What the Will-Call 30-Day Test Drive Actually Involves
You want to see if this works before you commit. This page walks through exactly what happens in a 30-day Will-Call Test Drive — what you send us, what we send you, what happens on day 1, day 15, day 30, and what it costs if you keep it — so you can bring a concrete plan to your DON, maintenance lead, or corporate contact before requesting anything.
The Test Drive is designed for a facility that has identified one resident who cannot reliably use the standard call button and wants to see whether Will-Call works in that specific room, on that specific nurse call system, with that specific resident. If you already know what you're looking at, you can request a Test Drive here.
Key takeaways:
- The Test Drive is a 30-day evaluation, not a promotional offer — the goal is to confirm fit in your actual room before you commit budget
- Before the device ships, we ask for a photo of the nurse call panel and short context on the intended resident so we can select the right connector or adapter
- If you keep the device after 30 days, invoicing follows with a 20% retention discount off the $395 MSRP
- One resident, one room is the standard starting point — corporate approval is usually not required at this scope
What is the Will-Call Test Drive?
The Will-Call Test Drive is a 30-day evaluation program that lets a qualified facility try Will-Call in the actual room, on the actual nurse call system, with the intended resident. Before shipping, the team requests a photo of the nurse call panel or bedside setup and short context on the resident so the correct connector or adapter can be selected. If the facility keeps the device after 30 days, invoicing follows with a 20% discount off the $395 MSRP. If it does not fit, the device is returned.
Why facilities use a Test Drive before committing
Administrators do not typically bring a new bedside device to a DON or corporate contact without a defensible plan. A spec sheet does not answer the two questions that matter most: does it work with the nurse call system we already have, and does it work for the specific resident we have in mind.
A short, scoped evaluation is a normal way to answer those questions. HFM Magazine, writing about hospital nurse call upgrades, puts it plainly:
"If an organization has the opportunity to trial nurse call on a single floor, it is a great way to evaluate the system and develop organizational standards for rolling out the system hospitalwide."
The same article notes that staff generally prefer a phased, incremental approach to new systems over facility-wide rollouts, because the learning burden is lower and problems surface early. A one-resident, one-room Will-Call Test Drive fits that pattern.
There is also a procurement logic to it. A Medical XM guide on nursing home equipment procurement notes that purchasing decisions "must balance patient safety, regulatory compliance, durability, and operational efficiency." A 30-day window lets an administrator observe those factors in the real environment rather than trusting a datasheet.
Key point: A scoped Test Drive is not a signal of low commitment. It is how careful facilities evaluate this category of technology.
Before you request a Test Drive: is this the right resident?
The Test Drive works best when you can name the specific resident before you request the device. Not "we're generally curious about voice-activated call access." A named person, a specific room, and a real access barrier with the standard button.
A workable candidate for a Test Drive is a resident who:
- Cannot reliably press, grip, reach, or locate the standard call button
- Can produce the activation phrase "I need help" audibly — either through natural speech or through a speech-generating/AAC device (e.g., an eye-gaze system) they already use to communicate
- Has the cognitive ability to retain and use the phrase when they want help
- Is in a room with an existing, working nurse call system that Will-Call can connect to
That last point about AAC is worth naming, because it comes up. At a North Texas SNF, a resident with advanced ALS who had lost natural speech triggered Will-Call reliably using her existing eye-gaze communication device — she programmed the phrase into the device, and when she looked at it, the synthesized voice played the phrase aloud and Will-Call activated. Non-verbal residents are not automatically excluded from a Test Drive. See the full ALS eye-gaze case for the specific setup.
If you are still assessing whether the resident is a good candidate, our suitability guide for OTs and rehab teams walks through the capability-based fit framework in more detail.
Step 1: What we ask you to send us
When you request a Test Drive, we ask for two things before the device ships:
- A photo of the nurse call panel or bedside setup in the resident's room. This is the wall plate the current call button plugs into, or the panel behind the bed. A phone photo is fine. This is the single most useful piece of information you can send.
- Short context on the intended resident. A few sentences is enough: what condition or access barrier makes the standard button unreliable, whether the resident uses natural speech or an AAC device, and anything unusual about the room (bed position, background noise sources, roommate situation).
That is the entire intake. No forms to route through legal, no IT questionnaire, no infrastructure survey.
Step 2: How we confirm compatibility and select the right adapter
Once we have the photo and the resident context, we identify the nurse call system and the connector type in that room. Will-Call is designed to work with compatible existing nurse call systems, but the physical connection varies. A 1/4-inch plug covers most systems. Some rooms need a right-angle plug for a tight space behind the bed. Older systems — certain Jeron, TekTone, Rauland, or 8-pin DIN setups — may need a specific adapter.
We select the connector or adapter that matches the room and include it with the shipment. If we cannot confirm compatibility from the photo alone, we ask a follow-up question before shipping rather than sending a device that will not fit. For the full technical picture of how Will-Call connects, see how Will-Call plugs into an existing nurse call system.
Compatibility should be confirmed for the specific room and system. That confirmation happens here, before anything ships.
