Duration: 29m 36s
It’s a brand new year and we’re kicking it off by welcoming Right at Home President and CEO Margaret Haynes for our first Tuesday Talk of 2026. Margaret sat down with VP of Franchise Development Jen Chaney to discuss everything that’s in store for Right at Home in 2026 and beyond.
A Quick Look Back
Margaret celebrated her 15th anniversary with Right at Home this early January. And as she navigates her fourth year as CEO, Margaret points out that this January also marks the rollout of a brand new 3 Year Plan for Right at Home.
Coming off the completion of the prior 3 Year Plan, Margaret reflects that “as a network and as a brand, we just blew through all those goals and objectives that we set for ourselves, which is really exciting.”
But the real marker for success, says Margaret, is that “We are touching more lives and in a meaningful way. That means we’re taking care of more clients than we were the year before.”
Likewise, Margaret says, “We have more caregivers that are choosing to work for the Right at Home brand, which is fabulous, because you’ve got to have those caregivers in order to provide the product.”
Automating and Empowering
Today, as the new 3 Year Plan goes into full effect, one of the most notable developments is Right at Home’s growing emphasis on emergent technology.
“We’ve invested heavily in automation,” says Margaret. In particular, she points to what she calls a robust new CRM [Customer Relationship Management] solution from cloud-based software leader Zoho.
“We’ve been working on that throughout 2025 – piloting it with lots of our franchise owners. Now the floodgates are open, and we’re getting everybody moved on to that and building more automations.”
Investing in the Promise of AI
“We’ve been investing in AI over the last couple years,” says Margaret Haynes. “And that’s going to be something that will continue to be a key focus in 2026 and in years to come. AI is here to stay. So how do we continue to lean into that to help automate and simplify some of those rote things that are done at an operational level?”
Ultimately, Margaret says, the goal is to automate some of the routine back-office processes franchises must perform everyday. Right at Home has been proactive in adapting and enhancing AI-powered solutions in order to help streamline processes like data entry, task management, and lead management. Ultimately, the goal of automating these processes is not to replace human workers but to empower them to do the things that only human beings can do.
Automating some of these processes at both the franchise and corporate level, says Maraget, will “free up more time to do the things that are really important in our industry and for our brand, and those are the relationship building things that we do.”
Arming Franchisees With Leading Edge Tech
The new Zoho CRM is just one of a whole suite of emergent tech-enabled tools that we’re working to put into the hands of our franchisees. Another one is WellSky. Right at Home franchisees use this sophisticated healthcare project management software system to track administrative tasks, cultivate leads, and more.
Another important tool that we’ve added to the caregiving arsenal is RightAssist. This tech-enhanced monitoring service uses alert bracelets and Wi-Fi sensors to provide 24/7 activity, sleep, and fall detection. What is so unique about this tool is that it actually offers proactive monitoring, alerting caregivers when clients display concerning patterns, activities, or mobility issues. This makes it possible to respond before emergencies happen.
Of course, these exciting new tools will help enhance the work of our franchisees and caregivers. But ultimately, all of this technology is backed by Right at Home’s most important resource – its network of incredible, dedicated people.
Margaret Haynes points out that the real key to success for each franchisee is “to have the heart and the mindset to leverage everything that’s available to them as part of this fantastic network.”
This means, “using the coaching and being open to the feedback that we’ll give them along the way,” says Margaret, “because everything we’re doing is in support of helping them be as successful as possible in their local market.”
Fostering a Culture of Responsible Innovation
A big part of this success comes from ensuring that the technology we adopt makes sense for Right at Home. While we are focused on remaining at the cutting edge, it’s also important that we adopt technology in a way that is compatible with our unique line of work.
This is why Right at Home has a group whose exclusive responsibility is to focus on innovation. In addition to leading the charge on exploring the power of AI and other emergent technologies, this innovation group takes pains to determine “how we can use that new technology responsibly and effectively, recognizing that we also have access to sensitive information.”
“So we do a lot of testing on different ideas,” says Margaret. “And we have some franchise owners that love to be part of the testing group.”
Defining Success
Margaret Haynes suggests that franchisee owners who do choose this higher level of involvement are often rewarded for their engagement.
“When I look at our most successful owners across the network,” Margaret observes, “they are owners that recognize the value of being aligned with Right at Home. So they stay engaged with the network until the day that they decide, years down the road, that they’ve built this great asset and maybe now they’re going to do something else like sit on a beach.”
Until then, all of the strides we make with technology, internal support, and franchise building are rooted in the same original vision.
“Our mission has always been, from when [founder] Alan Hagar started the company, to improve the quality of life for those we serve,” says Margaret. “Those words still ring as true today as they did 31 years ago. What I think has changed is just how many lives we’ve been able to touch with that mission.”
To learn more about franchising with Right at Home, visit https://rightathomefranchise.com/. To hear more from members of corporate staff and franchisees, visit our blog.