Caring Stars
In a recent webinar about qualifying for Caring Stars 2024, we shared the incredible journey of the Caring Stars award program and how it elevates senior living communities or in-home care agencies to the top of care seekers’ lists.
The deadline for the 2024 Caring Stars award is fast approaching: you must have the required stellar reviews profile on Caring.com by October 15, 2023. To help you understand and achieve this highly-coveted award, we’ve compiled the following critical information for maximizing your reputation on Caring.com.
Since its groundbreaking launch in January 2012 as the very first “best senior living” award based on consumer reviews, Caring Stars has evolved into a powerful emblem of excellence within our industry — now encompassing all senior living and senior care directories on Caring.com.
You read that right: Any senior living community or senior care agency listed on Caring.com can qualify for the Caring Stars award.
And unlike other now-similar award programs, there is no application process or fees for Caring Stars, and Caring Stars winners get free promotional gifts too (there are no licensing fees for winners to use the Caring Stars badge). We also don’t require that you be a Caring partner to be eligible for this prestigious award — though our free reputation management support services for partners do help.
Here's why Caring Stars can be a game-changer for your business:
Positive PR and Marketing Buzz — Being a Caring Stars recipient is more than an accolade; it's a beacon that attracts attention and trust. This recognition generates positive PR and establishes your community or agency as a go-to choice for seniors and families. You can see real examples of this in the Caring Stars 2023 winner webinar.
Engagement and Excitement — Caring Stars doesn't just signify excellence; it engages and excites your stakeholders. It fosters brand loyalty and strengthens the connection between you and your constituents, which can be invaluable for maintaining and growing the success of your business.
Recruitment and Retention Support — In an industry where recruiting and retaining staff is a continuous challenge, Caring Stars showcases your commitment to quality and can make you an employer of choice.
A Trusted Guide — Caring Stars has become more than an award — it's a trustworthy go-to guide for seniors and their families. Its credibility is why for the past two years, Fortune has used it to rank the best cities for seniors and families.
This reviews program has been proven to attract prospective customers for Caring Stars winners — boosting inquiries and conversions for Caring partners in particular. For example, in 2021 and 2022, the senior living winners partnered with Caring averaged nearly twice as many new resident inquiries and almost three times as many move-ins as Caring’s community partners without the award. This proprietary data is another signal of the power of consumer reviews in helping seniors and their families find the best service providers.
Earning the Caring Stars status isn't easy, but the journey is worth it. The focus on obtaining and responding to reviews is the key.
To be eligible for the 2024 award, here are the essential review metrics to aim for…
For senior care agencies and senior living communities with a resident capacity of 21 or higher, you should have:
At least 15 published reviews on your Caring.com listing by the October 15th deadline
Across all of those published reviews, an overall average rating of 4.5 stars or higher
A minimum of 4 reviews since October 15 of the previous year (4 published reviews between 10/15/22 - 10/15/23)
One or more 5-star published reviews with dates in 2023 (at least one 5-star published review dated on or between 1/1/23 - 10/15/23)
A published response on every 1-star and 2-star review across all time
For smaller senior living communities and residential care homes having 20 or fewer resident capacity: The qualification criteria and reviews recommendations are different. In this case, you still need to have a 4.5 stars overall average rating or higher, with one or more 5-star reviews in 2023. You also need to have a response to every negative review. But your total reviews volume requirement is lower, both in total reviews across all time and in the recent year qualification time frame. If your senior living community aligns with this smaller capacity, make sure your Caring.com listing has up-to-date resident capacity information or you’ll be judged at the higher review volume thresholds instead.
Before we dive into specific resources to help you get and respond to reviews, let’s first help you avoid a common mistake that can hold you back: asking the wrong people for reviews to meet the Caring Stars requirements faster.
We’re focused on publishing genuine reviews from cognitively healthy seniors and their families. We host their first-hand feedback about your services, and we do not publish reviews submitted by your employees, any industry insiders, or anyone else with a conflict of interest. This policy is covered in our review guidelines too.
And here are two more important tips:
Don’t collect and/or upload reviews to Caring.com on behalf of your customers. Our dedicated staff is primed to assist seniors and their families who need a hand in submitting their reviews.
Encourage senior living community residents to steer clear of using their real names as their reviewer screen names — this is a simple measure to protect their privacy, since their home address is published on the listing.
The fastest, easiest way for your customers to add reviews is via your dedicated review entry form on Caring.com. Point your customers directly to it to save them time and make it as convenient as possible for them to help you achieve Caring Stars status. Not sure of your review form link? Contact our team for help.
