蜜桃影像

There鈥檚 a lot to keep in mind when trying to choose the best solutions for your school. From budget to implementation, it鈥檚 important to make sure that any tech platform you invest in is a good fit. One of the most important things to consider (and a factor that鈥檚 often overlooked) is the family experience. No matter how much time a product saves your school, if families have a terrible time using it, it鈥檚 not a good investment. In fact, forcing families to use frustrating, complicated software could even affect your school鈥檚 retention rates.

After decades of working with K-12 schools and families, we鈥檙e pretty familiar with common complaints that families have about school technology 鈥� and we鈥檙e sharing the wealth! Here are some of the top things to keep in mind from a family experience perspective when choosing technology for your school.

Don鈥檛 Waste Their Time

One of the fastest ways to get families frustrated is by forcing them to log in or fill out the same information over and over again, whether it鈥檚 because they鈥檝e got multiple children enrolled at a school or because different platforms do not work together. It鈥檚 similarly frustrating to have tech that does not update with important information automatically, making parents wait for information or call schools directly. Fortunately, the right platform should greatly increase your school鈥檚 overall efficiency 鈥� both for your staff and your families.

Reach Them Where They Are

Let鈥檚 be honest: we鈥檙e all on our phones more than we care to admit. Chances are, your families will be engaging with your school directly from their mobile devices, meaning it鈥檚 crucial that all your most important platforms be mobile responsive. Many families do all of their most important tasks on their phones, including banking. Your school will greatly benefit from ensuring that parents are ably to easily perform actions and complete tasks through their phones, whether it鈥檚 uploading documents or checking their child鈥檚 grades. Want to go the extra mile? Consider a custom app for your school.

Keep Them Informed

Anyone that鈥檚 ever sent a note home in a student鈥檚 bookbag (or discovered it crushed up weeks later) knows that parent communication can sometimes be a challenge. We鈥檙e all busy, and communication often seems to be hitting us from every direction. The right school tech will help you cut through the noise, allowing you to easily reach families when you need to. Platforms like 蜜桃影像 Student Information System offer multichannel communication options, with the ability to reach families via email, text alert, or even push notifications.

Don鈥檛 Confuse Them

While sometimes it can be hard to communicate with families at all, the opposite problem can exist too. Families often feel like they鈥檙e getting mixed messages from everyone associated with their child鈥檚 school, with teachers, students, and administrators all providing slightly different information. Luckily, good school management solutions can make these problems a thing of the past. The right student information system serves as a single source of truth for communications, eliminating mixed messaging and keeping communications uniform. Families will know exactly where to look for the final word on all school matters, and schools can rest assured that all their messaging is on brand.

Don鈥檛 Make Them Search for What They Need

As we mentioned earlier, the goal is always to save families time. Even if you鈥檝e digitized every important piece of information for your school, if parents have to hunt it down within multiple different platforms, complaints are bound to start rolling in. Look for solutions that offer easy-to-navigate hubs with common sense design. You鈥檇 be amazed how happy parents will be if they鈥檙e able to pay their child鈥檚 sports fees, check their report cards, and scope out this week鈥檚 lunch menu all from the same home page.

Keep Their Important Information Safe

Families trust your school with incredibly sensitive information, like their banking details, contact information, and social security numbers. It鈥檚 your responsibility to ensure that this information stays safe. Any good tech solution for your school should prioritize safety and maintain strict data security standards. Make sure to do your homework and really investigate a company鈥檚 security standards before making any purchases.

Keep Their Specific Needs in Mind

All schools are different and have different needs. Your tech – and the resulting family experience – should reflect that. Look for software providers that don鈥檛 take a 鈥渙ne size fits all鈥� approach to school management and are instead customizable with processes, applications, and features that make sense for your community. For example, 蜜桃影像 Financial Aid Management allows schools to customize application questions, formulas, and allocations in order to create unbiased, data-driven financial awards decisions based on the families their schools serve. Never settle for cookie cutter tools!

Make Sure They Have Support

Even with the best solutions in place, questions are bound to arise. Make sure families don鈥檛 feel like they鈥檙e on their own by selecting solutions with dedicated support. Whether it鈥檚 live chat with customer service agents or a dedicated phone number parents can call with questions, it鈥檚 crucial to let parents know they鈥檝e got help every step of the way. The best case scenario, however, is that great software will play its own role in guiding families through processes, letting them know if they鈥檙e missing part of an application, notifying them of award status, and more.

Remember, happy families equal happy schools. While it鈥檚 important that your team love the school solutions you select, it鈥檚 just as (or even more) important that families like it. The right solution in place will not only keep families happy, but also directly benefit your team 鈥� less phone calls, improved retention, less meetings鈥�the list goes on and on. Don鈥檛 run the risk of frustrating parents with terrible tech. This is one investment you鈥檒l be glad you made!

With tools like a powerful SIS that brings all your school鈥檚 most important information into one convenient portal to an incredibly efficient application and enrollment tool, 蜜桃影像 offers many solutions that improve the family experience. Learn more here.