What is Caring.com?

Caring.com is a leading online resource and referral platform for senior care, including in-home care agencies, assisted living communities, and more. Families visit Caring.com to research care options, read reviews, and connect with providers, all at no cost to them. For Qualicare franchisees, partnering with Caring.com means tapping into this large audience of high-intent care seekers right in your territory.

On the consumer side, Caring.com provides:

1. Information and Articles: Thousands of articles, guides, and tools on caregiving, senior living, paying for care, and more – establishing Caring.com as a trusted knowledge base for caregivers.
2. Reviews: Families can leave honest feedback about home care agencies and senior communities right within the platform. (These reviews also power programs like “Caring Stars,” an award given to top-rated providers each year.)
3. Directory of Providers: Listings for in-home care agencies (like Qualicare), nursing homes, assisted living, etc., across the U.S. Each listing can include a description of services, photos, and customer reviews. Families can search by location to find local providers.
4. Family Advisors & Referrals: Caring.com employs Family Advisors – real people who assist families one-on-one. When a family submits a request for home care on the site (or calls the phone number provided), an Advisor quickly contacts them to gather details and help identify suitable care options. The Advisor then sends the family’s information as a referral to a handful of partner agencies that fit the needs and location. 
   

For Qualicare franchise partners, Caring.com is a lead aggregator that can continuously provide you with interested prospects in your area. It’s important to understand that these referrals are shared (non-exclusive) – the family might be referred to multiple agencies or might have found a couple providers on their own. That’s why your speed, persistence, and differentiation matter.

How Caring.com Works

Understanding the lead flow on Caring.com will help you make the most of each referral. Here’s what happens when a family uses Caring.com and how you receive the lead:

1. Inquiry submitted – A family fills out an online form or calls Caring.com, providing care needs, location, and contact details.
2. Family Advisor call – Within minutes, an Advisor from Caring.com verifies the request, confirms key details (needs, start date, payer type), and qualifies the lead.
3. Matching – The Caring.com Advisor then matches the inquiry  to partner agencies based on service types and zip codes. Leads are typically shared with 2–5 providers.
4. Lead delivery – You receive the referral instantly by email (and in Zoho CRM if integrated), including contact info and care notes. No manual acceptance required.
5. Immediate response – Call the family right away. If no answer, leave a voicemail, send a follow-up email/text, and ensure an automated email reply goes out from Zoho.
6. Follow-up cadence – Continue outreach over days or weeks. Some families need care urgently; others may be planning months ahead. Caring.com leads can sometimes be 3–6 months out from needing care, so nurturing them patiently can pay off once they’re ready. That said, some leads are urgent (e.g. senior being discharged from rehab tomorrow), so treat each one with urgency until you determine the timeline.
7. Converting the Lead: Once you make contact, proceed with your normal assessment and intake process. The goal is to schedule an in-home assessment or consultation as soon as possible, or at least a detailed call to establish trust. 
   

Note: It’s rare but if a referral is clearly unusable (wrong contact, out of area, duplicate, Medicaid-only when you only accept private pay), submit a credit request in the Partner Portal within the allowed timeframe.

Key takeaway: Caring.com leads are real-time and competitive. Your success depends on speed of response and consistent follow-up. Best practice is to treat Caring.com leads as urgent – like a ringing phone that must be answered. This mindset will serve you well in converting these opportunities.

Now that you know what Caring.com is and how the referral process works, let’s get your account set up to start receiving leads.