I’m often asked by potential customers about what kind of customer service we provide. Here at American Senior Safety Agency we don’t necessarily do things like the other companies.

Casey, my co-worker from New Orleans, just got off the phone with a daughter from San Francisco, CA inquiring about our medical alarm service for her mother who lives alone 100 miles from her just outside Sacramento. Casey spent almost an hour on the phone with her, detailing step by step the specifics of how our medical alarm system works and answering all of her concerns.

It’s that kind of personal call that we take pride in each and every day when we come to work.

I can’t speak for other companies, but our CEO Jeff Miller spends most of his day on his computer personally answering each and every email sent his way. Whether it is a potential or current customer who is sending him an “Ask Jeff” question from our website, you can hear him chuckle as he answers people with his unique personal touch. I can tell from his big smile after each email that he really is doing something he loves.

This is one of the reasons why I enjoy coming to work everyday. Jeff’s warm, caring personality is contagious.

Noah

I spend a good amount of my time talking to sons and daughters who are worried about the health of one or both of their elderly parents living independently. Sometimes the children live nearby, other times they are thousands of miles away. In either case, there is no way they can always be there to watch over their mom or dad, which is why an elderly medical alarm is a great idea to keep them safe and protected. Of course deciding to get them a medical alarm is sometimes only half the battle. Convincing them to use it can be another hurdle.

I recently spoke to a daughter who lives in Nebraska and her father lives by himself in Ohio. Her father lives in her childhood home by himself his wife recently passed. She told me he is a very proud man, who was having a hard time with the idea that he needs help.

We talked for a while about her situation and I explained to her that yes, we all have pride and, especially as someone gets old, they have a hard time admitting they need help. What he should understand is that using an elderly medical alarm is not a signal that he can’t take care of himself, or that he has become helpless. In actuality, it will help to maintain his independence and give him a better quality of life. And, if nothing else, it will make his daughter stop losing sleep by worrying about him!

She called me back in a few days and thanked me for the advice. Reluctant at first, he agreed to use the alarm. Saying goodbye on the phone, I could tell how relieved she was. I left work that day with a smile on my face.

But then again, I always do I love my job.

Noah

Well let’s see…

1. We’re the good guys

2. I helped pioneer the elderly medical alarm industry in 1980.

3. In my first 15 years in the medical alarm industry I manufactured our equipment, wrote monitoring center software, and I care.

4. My people are very well trained, I look for people who have great customer care training…this comes in very handy when our clients or employees are having a difficult time.

5. My president Roni has her Master’s in the Hearing impaired.

6. I have a degree in Psychology.

7. We approach this business from a caring perspective, let alone a knowledgeable perspective.

8. If we need to, we will often spend an hour or more to help an elderly client understand how to rectify their situation, if we can’t, we’ll notify the family and solicit their help.

9. Our monitoring center is in Orange County, CA and is redundantly backed up in Arlington, Texas with the same data should an earthquake or other disaster try to throw us off line.

10. Our monitoring center is one of a very few monitoring centers that are UL Listed, FM approved, and Department of Defense approved…which means we can monitor not only you, but Defense installations, and large building fire systems.

We are prepared to serve and care about our clients, I have long ago earned enough money to retire, I stay in this business because I care, as do all of my staff. Earning another $24.95 per month is not important to me, what matters is doing the right thing.

Our motto and guiding principles are…do no harm, be ethical, and have a system I would be proud to use for my mother.

The best thing I can tell you about selecting your medical alarm service is, whomever you choose, take your time, talk to them, see who is a salesperson and who makes you feel good.

Many of our customers are pet lovers and owners.  For this reason, we can take into consideration important information about household pets in case of an emergency dispatch where necessary.

We at Senior Safety intimately understand the joys of having a pet.  Most of our employees own either a dog or a cat or both!  I have a 75 lb “puppy” and two cats myself.

At times, pet owners are concerned about what will happen if they have an emergency, and push their medical alert bracelet, who will take care of their beloved animals.

We reassure our clients not to worry!  We are willing to note the names of their pets so that we have this information available for emergency responders or neighbors should they need it.

Even information like, “Gizmo, my Yorkie barks a lot, but  he is “all bark and no bite”.  We know this means the world to some of our clients and often helps the first responders.

One client, who is like many seniors, often tells me, “I am less concerned with my own safety, but MORE worried about my dear dog that will become frantic if something happens to me.”

We pay attention to details because we know our pets are cherished companions and part of the family as well. WE need our clients to feel everything will be okay.

We care about you like family,  even your furry family.

Last week I received a call from one of my customers who asked why we used the small beaded necklace as the chain for our emergency pendant.

I explained to her that our necklace pendant chain was chosen for its breakaway capability.

Serious injuries are prevented by our breakaway chain. 

It is vital that if the pendant necklace ever gets entangled with other objects it will breakaway immediately.   

