In Conversation with Matthew Streit on Why Some Home Care Agencies Grow Faster Than Others

Growth in home care rarely happens by accident. While demand for in-home care continues to rise, not every agency grows at the same pace. Some agencies consistently expand their referral networks, retain more clients, and scale across locations, while others struggle to move beyond survival mode.

The difference often comes down to operational consistency, staffing reliability, relationship-building, and how quickly agencies respond when care needs arise.

Today’s families are more informed than ever. They compare providers, read reviews, ask tougher questions, and expect faster communication before making a decision. Referral partners are also looking for agencies they can trust to deliver dependable care without delays.

At the same time, caregiver shortages, rising competition, and compliance pressures continue to challenge agency owners across the industry. Agencies that outperform others are typically the ones that combine strong relationships with disciplined execution, responsive teams, and systems that support long-term scalability.

To shed some light on the same, we interviewed a home care industry expert to bring his perspective on why some home care agencies grow faster than others.

Let us now delve into what he has to say about why some home care agencies grow faster than others:

Question 1: Why do families switch home care agencies?

Families choose and switch home care agencies for a variety of reasons. We believe that the decision makers are more informed than ever and many research studies have shown that the family members tend to have done hours of their own research prior to making calls or accepting initial appointments.

They switch home care agencies for reasons such as lack of consistent staffing, communication difficulties with the operators of the agency, price and cost, and also having their current care provider leave the company.

Although the reason we see most families leave their current agency and come to our agency for care is because the old agency could not provide consistent staffing.

Question 2: How can agencies earn instant credibility with referral partners?

Agencies earn credibility with referral partners in a number of ways. We always say that consistency is the currency of credibility. Consistency is what earns that trust. Referral partners want to know that they can trust the agency that they are sending over their clients and/or leads over to.

Beyond that, time to start care must be reasonable. Agencies that are able to staff assignments last minute are often to get more consistent leads. Our industry is oftentimes a reactive industry and not a proactive industry. Meaning often, some emergency happens that leads to the care needs. Speed to lead and speed to staff the assignment is very important.

Question 3: Which growth mistake is hurting most home care agencies today?

Not knowing how to scale properly is a huge issue. Owners need to know when to hire more office staff, how to structure their office staff and when they need to bring on a marketer. Owners often need to realize when it is time to stop working in the business and when it is time to start spending more of their time working on the business.

Question 4:  Are relationships still more valuable than marketing in home care?

Relationships are still more valuable than marketing in home care. Marketing can get you one or two leads but relationships are where the magic happens. Relationships are how a consistent pipeline is built. If you want to scale, having multiple relationships in place is key.

Question 5: Why do some home care agencies consistently outperform others?

Consistency is key. Relationships are key. If you consistently market multiple times a week, provide real value, and help solve the pain points of your referral partners, you begin to earn their trust. And when that trust is backed by fast response times the moment they send you a lead, that’s when real growth starts to happen.

But in order to consistently outperform other agencies, you must first have consistency. Also, having a staff that is cross trained is paramount. If you get a lead and they have to wait to be called back, they will go find another caregiver agency.

Question 6: Can AI improve communication between clients, caregivers, and agencies?

Yes. AI can improve communication by making updates faster, clearer, and easier to share across clients, caregivers, and agency teams. It can help summarize care notes, flag important changes, reduce manual follow-ups, and support more consistent communication between the office and the field.

For agencies, this means fewer missed details, better visibility, and smoother coordination – without replacing the human judgment that quality care depends on.

In conclusion

As Matthew Streit’s insights make clear, sustainable growth in home care is rarely driven by marketing alone. Agencies that grow faster are often the ones that prioritize consistent staffing, responsive communication, strong referral relationships, and operational discipline. In an industry built on trust, families remember reliability, referral partners remember responsiveness, and caregivers stay where support systems are strong.

His perspective is also a reminder that technology and AI should enhance human connection – not replace it. From faster communication to better coordination, the agencies that combine relationship-building with scalable operations will be the ones best positioned for long-term success in an increasingly competitive home care landscape.