With our reviews-by-phone services, we also have tech-challenged seniors covered! Communities and agencies in our partner network have free access to our award-winning Review Call-in Line and “Review Us on Caring” handouts.
And that's not all!
If your senior care agency is using Home Care Pulse: we’ve been integrated with them since 2017, with a monthly reviews feed for participating agencies. Many agencies on the 2023 winner list took advantage of this option to get reviews.
For senior living communities in our partner network: we’re doing automatic outreach to the care seekers we've directed your way – collecting their reviews about their tours and choice of your community. And you have access to a nifty tool in Partner Portal to streamline your review request outreach too.
For all review collection sources in both senior living and senior care: Don't worry if we didn't make the initial introduction of the customer – we’ll accept reviews for all qualified consumers even if we weren’t the original referral source of them to your business.
To earn the prestigious Caring Stars recognition, it's also crucial that any and all 1-star or 2-star reviews on your Caring.com listing (across all time) either have a published response or are contested and removed by the 10/15 deadline.
Here are three main ways to respond to reviews on Caring.com:
For partner communities and agencies, there are New Review Alerts — these emails are sent instantly for newly published reviews, have links to contest or publish a response, and you can adjust the emails on your account at any time via Partner Success.
For those using third-party monitoring services, we’re integrated with 6 review response companies, including Consumer Fusion, Influence Network, Reputation.com, ReviewTrackers, Shout About Us, and SAVANT.
For older reviews, if you’re lacking a New Review Alert, or if you aren’t using one of our response partners, you can simply email your response to reviews@caring.com.
For an in-depth understanding of how to effectively contest reviews to have them removed, or for tips on how to optimize your published review responses, please refer back to our prior webinar, “From Complaint to Compliment: How to Respond to Online Consumer Reviews.” The Caring Stars 2024 qualification webinar also has a summary of tips for review response.
Caring Stars deserve the spotlight, and we help shine it on them. Don’t be outshined by your local competitors! Make sure your community or agency is on the 2024 winner list.
To learn more, please revisit the Caring Stars 2024 webinar recording or read through the slides. Or contact reviews@caring.com or (650) 762-8190 to reach our Caring Reviews team.
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Caring Stars
In a recent webinar about qualifying for Caring Stars 2024, we shared the incredible journey of the Caring Stars award program and how it elevates senior living communities or in-home care agencies to the top of care seekers’ lists.
The deadline for the 2024 Caring Stars award is fast approaching: you must have the required stellar reviews profile on Caring.com by October 15, 2023. To help you understand and achieve this highly-coveted award, we’ve compiled the following critical information for maximizing your reputation on Caring.com.
Since its groundbreaking launch in January 2012 as the very first “best senior living” award based on consumer reviews, Caring Stars has evolved into a powerful emblem of excellence within our industry — now encompassing all senior living and senior care directories on Caring.com.
You read that right: Any senior living community or senior care agency listed on Caring.com can qualify for the Caring Stars award.
And unlike other now-similar award programs, there is no application process or fees for Caring Stars, and Caring Stars winners get free promotional gifts too (there are no licensing fees for winners to use the Caring Stars badge). We also don’t require that you be a Caring partner to be eligible for this prestigious award — though our free reputation management support services for partners do help.
Here's why Caring Stars can be a game-changer for your business:
Positive PR and Marketing Buzz — Being a Caring Stars recipient is more than an accolade; it's a beacon that attracts attention and trust. This recognition generates positive PR and establishes your community or agency as a go-to choice for seniors and families. You can see real examples of this in the Caring Stars 2023 winner webinar.
Engagement and Excitement — Caring Stars doesn't just signify excellence; it engages and excites your stakeholders. It fosters brand loyalty and strengthens the connection between you and your constituents, which can be invaluable for maintaining and growing the success of your business.
Recruitment and Retention Support — In an industry where recruiting and retaining staff is a continuous challenge, Caring Stars showcases your commitment to quality and can make you an employer of choice.
A Trusted Guide — Caring Stars has become more than an award — it's a trustworthy go-to guide for seniors and their families. Its credibility is why for the past two years, Fortune has used it to rank the best cities for seniors and families.
This reviews program has been proven to attract prospective customers for Caring Stars winners — boosting inquiries and conversions for Caring partners in particular. For example, in 2021 and 2022, the senior living winners partnered with Caring averaged nearly twice as many new resident inquiries and almost three times as many move-ins as Caring’s community partners without the award. This proprietary data is another signal of the power of consumer reviews in helping seniors and their families find the best service providers.