I reassured my customer that anytime her necklace broke, she could call our office and we would mail out free necklace replacements right away.

Even the AARP Bulletin today published an article on October 30, 2009 about the dangers of becoming entangled in pendant cords that do not breakaway.

At the end of our conversation, my customer and I were joking that the chain might not be a “fashion statement”, but it certainly was a “lifesaving” look.

Yesterday I called a customer in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania because we had received a low battery signal from her medical alarm, meaning that the unit was disconnected and needed to be checked.

I spoke to the customers daughter who, while on the phone with me, discovered that the workers who had been in her mothers home had unplugged the unit and left it on the couch, hidden under some pillows. Without our call, she wouldn’t have known that her mother was not protected.

Her gracious and kindhearted thank you for my personal call was much appreciated. Knowing her mother was now safely protected made my day a little more special.

It’s part of what I love most about my job.

Noah

As I start into my new year, I have been reflecting back on highlights that stick out in my mind from 2009.

Each day I field calls from our customers and their families and have multiple opportunities to lend an ear, or help brain storm solutions for the specific concerns that their family has.

In our lives, it is few and far between that someone says to us, “take your time, I have nothing to do right now but give you my undivided attention.”

However, this is something I take pride in saying everyday! 

No matter if it is the customer who needs help plugging in her medical alert system, or the one who would like me to go over his list of responders that we will call in the event of an emergency.

But I must say many of the highlights of my 2009 have been from customer service calls with my customers where I just provide the ear that listens to the story they have to tell.

I’ve heard heartwarming stories of 50^th wedding anniversaries to great-great grandchildren being born.  I have also been blessed with listening to courageous stories from our customer’s plights in WW II- How lucky am I to hear these truly heroic tales of living history.

But truly, even just talking to my customer when her new rescue kitten decided to play with the lights on her medical alarm unit and set it off for a false alarm makes me smile on a daily basis.

In all the jobs I’ve had utilizing my MA in Clinical Psychology, working at American Senior Safety Agency is by far the one I love the most.

I am fortunate to work for a company that allows me to give my undivided attention to each and every person who calls, no matter their need.

These daily calls have been the most cherished part of my 2009.

I look forward to 2010, and all that my customers and their families will teach me as I listen to each and every tale.

“We provide affordable housing for low-income, independent Elders.

We are grateful for your generous project.”

Dear Sister Joanna,

I have recently, in my last few years of life, discovered the pleasures and reward of charitable giving.

I applaud the noble work that you do every day, and I aspire to equal your efforts. I’m especially proud of having fed 150 children this past year in a Namibian village, their smiles warm and break your heart at the same time. But that is only money, I aspire to sweat and toil as well.

We will send you the Decals you have requested post haste. Let me know if there is more that we can do to help.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey C. Miller, CEO

Your Question:

Could you please tell me the distance range your alarm works for?

OR– How far away from the “box” does the signal work?

My mother likes to feed her cats in the back yard. Would the signal be picked up there if she needed help?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Brenda

Hi Brenda,

The range of our medical alert systems are approximately 300′ to 400’ from the speaker box, of course as you have asked, this must be tested in the local environment to see how far it really reaches.

I love that your mother feeds her cats in the back yard, it’s not only good exercise for her, but provides much warmth, love and participation. These are all things I believe lead to a longer and happier life. And of course, I am a cat lover. My cat named Spooky is a huge 25 pound black cat.

The reach of our help button outside does not include the ability to talk to her outside of her home, but we will be notified she is in trouble and send help immediately. The voice-to-voice component of our speaker box works well within approximately a 3500 square foot home.

Regardless of which company you choose, thinking of a medical alert service for your mom is a great idea for your mom.

Thanks for your question,

Jeff

This is an answer I gave about sending our brochure to a concerned daughter-in-law for her 81 year old mother-in-law who is heavy and wants to live in her own home. She goes on to state that her bedroom is on the 2nd floor. She is heavy, starting to weaken, but does not want to leave her home of 40 years.

I just thought I’d share this one since it is so similar to many questions or comments I receive.

Hi Lee,

Thanks for ordering our brochure, we’ll get it right out to you tomorrow.

I understand why your mother-in-law wants to stay in her own home. In my opinion, staying in your own home prolongs one’s life and allows your mother-in-law to have the best quality of life she can.

You know, when my grandfather had to leave his home of 50 years to live with my aunt, I felt it shortened his life, and he certainly wasn’t as happy as he could be. Don’t get me wrong, my aunt had him move in out of love and concern. My grandfather was my motivation to help pioneer the medical alarm industry back in 1980.

Though your mother-in-law is 81 and is heavy,  (me too ),  the best elderly alert systems like ours will keep her independent for as long as she can be alone.

Thank you for caring about her and thinking of an elderly alert system. These often give you the first alert you need that a loved senior is in trouble.

