payne:

And education doesn't stop at go live. So we offer in-app access to our knowledge base articles and training videos, ongoing webinars, and our customer community where agencies can share best practices and learn from each other. So we're continuously building programs for ongoing education and product adoption, things like new feature release sessions and refresher content that is designed to help customers evolve with a product, not just keep up with it.

Erin Vallier:

I think that's very important, actually, because technology advances so fast these days, right? Just look at the progression of Chat GPT and what it can do today. But if you're not really making an effort to stay up to date with your software provider, it's quite possible that they release something that could be very beneficial for you and you just get left in the dust by all of the other agencies in the industry who are using the same platform because they're able to leverage those tools and you don't even know they exist. So I love that we spend a lot of time and effort touching base with our clients and helping them stay engaged and understand the technology as it continues to evolve. I think that's super valuable. You mentioned the J curve. I love the J curve. I talk about that a lot. At the end of the day, the clients just care about getting to value quickly and using the software as it's intended. And they don't like to know that the roller coaster's gone down first, but it really is. But I know we have some best practice methodology in place that balances the need for speed with sustainable long-term outcomes. Can you talk a little bit about how you approach that?

Sarah Payne:

So our best practice methodology is a design to strike that balance between moving fast and building for longevity. So we want customers to start seeing value early, but with the confidence that their setup will continue to serve them as they grow. It's more about progress with purpose. One thing that really sets us apart is that we don't just go by feel, we measure it. So during implementation, we gather benchmark data so customers can see their progress in black and white. So we'll capture things like billing rejection rates, visit counts, missed or unfilled visits, number of schedulers or coordinators, even employee turnover. So capturing the baseline before Lie Care goes live gives customers the ability to track measurable improvements, both immediately after launch and over time. It really turns the implementation into a story of proof, not just perception.

Erin Vallier:

Fantastic. So I love that. We take a really detailed approach to this. We got all the KPIs or baseline, and then you help them set achievable goals, I presume, in terms of the improvement in their processes. Are there any key milestones that you specifically look for in that realm to help them understand that they're actually seeing value? Because I know implementing something new is a little stressful. So people can't actually see the value initially because they're just trying to learn the new product and get used to it.

Sarah Payne:

Absolutely. Yeah. So throughout the project, we also build in key milestones and sign-offs so we can make sure the project and timeline are tracking as expected. What time to value really looks like, again, and not just about going live, it's about seeing tangible improvements. And so some of the early signs we look for are super users are operating independently and confidently. Daily operations like your scheduling, billing, and reporting are happening smoothly in LiaCare. Your data quality is improving and insights are being used to drive decisions. And the conversations are shifting from how do we do this to, well, what else can we do?

Erin Vallier:

And that's when we know the value is really being realized. I love that. I really have one more question for you, Sarah. Now we're coming to the end of our time. From everything that you've shared with me, it doesn't sound like implementation should be entirely scary. It shouldn't run for your life. It seems like it's gonna be work, but it's very doable. I'm wondering, is there anything else you can think of that you want to share with the audience regarding implementations that would put their hearts at ease about making a decision to make a software migration?

Sarah Payne:

I think that just my core message, if you will, is that every customer we work with has a different story, different size, structure, priorities. But what unites them is the desire to see results quickly and sustainably. And our enablement model was built around that reality. So we move fast where it makes sense, we build strong foundations where it matters, and we empower teams to take ownership of their success. So implementation isn't about checking boxes, it's about helping customers see value faster with the depth of knowledge to sustain it. And so that's why we really focus on learning autonomy and data-driven proof, because when our customers thrive, we all do. And the thing I would say I'm most proud of is how our customers grow during the process. We see people who start out unsure where to begin, and by the end, they're leading change within their organization. They're training others, optimizing workflows, and coming back to us with new ideas. So that's the power of enablement. It builds confidence.

Erin Vallier:

I love that. So I'm gonna sum that up with just a few words at AlayaCare, we got you. We got you. Oh, thank you so much for your time, Sarah, coming on the show and talking about our enablement model. I think it's a really exciting thing that we're offering to the speeds that time to value and also creates great outcomes for our clients. So thank you.

Sarah Payne:

It sure does. Thank you so much for having me.

Erin Vallier:

Anytime. Home Health 360 is presented by AlayaCaree and hosted by Erin Vallier. First, we want to thank our amazing guests and listeners. Second, new episodes air every month. So be sure to subscribe today so you don't miss an episode. And last but not least, if you like this episode and want to learn more about all things home-based care, you can explore all of our episodes at alayacare.com/ home health360 or visit us on your favorite podcast platform.