Step 3: What happens once the device arrives
The device ships with the connector or adapter we selected and setup guidance for the room. Setup does not require Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an app, or IT involvement. In most compatible rooms, connecting Will-Call to the existing nurse call jack takes a few minutes.
You can preview the setup and workflow before the device arrives with the Will-Call workflow demo video.
Once it is connected, the resident says "I need help." Will-Call activates the existing nurse call system the same way the standard button would, and gives the resident an audible confirmation: "Okay, I've called someone to help you." The nurse station sees the same signal it would see from a button press. The call light behaves the same way. The workflow on the floor does not change.
Key point: Will-Call activates the call the same way a button press does. Staff response, escalation, and reset are unchanged. This is the point most DONs want confirmed before they support a Test Drive.
Step 4: The 30-day evaluation window
The 30 days start when the device is connected in the room. During that window, what you're actually evaluating is:
- Does the resident use it? Do they remember the phrase, and does it activate reliably when they need help?
- Does the microphone pick up the resident's voice consistently from where they are — bed, chair, the position they spend most of their time in?
- Does the nurse call system respond the same way it does to a button press?
- Are there environmental factors (roommate, TV, hallway noise) affecting activation?
Most fit questions surface in the first week. If something is not working — microphone placement, cable length, connector confirmation — the team can help troubleshoot during the window. Some setups need a small practical adjustment (a longer microphone cable, a right-angle plug, a different microphone position) to work well.
There is no scheduled check-in cadence during the 30 days unless you want one. Facilities that want a mid-trial call are welcome to it.
Step 5: What happens if you keep the device
At the end of 30 days, you decide. If the device works and you want to keep it, invoicing follows with a 20% discount off the $395 MSRP. If it does not fit, the device is returned.
That is the entire retention path. No auto-conversion, no default charge, no long-term commitment tied to accepting the Test Drive. The invoice is generated only after you tell us you're keeping it.
If you're planning to expand from one resident to several rooms after the Test Drive, that is a separate conversation — the pricing structure changes at multi-unit volumes (see the starter pack, facility pack, and multi-site pack), and we can walk through options once you know the Test Drive worked.
Real example: what a Test Drive looked like at one facility
At Maple Lawn Nursing & Rehab, a resident with ALS could no longer use the standard call button. Staff used the Test Drive program to evaluate Will-Call with a custom adapter for an older Jeron nurse call system before purchase. The adapter selection happened during the pre-ship compatibility step, so the device that arrived was already set up to connect to the room's specific system. See the full Maple Lawn story for detail on the setup.
That is a typical Test Drive shape: one resident, one room, one system-specific setup question resolved before shipping.
Frequently asked questions
Who receives the call when Will-Call is triggered during the Test Drive — does it go to the whole nurse call system, or can it be scoped to one resident?
Will-Call activates the existing nurse call pathway in the room it is connected to. The signal behaves the same way as a button press from that room, so it routes to wherever your nurse call system already routes button presses from that room. It does not create a new alert path or bypass the existing system.
Does the Test Drive require IT or Wi-Fi setup?
No. Will-Call does not use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an app, or a network connection for normal use. IT involvement is not typically required. The connection is a physical plug into the existing nurse call jack.
What if the device does not work for the resident we picked?
Return it. There is no charge if you do not keep it. If it is a fixable setup issue (microphone placement, cable length, connector), the team can help troubleshoot during the window. If it is a fit issue with the resident (voice reliability, cognitive fit, environmental factors), that is exactly what the Test Drive is designed to surface.
Can a family member request a Test Drive, or does it have to come from the facility?
The Test Drive is typically initiated by the facility because a facility contact is needed to confirm the nurse call system, coordinate setup, and handle invoicing if the device is retained. A family member can start the conversation, but the request ultimately needs a facility contact.
Can we test more than one unit at once?
Yes, though most facilities start with one. If you want to evaluate multiple residents in different rooms — for example, one with a common connector and one with a legacy system — mention that when you request and we can plan the shipment accordingly.
Do we need corporate approval to run a Test Drive?
Most single-resident Test Drives do not require corporate approval because no purchase commitment is made until day 30. If your facility policy requires approval for any new device on the floor regardless of purchase status, check internally. Some administrators use the Test Drive itself as the artifact they bring to corporate for the retention decision.
Is there a cost to the Test Drive itself?
No cost for the 30-day evaluation. If you keep the device at day 30, invoicing follows with a 20% discount off the $395 MSRP.
What connectors and adapters are supported during a Test Drive?
The team selects the connector or adapter based on the photo you send. Common configurations include standard 1/4-inch plugs, right-angle plugs for tight spaces, extension cables for microphone placement, and specific adapters for legacy systems (certain Jeron, TekTone, Rauland, 8-pin DIN setups). If the room's system is unusual, we confirm compatibility before shipping.
Start a 30-day Test Drive
Send us a photo of the nurse call panel in the room and a short note about the resident. We confirm compatibility, select the right connector, and ship the device. You have 30 days to evaluate it in the actual room, on the actual system, with the intended resident. If it works, you keep it with a 20% discount. If it does not, you return it.