Over the past two weeks we have looked at what the NDIS is going to mean for participants and why the NDIS is such a big deal, today we are looking at the changes that service providers will face under the NDIS.
The NDIS is going to see providers within the disability sector faced with organisation wide changes. From the way that the organisation runs to the way that they provide supports to clients. We can learn the scope of some of the changes through a report that was released by the NDIA about the adoption in the Barwon trial site, it identified four main areas that will face changes:
- Staff – over 25,000 disability workers by 2020 to meet new demands.
- Infrastructure
- Flexibility
- Adaptability
One of the key external factors that is going to impact organisations is the lowering of barriers to entry to the market. This enables more organisations to enter the market to provide services , thus increasing competition. Knowing that the landscape is becoming more competitive organisations need to reevaluate their strategy. Are they going to continue providing a blanket option of services or going to specialize and become a niche provider.
The sector also faces changes in the way that services are found and the control the client has. Under the NDIS clients have power and if they are not happy with the service that they receive they are able to voice these complaints on forums like Clickability. These review type services are going to be a go to place for people researching which services are going to be right for them. Not only will an individual have the choice through a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) they also have the ability to individually search what supports they think will benefit them the best.
Finding and attracting clients under the NDIS is also going to be a change for providers. The best way to think about this is as the client as a customer. A customer who has the choice to pick and choose supports based on the information that they have sourced. The question that organisations need to ask themselves are: how are people finding out about our organisation and how do we create a competitive advantage so customers choose our business.
Over the coming weeks we we will be looking into Marketing your organisation under the NDIS and ensuring your organisation is ready for the rollout.