A clearer picture of village life, from first enquiry onwards

Published: 23 April 2025

Keeping village knowledge together as Banksia grows

Banksia Villages Limited is a community-owned, not-for-profit organisation providing independent retirement living, residential aged care, home care and respite care services in Broulee, New South Wales. For Heidi Pendlebury, Village Manager at Banksia Village, managing a retirement community involves maintaining relationships with residents while keeping track of enquiries, properties, records and everyday responsibilities.

Much of this information was previously managed through spreadsheets, with important knowledge held in separate places or by individual team members. This made it harder to maintain a consistent picture of village operations and share information across the organisation. Banksia recognised an opportunity to bring its records together and support better continuity as staff and responsibilities changed. The team wanted a system designed for retirement living, with the flexibility to support existing processes and develop alongside the village's needs.

Creating a shared view of village operations

Banksia introduced Operations Management, powered by Centrim Life, to bring important information into one accessible system, with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) supporting the management of enquiries, resident profiles and property details. The move began in December 2024, when Banksia imported its waitlist, resident and property information into the platform. This marked an important step towards making village knowledge easier to maintain, share and use throughout the resident journey.

Operations Management (Centrim Life): Bringing village information into one place

Operations Management (Centrim Life) gave Banksia a more structured way to manage information that had previously been spread across spreadsheets. With resident and property details held centrally, the village team can work from shared records rather than relying on information stored by individual staff members. The system has also been adopted positively by staff who were familiar with longstanding processes, providing an opportunity to review how administrative tasks are organised across the village.

For Heidi, introducing a new system alongside her daily responsibilities required careful planning. PCS supported the transition with step-by-step online training and responsive assistance, helping the team learn the platform and adapt existing workflows at a manageable pace. That support was particularly valuable during implementation, when Banksia was balancing the demands of running the village with establishing new ways of working.

CRM: Connecting enquiries, waitlists and resident information

CRM has become a key part of Banksia's approach to managing relationships with prospective and existing residents. The team can organise enquiries, waitlist information, resident profiles and property details within the same system, making it easier to follow information from initial contact through to resident management. This creates a stronger foundation for maintaining accurate records and sharing information between staff, particularly as prospective residents progress through the enquiry and waiting-list process.

Banksia is also exploring how CRM and other capabilities within Operations Management (Centrim Life) can support more of the resident experience, including coordinating village events and activities.

The organisation has begun using the platform to document incidents and complaints, with plans to develop its reporting for compliance and continuous improvement. As Banksia expands its use of the system, the team also sees opportunities to digitise contracts, condition reports and other important documents, making information easier to access while supporting its environmental sustainability goals.

Building a village that is ready for what comes next

Banksia's approach reflects how retirement village management continues to develop as resident expectations and operational responsibilities change. For Heidi and her team, bringing village knowledge together creates a foundation that can support the organisation well beyond its initial implementation. Shared information makes it easier for staff to carry responsibilities forward, maintain relationships with residents and develop the services the community needs.

With a more connected approach to managing its village, Banksia is laying the groundwork for a future where technology supports the personal relationships and community spirit that make retirement living meaningful.