Earning the Caring Stars status isn't easy, but the journey is worth it. The focus on obtaining and responding to reviews is the key.
To be eligible for the 2024 award, here are the essential review metrics to aim for…
For senior care agencies and senior living communities with a resident capacity of 21 or higher, you should have:
At least 15 published reviews on your Caring.com listing by the October 15th deadline
Across all of those published reviews, an overall average rating of 4.5 stars or higher
A minimum of 4 reviews since October 15 of the previous year (4 published reviews between 10/15/22 - 10/15/23)
One or more 5-star published reviews with dates in 2023 (at least one 5-star published review dated on or between 1/1/23 - 10/15/23)
A published response on every 1-star and 2-star review across all time
For smaller senior living communities and residential care homes having 20 or fewer resident capacity: The qualification criteria and reviews recommendations are different. In this case, you still need to have a 4.5 stars overall average rating or higher, with one or more 5-star reviews in 2023. You also need to have a response to every negative review. But your total reviews volume requirement is lower, both in total reviews across all time and in the recent year qualification time frame. If your senior living community aligns with this smaller capacity, make sure your Caring.com listing has up-to-date resident capacity information or you’ll be judged at the higher review volume thresholds instead.
Before we dive into specific resources to help you get and respond to reviews, let’s first help you avoid a common mistake that can hold you back: asking the wrong people for reviews to meet the Caring Stars requirements faster.
We’re focused on publishing genuine reviews from cognitively healthy seniors and their families. We host their first-hand feedback about your services, and we do not publish reviews submitted by your employees, any industry insiders, or anyone else with a conflict of interest. This policy is covered in our review guidelines too.
And here are two more important tips:
Don’t collect and/or upload reviews to Caring.com on behalf of your customers. Our dedicated staff is primed to assist seniors and their families who need a hand in submitting their reviews.
Encourage senior living community residents to steer clear of using their real names as their reviewer screen names — this is a simple measure to protect their privacy, since their home address is published on the listing.
The fastest, easiest way for your customers to add reviews is via your dedicated review entry form on Caring.com. Point your customers directly to it to save them time and make it as convenient as possible for them to help you achieve Caring Stars status. Not sure of your review form link? Contact our team for help.
With our reviews-by-phone services, we also have tech-challenged seniors covered! Communities and agencies in our partner network have free access to our award-winning Review Call-in Line and “Review Us on Caring” handouts.
And that's not all!
If your senior care agency is using Home Care Pulse: we’ve been integrated with them since 2017, with a monthly reviews feed for participating agencies. Many agencies on the 2023 winner list took advantage of this option to get reviews.
For senior living communities in our partner network: we’re doing automatic outreach to the care seekers we've directed your way – collecting their reviews about their tours and choice of your community. And you have access to a nifty tool in Partner Portal to streamline your review request outreach too.
For all review collection sources in both senior living and senior care: Don't worry if we didn't make the initial introduction of the customer – we’ll accept reviews for all qualified consumers even if we weren’t the original referral source of them to your business.
To earn the prestigious Caring Stars recognition, it's also crucial that any and all 1-star or 2-star reviews on your Caring.com listing (across all time) either have a published response or are contested and removed by the 10/15 deadline.
Here are three main ways to respond to reviews on Caring.com:
For partner communities and agencies, there are New Review Alerts — these emails are sent instantly for newly published reviews, have links to contest or publish a response, and you can adjust the emails on your account at any time via Partner Success.
For those using third-party monitoring services, we’re integrated with 6 review response companies, including Consumer Fusion, Influence Network, Reputation.com, ReviewTrackers, Shout About Us, and SAVANT.
For older reviews, if you’re lacking a New Review Alert, or if you aren’t using one of our response partners, you can simply email your response to reviews@caring.com.
For an in-depth understanding of how to effectively contest reviews to have them removed, or for tips on how to optimize your published review responses, please refer back to our prior webinar, “From Complaint to Compliment: How to Respond to Online Consumer Reviews.” The Caring Stars 2024 qualification webinar also has a summary of tips for review response.
Caring Stars deserve the spotlight, and we help shine it on them. Don’t be outshined by your local competitors! Make sure your community or agency is on the 2024 winner list.
To learn more, please revisit the Caring Stars 2024 webinar recording or read through the slides. Or contact reviews@caring.com or (650) 762-8190 to reach our Caring Reviews team.
