{"id":21129,"date":"2018-11-20T05:00:34","date_gmt":"2018-11-20T13:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=21129"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:32:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:32:56","slug":"the-excel-exodus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/the-excel-exodus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Excel Exodus"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to Excel, there are two kinds of users: those who love it, and those who love to hate it. Regardless of which camp you\u2019re in, there\u2019s no denying the ubiquitous tracking tool has earned its role as a mainstay in offices in every industry across \"Senior<\/a>he world. But as the complexities of business have grown, so has the need for flexible tracking tools\u2014a fact that\u2019s increasingly obvious in senior living. With many different levels of care, various floor plans, myriad amenities and portfolios of communities, new time-saving tools can have a huge impact. In this post, we\u2019ll examine common budgeting and tracking challenges faced by senior living operators and a solution that makes all the difference.<\/p>\n

The challenges:<\/h4>\n

Antiquated systems are inefficient<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since most companies purchase office software packages, it seems most cost efficient to use the spreadsheet that\u2019s included to record and analyze the organization\u2019s budgets. And while that strategy is an effective way to save money on paper, creating a scalable document to track all business operations from a blank tab in Excel is incredibly painstaking and time consuming\u2014and once it\u2019s been created, maintaining the document is no easy feat. If you recall the concept of opportunity costs from freshman economics, you\u2019ll begin to understand that there is no efficiency in sapping countless man hours to make a tool not created for your business actually work for your business.<\/p>\n

Versions get outdated quickly\u2014and aren\u2019t easily shared<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you ever wasted time updating a spreadsheet only to find that you weren\u2019t looking at the latest version? One of the most common frustrations with using static spreadsheets, rather than live solutions which are updated in real time, is the data becomes stale quickly, especially when multiple teams are making edits. On top of that, it\u2019s difficult to share spreadsheets due to file size restraints, especially if the spreadsheet contains mass amounts of historical data. And there\u2019s always the possibility of recipients editing or deleting data in a live file.<\/p>\n

Spreadsheets aren\u2019t made for data visualization<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the age of big data, collecting and analyzing information is more important than ever. But Excel\u2019s rudimentary tools weren\u2019t designed to visualize and communicate trends, making it easy to misinterpret data. Sure, there are a handful of easy-to-use pie charts and bar graphs to choose from, but ask yourself: are those the most accurate way to analyze the data, or are they being used simply because they\u2019re readily available?<\/p>\n

Data Security<\/strong><\/p>\n

One good thing about Excel is that it\u2019s so prevalent, almost anyone who needs to can open an Excel file. One bad thing about Excel is that it\u2019s so prevalent, almost anyone who wants<\/em> to can open an Excel file. Get the drift? Excel\u2019s pervasiveness and accessibility creates serious vulnerabilities when it comes to the safety of your files. While the software does provide some password-based protection, the level of security is relatively low and can be breached with minimal internet sleuthing.<\/p>\n

The solution:<\/h4>\n

New easy-to-use tools made just for senior living have hit the market and are widely available to the masses. While many of the solutions available offer a la carte programs to fit the specific needs of your business, many, like the Yardi Senior Living Suite<\/a>, also offer end-to-end enterprise management to consolidate everything from operations and finance to marketing and resident care. Unlike Excel, these software platforms are highly customizable and incredibly secure. Many allow multiple users to input data at the same time and offer parameters to restrict access by job function. They\u2019re also made for data visualization, storing and analyzing historical data, allowing you to create reports and spot trends over time. While senior-living specific tools add an extra line item to the budget, the efficiencies and comprehensive oversight they provide not only enhance staff productivity\u2014they can help lower your total cost of ownership.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Yardi\u2019s suite of products<\/a> specifically designed for senior living.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to Excel, there are two kinds of users: those who love it, and those who love to hate it. Regardless of which camp you\u2019re in, there\u2019s no denying the ubiquitous tracking tool has earned its role as a mainstay in offices in every industry across he world. But as the complexities of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":442,"featured_media":21132,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2952,6],"tags":[842,2164,76,40,2438],"class_list":["post-21129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-senior-living","category-technology","tag-senior-living","tag-senior-living-software","tag-technology-2","tag-yardi","tag-yardi-senior-living-suite"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When it comes to Excel, there are two kinds of users: those who love it, and those who love to hate it. 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