Humanizing healthcare: How Alignd transformed palliative care with Zoho One
- INDUSTRYHealthcare
- Key AppsZoho One: CRM, Analytics,Projects,Desk
"Whether it's reporting, communication, or project tracking, Zoho helps us stay agile and aligned without adding complexity.”
The company
Over R20 billion is spent annually on end-of-life care in South Africa, but many patients still end up in hospitals, often against their wish to remain at home. Alignd, a South African company, is combining innovation and compassion to transform the quality of palliative care for cancer patients by taking into account their preferences for using in-house care.
Alignd prioritizes dignity and quality of life, shifting from a reactive hospital-driven approach to a flexible and coordinated model that respects individual needs by providing a personal human connection to integrated healthcare solutions.
This approach ensures every patient receives the timely, compassionate support they need during their final days, ultimately transforming the quality of palliative care and enriching the experience for those requiring it.
The challenge
Alignd faced several challenges early on, particularly related to the complexity of enrolling patients into its care programs. Each day, referrals increased from diverse sources, including oncologists, general practitioners, and patients themselves, with each case requiring a distinct care pathway. Alignd encountered challenges in managing patients, providers, and funders with the use of multiple, scattered platforms. They created a unified platform that would streamline operations and reduce administrative burdens.
The solution
To overcome these challenges, Alignd implemented Zoho CRM's Blueprint and Workflow features for process automation. This strategic approach helped them automate their enrollment processes easily, track each patient’s journey comprehensively, and inform all stakeholders in real time.
"Zoho has significantly reduced the admin burden on our care partners. That means they can focus on what matters most—supporting doctors, nurses, social workers, and patients themselves.”
Implementing Zoho One applications enabled Alignd to achieve its operational targets faster, and provide comprehensive palliative care for even more patients as a result.
Alignd used Zoho CRM to manage their extensive network of stakeholders, funders, healthcare professionals, patients, and their families. Zoho CRM also helped them manage patient interactions, appointments, and communication. Through automation, they streamlined operations, improved follow-ups, and enhanced patient engagement as well.
Alignd also leveraged Zoho Analytics to gain profound insights into patient outcomes and operational performance. Its built-in advanced reporting and data visualization features enabled Alignd to track performance metrics, providing precise medical data and actionable insights through customizable dashboards. Predictive analytics facilitated better planning and faster decision-making, leading to improved care quality and streamlined operations across the organization.
Zoho Projects helped manage internal initiatives efficiently. This project management tool allowed Alignd to plan, track, and collaborate effectively on multiple tasks.
To enhance support for care partners operating in the field, Alignd adopted Zoho Desk. This powerful customer service platform enabled efficient management and responses to every query, significantly improving support for care partners and enhancing operational responsiveness.
"Every part of our organization touches Zoho in some way.” “Whether it's reporting, communication, or project tracking, Zoho helps us stay agile and aligned without adding complexity.”
Alignd has demonstrated measurable improvements in patients' lives by leveraging automation and analytics in its day-to-day operations.
"Palliative care is not linear. It requires a system that can move with the patient’s needs while making sure the right data is visible to the right people, at the right time. That’s what Zoho has helped us achieve.”
Benefits and ROI
Implementing Zoho has led to a significant increase in the number of patients managed by each care partner.
Previously, care partners managed approximately 30 patients each. That number more than doubled, reaching 75–80 patients per partner after the implementation of Zoho One, demonstrating the operational efficiency achieved by integrating Zoho’s suite into its operations.
As a result, Alignd can now focus on patient-centered care more effectively, improve the quality of healthcare delivery, enhance productivity, and achieve better patient outcomes without having to divert time towards the maintenance of its IT infrastructure.
Aligned has successfully overcome its challenges by using Zoho's suite of business applications and can now focus on delivering compassionate, patient-centered care. This transformation is a direct reflection of their core mission to humanize healthcare and enhance patient outcomes. With Zoho, Alignd has turned their vision into reality—proving that technology can help serve humanity.