Regardless of which company you choose, you will be making the right decision for her in my humble opinion.

Bless you,

Jeff

Today I received an insightful question from a concerned possible client, she asked a good question about “How many complaints have we had in the past five years about our elderly alert systems?” And she wanted to know how they were resolved?l

Here’s my answer to Sally’s question:

Hi Sally,

Well dealing with seniors who at times are feeling angry about many things…their health, their families, their income…sometimes they dump on us. Those are one type of complaint.

I have a gal Michelle who has her Master’s Degree in Psychology who we use to defuse much of their misdirected anger, almost always Michelle talks with them for as long as they need and solves their problems and turns them into happy campers. No one can bat 100%.

Now what I suspect you are really asking about are what kind of bad things we have done that have been reported to the authorities. We have done none! We are one of the few larger national medical alarm services that have not only an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau…but also, have zero complaints on all the years we have been in business. I pride myself in hiring kind and caring staff.

We resolve all issues to the clients favor in lieu of our own. That is except for those people who are unhappy because we ask them to pay their bills. What can I say?

If there is an issue with our equipment we send out new equipment overnight at no charge. We will spend as long as a person needs on the phone to resolve their issues…mostly it’s confusion on their part. A grand-daughter may have unplugged their system, which gives us a warning that it is unplugged and we call and resolve the issue with that person…or we get their family involved if need be. Sometimes it’s sad that when we call a client they have evolved to not even remembering they have a medical alarm system, that’s our first alert to call the family and let them know they should look into their loved one’s situation.

So I’d say…we don’t have any complaints, but we do have many thanks from many people and organizations around the country. We even do charitable work for many hospitals, Agencies, the American Red Cross…as well as feeding people in Los Angeles, feeding 150 school children daily in Namibia for the past year. We like to give back, it makes us feel good.

Sorry for the long winded answer J

Regardless who you choose take your time you’re asking the right questions…and that’s always what I advise people to do.

Best Regards,

Jeff

How to compare medical alarm companies is a question that is frequently asked. I’d say it is near impossible to do by just reading the Internet.

Medical alarm companies have sprung up all over the country, some provide wonderful caring medical alarm service, others are just after your money. Your first alert that it is not a good company is a slick salesman or woman telling you that another company monitors their clients in India. I know of no monitoring being done for a medical alarm company overseas.

I helped pioneer the medical alarm industry back in 1980, and yet, I read on the Internet more and more people claiming they started the industry back in the 70’s. I know of only one organization that started in the 1970’s, and that would be Lifeline. Lifeline at that time was using hospital emergency rooms to provide their monitoring services locally. I do believe they also had a center in the Boston area.

Lifeline, now known as Phillips Lifeline is the oldest and largest medical alarm service in the country. Many times they have offered to buy me out, me, I’m not selling. They have somewhere north of 700,000 clients. I imagine at times it is quite difficult for them to provide the service they would like.

The company you see often on TV that Dr. Koop is pushing is another very large company, they started in 1986 and use very powerful sales techniques to encourage many clients to subscribe. They are one of the best at bringing on new clients with their ads. One of the difficulties for this company is that TV advertising and salesman are expensive so they must pass this cost on to their clients. That’s just how business works.

This leads me to the very frequent question I am asked about our medical alarm service, “Why are you so inexpensive?” We’re not, we are properly priced in the market place to provide excellent service. We are considered to be the least expensive of all the major alarm companies. Why? I’m more concerned about keeping our client base and their families happy and providing the best medical alarm service possible. I, and my employees, make a great living doing just that, and that’s good enough for us.

Our clients are shocked at the level of service we provide. It is far from unusual for our customer service people to spend an hour at a time on the phone with someone who needs the help. We are ofter praised for our good service. It starts from the top, I only hire caring people, and we really do care.

I often laugh when people call here asking if we hire ethnic people, that’s one of the questions the salespeople from some companies push seniors to ask of their competitors…it’s a subtle inference that their company would not hire ethnic people. Let that be your first alert to be suspect of those organizations. And by the way, do you have something against ethnic people…isn’t that a might disgusting? What do they mean by that?

Use your common sense, if a person talks about the other companies poorly, they are usually talking about themselves. Give these type organizations a wide berth.

If a medical alarm service wants to lock you into a contract for any period of time, be careful, there is no reason to sign a contract that cannot be canceled. There is no reason to pay an installation fee, or to pay for the equipment used. This industry has evolved, the good companies out there would never do that.

The larger the company the more they must pass their expenses over to the client. Large national companies must operate this way.

Just be careful. Be comfortable with the people you are talking to, if something does not past the smell test it should not pass at all.

Sorry for rambling, but sometimes I just like to get on my high horse and shout out what’s real and what is not.

I don’t care which company you choose that fits your needs, there are many good medical alarm services out there.

We’re one of them!