What/who is Carrie?
Carrie is your agency's virtual assistant. She calls caregivers about open shifts that match their skills, location, and availability, then reports back who is interested. You chat with Carrie on each of your open shifts. Carrie reviews all the interest from her calls and app to recommend the best fit caregiver to assign. Carrie can assign caregivers right in the chat.
What phone number does Carrie call from?
Carrie calls from a phone number that will say the agency’s name on caller ID. The phone number itself is different per agency.
Which caregivers does Carrie call?
Carrie looks at the details of the open shift, such as the client, location, time, and any required skills, and matches them against caregiver profiles, preferences and availability. She calls the caregivers most likely to be a good fit first to collect interest.
Carrie can call up to 50 caregivers in one session to collect interest.
Does Carrie assign the shift to the caregiver?
Yes. Carrie can help you assign a shift to a caregiver. Just ask her in the chat to assign a caregiver to an open shift. A text message will go to the caregiver letting them know they have been assigned.
However, it is the responsibility of the coordinator to call the caregiver to confirm.
Does Carrie call caregivers to confirm an assigned shift?
No, Carrie does not currently call caregivers to confirm a shift. That is the responsibility of the coordinator.
Does Carrie call patients?
No, Carrie does not currently call patients for any reason.
Where do I see the results of Carrie's calls?
Carrie's calls show up in two places. You'll see them in your chat with Carrie for the calls she made to find interest for a client’s open shifts. You'll also find a full record in Carrie's log in the menu for all the calls she has made. From the log, you can read the transcript of each conversation and listen to the recording, so you can hear exactly what the caregiver said about their interest and availability.
How do I know which shifts a caregiver is interested in?
Go to the Open Shifts page, search for the caregiver’s name under Search Employee, and select the Interested tab. This shows all the open shifts that the caregiver has requested.
Every shift also has a shift key that is shown in the caregiver’s app per shift. If a caregiver calls you about a shift, ask them for the shift key so you both know exactly which shift they mean. It is a 6 numbers/letters code.
What languages does Carrie speak?
Carrie speaks English and Spanish today, and many other languages are coming soon.
The app however is translated into 25+ different languages.
Can caregivers ask Carrie questions about the shift on the call?
Yes. Carrie knows the following about each shift:
- The day and time of the shift
- Who the coordinator is
- How far the client's home is from the caregiver's home
- Key client details, such as whether there is smoking or pets in the home, whether the client is bedbound, and whether a Hoyer lift is needed
- The client's gender, if asked
- Any rewards attached to the shift, where they apply
Can Carrie or the caregiver get the client's address?
No. Carrie does not share the client's address, and caregivers cannot see it in the app. This is to protect client privacy. Carrie can tell the caregiver how far the client's home is from their own home, which is usually enough for them to decide if the shift works for them. Coordinators can then share the address when calling the caregiver to confirm the shift.
What happens if a caregiver doesn't answer Carrie's call?
If a caregiver doesn't pick up, Carrie sends them a follow-up text message about the shift so they can still respond. Answering Carrie is the fastest way for caregivers to pick up extra work, but it is not required.
A caregiver is asking me who Carrie is. What should I tell them?
This is a good moment to point caregivers to the app, which is the best way for them to find and request shifts. You can say something like:
"Carrie is our agency's virtual assistant. She's not a real person and she calls on our behalf when there's an open shift that might be a good fit for you. You can talk to her normally, like saying 'Yes, I'm interested' or telling her when you're free. She tells me who's interested, and I make the final call to assign a caregiver. If you’re looking for work, please pick up her call. However, the best way to get shifts is through your app. Make sure your profile is filled out and request the shifts you want right there. It's faster than calling the office, and Carrie will still call you about shifts that match."
You can also point caregivers to the Carrie Virtual Assistant FAQ in the help center, which covers the same questions from their side.
How do caregivers get access to the app?
The caregiver app is a web app, so there is nothing to download. Caregivers receive text notifications with a link that opens the app in their phone's browser.
If a caregiver needs the link again:
- Search for the caregiver's name in Caribou.
- Select Send SMS link to employee.
The caregiver will get a text with the link to get into their app.
Can caregivers stop Carrie from calling them?
Yes. A caregiver can simply tell Carrie during a call that they don't want to be called about shifts, and Carrie will stop contacting them. You can still reach them the usual way about open shifts.