Background
AgeOptions is the Area Agency on Aging serving suburban Cook County, Illinois, connecting older adults and caregivers in 130 municipalities outside Chicago to benefits, services, and community resources. Its staff specialize in community navigation, Information & Assistance (I&A), Medicare and Medicaid counseling through SHICP, and outreach and enrollment for programs that help people age with dignity in their own communities.
AgeOptions coordinates and funds Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) and other initiatives with support from the Older Americans Act, helping older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers navigate complex systems. Core services include I&A, Medicare/Medicaid counseling, SNAP and Extra Help screenings, and support with Illinois’ Benefit Access Program, which can provide license plate discounts and related benefits to eligible residents. Staff also partner with a Community Health Worker team that screens for social determinants of health (SDoH) such as nutrition and social isolation, ensuring that callers receive both benefits counseling and referrals to community‑based supports
The Challenge
As demand for help with public benefits grew, AgeOptions relied on phone‑based processes that required multiple calls, voicemails, and time in queues, placing strain on staff and leaving callers frustrated. I&A specialists and caregivers often had to walk people through every eligibility question live, which was labor‑intensive and made it difficult for more independent callers to move ahead on their own. Housing calls, especially for rental assistance and affordable housing, generated particularly high volumes, and staff maintained long, static Word documents of housing resources that were cumbersome to share. At the same time, the organization’s relatively small client base made it hard to justify investments in new technology unless the impact would be clear and significant.
Measuring the Impact
Streamlined Online Workflows Deliver Higher‑Quality Feedback With 75% Less Staff Survey Effort
With the iCarol Public Web Form and integrated forms, more of the initial intake and eligibility screening now happens online, cutting down on “phone tag” and freeing staff to focus on more complex cases and guided support. The Benefit Access workflow now collects Social Security numbers, income, pension information, and supporting documentation in a structured way, which reduces errors and speeds up completion of applications for benefits such as license plate discounts. While an authorized representative is still required to submit Medicaid or SNAP applications, much of the groundwork now happens before a staff member ever needs to pick up the phone.
Housing callers benefit from timely, consistent information, as Automated Follow-up automatically sends updated housing resource lists that previously lived only in a Word document maintained by staff. In survey work, the automated approach shifted from a labor‑intensive process that required 185 surveys in a two‑month period to a smaller but higher‑quality response set—about 47 surveys over a longer timeframe—because surveys can be sent more often without adding burden to staff. The team believes these responses are more candid and accurate, since automation removes the pressure of providing feedback directly to a person and focuses the questions on the quality of the I&A exchange, including whether callers felt listened to, understood what to do next, and would recommend the service.
The automated follow-up feature provided through iCarol has been instrumental in strengthening our service delivery and internal workflows. This functionality has allowed us to streamline referral procedures, improve consistency, and ensure greater compliance with internal processes. By enabling staff to send surveys, resources, and follow-up materials with a single click, iCarol has significantly reduced the time previously spent on manual, individualized outreach. This efficiency has increased staff capacity, allowing our team to focus more time on direct client engagement and complex case support.
Additionally, the automated follow-up feature has greatly enhanced our data collection and quality improvement efforts. Surveys can now be automatically distributed via both text message and email, improving accessibility for clients and increasing response rates. Resource sharing has also become more timely and consistent, ensuring that clients receive critical information promptly after contact. Over the past year alone, AgeOptions sent 1,102 automated follow-ups through iCarol, which included surveys and tailored resource materials.
Client feedback consistently reflects the positive impact of these enhancements, with many clients describing their experience as “very friendly” and “positive.” From a staff perspective, the iCarol system has simplified daily operations, reduced administrative burden, and supported a more organized and efficient approach to follow-up and documentation.
Overall, iCarol’s automated follow-up feature has been an invaluable tool in helping AgeOptions expand our capacity, improve service quality, and maintain a high standard of client-centered care. We greatly value this partnership and look forward to continued innovation and growth as iCarol’s tools evolve to further support agencies and the communities they serve.
Itzayana Juarez
Team Lead- BIE Direct Service
