Standby Zorg: a freelancer platform, step-by-step

Standby Zorg started in 1999 from a personal mission: to provide people with the care they need. Founder Menny Landman saw that regular care often didn't match when more care was required or when the care became more complex. Menny sought a solution by connecting self-employed caregivers to clients, based on the wishes of those clients. In the meantime, Standby Zorg has grown significantly. The ambitions are large, both online and offline. For instance, the organization wants to develop a digital platform where freelancers and healthcare institutions can fill in open care moments themselves. Freshheads is assisting with the development of that platform.

Only when supply and demand automatically find each other through your online environment, can it be called a demand and supply platform. Because the match is made without active intervention from a mediator, a platform is one of the most scalable models there is. The automatic matching is made possible because platforms always adhere to three principles: transparency, trust, and convenience.

First digitize and optimize

In 2022, we started with operational optimization at Standby Zorg. “That's usually the route when you go from an existing business to platformization,” says Jordy Lissenburg, business designer at Freshheads. “A platform is one of the most scalable models there is. So if you launch an online platform without first optimizing your existing processes, you get many leads that you can't process internally. And there's nothing more destructive to your platform proposition than users who register and then hear nothing or can't move forward.” Therefore, Freshheads and Standby Zorg first tackled the internal processes that would get stuck if the number of freelancers and caregivers increased. We created an online portal for freelancers, an online portal for clients, and a planning tool. With this digitalization step, both target groups have been made digital, and the planners of Standby Zorg have a handy tool to connect care demand and supply. You can read all about it in this case.

The advantage of platformizing an existing business

Now that we have standardized and digitized the processes of Standby Zorg, it's time to step by step add platform principles. This seems simple because Standby Zorg has been perfecting the art of bringing supply and demand together for 25 years. The only thing you then need to do is make this possible digitally too. Right? “There's a kernel of truth in that,” says Jordy. “For a successful online platform, you need two target groups present in the right balance. Often we see that organizations have one of the two target groups and that the other side still needs to be attracted. But because Standby Zorg already mediates, they have already built a network on both sides.”

The challenge of platformizing an existing business

But within the aforementioned advantage lies also a challenge. Namely, that freelancers and healthcare institutions are already used to doing business with Standby Zorg in a certain way. “Currently, the target groups are used to Standby Zorg taking a lot of work off their hands,” says Jordy. Staff at Standby Zorg talk to both parties, formulate the care demand, know the freelancers' network like the back of their hand, and select the best caregiver for the care demand. If you transfer this entire process to a platform, healthcare institutions and freelancers need to take action themselves. Jordy: “Are freelancers and healthcare institutions willing to post an assignment themselves? Do they trust something as delicate and essential as good care to an online platform? It's not a given that these questions are answered with 'yes.'”

The biggest assumption with organizations that start platformizing is thinking that an online platform will automatically bring more convenience to all users. In many cases, users have to do more themselves, and it's important to think about the value you offer them in return.

So, what's the right approach now?

To prevent a platform that target groups will not use later on, it's crucial to test users' willingness in the most accessible way possible. In the process of digitalization, we already developed an online login environment for freelancers. Now we're also setting up an online environment for healthcare institutions where they can input their care demand themselves. Everything is focused on transparency, convenience, and trust. Therefore, healthcare institutions always have insight into the status of their care demand, and there's a prominent contact button that makes it easy to get in touch with Standby Zorg. “We are launching this environment first to a small group of existing customers, so we can see if healthcare institutions will use the environment in a controlled setting,” says Jordy. “This way, we discover whether there are prerequisites for healthcare institutions to start using the platform. What are the pain points and needs for this supply side?”

Platform model is gold, if…

Is your organization also considering a platform model? Then know that it's relatively easy to elevate your business to an online demand and supply platform if you are already familiar with (offline) bringing supply and demand together. But be aware that your platform must offer added value for both target groups you are focusing on. If that's not the case, then there's a high chance your users will bypass the platform. Jordy: “Your platform should solve your target group's problem better or deliver more value than the current way you do it. Otherwise, there's no reason for the target group to switch to the platform.” So, it's essential to find out how to better solve the problem your target group experiences via a platform. At Standby Zorg, we find that out by launching an environment as accessibly as possible, where we give a selective group of users access. Gradually validate what works and what doesn't. “And once you get it right, you have gold in your hands with a platform,” concludes Jordy. “A platform gives control and insight into the key data and value streams of your organization. By linking the platform to, for example, your CRM or ATS, you build a digital ecosystem where you can easily plug in new services or opportunities that respond to market developments. In this way, your organization becomes truly future-proof.”