Missing a referral is frustrating, but it’s also a chance to fix what’s broken. In this mini webinar, we dive into what causes dropped referrals and how agencies can turn those moments into opportunities to improve intake processes, rebuild trust, and prevent future misses.
What you’ll learn:
✅ The most common reasons referrals fall through the cracks and how to trace the root cause – Time stamp: 2:01
✅ What a single missed referral really costs your agency – Time stamp: 3:44
✅ How agencies are rebuilding trust and improving workflows through accountability and simple tech – Time stamp: 5:32
✅ When to centralize or decentralize intake and how to decide – Time stamp: 12:52
✅ How Referral AI helps teams flag high-priority referrals automatically – Time stamp: 11:48
Plus, hear firsthand tips on visibility tools, weekend coverage, and motivating intake teams when things feel chaotic – Time stamp: 14:33
WEBINAR TRANSCRIPT
Cortney Swartwood (0:05):
Hey everybody, and welcome. Thanks for joining today’s very first session of our mini webinar series. My name is Cortney Swartwood, and I’m the Senior Marketing Manager here at WorldView. Thank you so much for joining today’s webinar, “You Missed the Referral—Now What?”
Before we get started, a few tips for a great experience. On your screen, you’ll see the presentation, Q&A window, and a survey. You can resize or move these windows however you'd like. Please use the Q&A window—not the chat—to drop in your questions. That helps us keep track and answer everything that comes in.
The survey lets you give feedback on today’s session and request more information about our solutions. At the bottom of your screen, there’s also a Resources icon—click it to download today’s slides. And yes, we’re recording this webinar. You’ll get the on-demand link tomorrow so you can rewatch or share it with your team.
Now, today’s topic is something every agency has faced: missing a referral. It’s frustrating, but it’s also a chance to fix a broken process. To walk us through how to turn a dropped referral into an opportunity for growth, I’ll hand it over to someone who works directly with intake teams—our Regional Director of Sales, Nolan Craig.
Nolan Craig (1:47):
Thanks, Cortney. Like she said, I’m the Regional Director of Sales at WorldView. I’ve been here almost 14 years, helping partners improve their operations—whether it’s medical records, orders management, or intake.
If you’ve worked intake for more than five minutes, you’ve had one of those calls: “Hey, just checking in. Did you get the referral from Friday?” And either it’s not there, or worse, it’s there but hasn’t been touched. That’s a gut punch. But it’s also a moment that matters. How you respond counts more than the fact that it happened.
So why do referrals get missed? It’s not because people don’t care. It’s because processes break down. Maybe the email came in during a shift change and wasn’t flagged. Or the fax machine jammed. Or someone was out sick, and no one checked their inbox.
Sometimes referrals sit untouched in generic inboxes because people assume someone else is monitoring them. With fax servers, it’s hard to tell what’s been worked. Usually, it’s not one big issue—it’s a pile-up of small ones. That’s why visibility and accountability are key.
Let’s talk about the cost. One missed referral could mean $3,000 in lost revenue. Miss three a month, and that’s nearly $100,000 a year—gone. Beyond the money, it damages your reputation. Referral sources might start questioning your reliability. Patients and families lose trust. Intake staff feel like they’re playing catch-up. It’s a time-sensitive job, and every miss chips away at credibility.
Step one: own the mistake. No finger-pointing. Just say, “We missed this, and we’re taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” I’ve had clients send short, honest apology emails outlining the fix. That kind of transparency builds trust and strengthens relationships.
Step two: trace it. Don’t assume what went wrong—dig into it. Ask: Where did it come from? Who saw it first? What was supposed to happen but didn’t? One team I worked with found that 70% of missed referrals came in after 3 PM on Fridays. That insight led them to add extra weekend triage support, and they cut their misses in half.
Step three: build a safety net. This doesn’t need to be fancy. Start with a checklist or shared tracker. Set up auto-replies that confirm receipt to the referral source. Smart routing tools can send urgent referrals to the right person right away.
Technology helps. At WorldView, we don’t replace teams—we support them. Use dashboards, reminders, automation. Even simple tools that flag if something hasn’t been touched in hours can make a huge difference. The goal is fewer missed referrals—and fewer “I didn’t see this” texts.
One dropped referral doesn’t have to end the relationship. What matters is how you follow up. Be accountable. Share the fix. Be consistent. Agencies that treat intake like a team sport—reviewing, revising, adapting—are the ones improving turnaround times, growing partnerships, and getting more referrals.
Key takeaways:
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A missed referral is a warning sign—but it's fixable.
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Investigate the process, not the person.
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Build systems your team will actually use.
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Never underestimate the power of a quick, honest callback.
Cortney Swartwood (10:38):
Thanks, Nolan! We’ve got a few minutes left, so let’s jump into Q&A. First question: What’s a quick fix for a team still doing mostly manual intake?
Nolan Craig (10:57):
Start with visibility. A shared spreadsheet or intake log works—use timestamps and status updates so the team knows what’s happening and what’s falling behind. Keep it simple and clear. If you can avoid spreadsheets, even better.
Cortney Swartwood (11:27):
Absolutely. Tools are only useful if the team knows how to use them—and wants to. As a marketing person, I’ll pass on spreadsheets whenever I can! Next question: We’ve had issues with weekend coverage. Any advice?
Nolan Craig (11:48):
Build a clear weekend triage plan: who’s on call, what’s the escalation path, and where referrals go. WorldView’s Referral AI, powered by our Kno2 integration, flags high-priority referrals and alerts the right person. That way, nothing sits untouched for hours, and you don’t have to scale weekend staff just to gain visibility.
Cortney Swartwood (12:34):
That’s exactly what you were talking about—using tech to support staff, not overwhelm them. Next question: Centralized or decentralized intake?
Nolan Craig (12:52):
It depends on agency size. Smaller or mid-sized agencies benefit from centralized intake for consistency. Larger, multi-region agencies may prefer decentralized teams to build local relationships. That’s where smart routing tools keep everyone aligned and avoid silos.
Cortney Swartwood (13:32):
Makes sense. And related to that—what about figuring out which referrals are real versus just info requests?
Nolan Craig (13:53):
Train your team to run a quick triage—ask about urgency, insurance, readiness. Tools like Referral AI can also filter documents and flag real referrals based on patterns. That way, you’re not chasing vague faxes.
Cortney Swartwood (14:22):
Perfect. Last question: How do we keep intake staff motivated when things get chaotic?
Nolan Craig (14:33):
People thrive when they know what’s expected and feel supported. Recognize wins, even small ones. Give them tools that reduce the grind. Loop them in on changes so they feel like part of the solution—not just a cog in the machine.
Cortney Swartwood (15:03):
Love that. Thanks, Nolan, and thank you all for joining us. We know you're busy, and we hope you’re walking away with ideas to bring back to your team. If we didn’t get to your question, we’ll follow up by end of day tomorrow. Don’t miss our next session, “AI Built for Referrals, Not for Everything,” with Cody Godley. He’ll walk through where AI works, where it doesn’t, and how to use it without overcomplicating your workflow. See you there!
Nolan Craig (15:43):
Bye!
