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HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

To shift or not to shift, is perhaps the dilemma of many educational institutions considering moving to a new ERP just before the start of the next academic year. Most education institutions be it schools, colleges, universities have deployed one or more softwares to manage their daily administration. The need to reconsider their current systems is triggered by multiple reasons. 1. Running an outdated platform that has not kept pace with the evolution and growth of the institution. 2. The need to expand the functionality and customise the features that are not supported on the current version. 3. The convenience of having one platform instead of using multiple applications /softwares for different roles and tasks. 4. Poor service support both in terms of training and timely technical resolution. 5. Believe that technology can play an important role in making a positive impact not only on the administration but also the learning outcome of students, hence require the best platform. But the decision to change gets delayed due to reasons both emotional and financial. Emotions are mainly guided by the pain of transition, time for data migration, retraining of staff, issuing of new login ids etc. These are however easily addressed by asking the prospective ERP platforms and by making it a key evaluation parameter for selection. The financial aspect is perhaps the most daunting one. The lack of a standard reference point on what is the right price to pay can be a challenge. Education institutions have to view the choice of the platform basis their requirement in the present and the possible future scenarios. The temptation to choose the cheapest price quote is high. Logical question is to ask that will the prospective ERP firm be able to cover the cost of technical support. School ERP platforms need continues service support, so while there maybe parity on functionalities, the service support is dependant on past record of having delivered. Check this out for sure. Addressing the emotional concern upfront, taking a long term view of the financial impact is perhaps the wise way to move forward.

This is a time of the year when parents, students, teachers and the school administration get down to preparing and practising for the upcoming exams with zeal and focus. Some of them preparing for the boards, some for the entrance exams for admission to Universities and many looking forward to moving to their next class whether in kindergarten, primary or middle school. Not known to many it is also a time for tech-savvy schools to evaluate their current school management platforms as the best time to shift and upgrade their ERP is now. Most of the time the shift is triggered by schools fed up with limited functionality, poor service and support and some seeking to consolidate their operations on a single platform. But how does one go about a structured evaluation process? Here are 5 key points to consider while selecting the right school management platform. And yes I would advise a no-obligation demo to understand and compare the functionalities. School management platform is the backbone but let it not take a back seat in the administration of your education institution. So here it goes:_ 1.    INTEGRATION. A school is a complex environment consisting of different stakeholders carrying out daily a multitude of tasks which are interconnected in some way or another. Would you not want to deploy a School ERP that does most of your tasks from admissions to academics to administration seamlessly?   2.    FRIENDLY USER INTERFACE. A school management platform is likely to be used by different users with different usage requirements, varying degrees of tech-savviness, belonging to different age groups, and carrying out assorted tasks. All this means the UI is very important for the platform to be utilized well.   3.    MANAGEMENT INFORMATION. While most of the School ERP systems will be functionally similar more or less, the extent of integration determines its usefulness for decision-making at the management level. This is where a good ERP gives data feed in real-time, generates reports and enables smoother functioning.    4.    CUSTOMISATION FLEXIBILITY. Schools are similar and dissimilar in many ways. While an off-the-shelf ERP will be affordable, it may have limitations which can be observed only on deployment. Lack of modification or customization may make the system sub-optimal. Always consider the aspect of customization that aligns with your school’s overall academic and administration approach.     5.    SERVICE SUPPORT. Unlike most SAAS-based software, school ERP requires continuous tech support that not only takes care of training and induction of users but is also available when needed. For example, you need to move to an online platform overnight or have to make a last-minute change in your examination management module, adapt to changes in the curriculum etc. You need a tech partner capable and reliable to support you 24x7.

This is a time of the year when parents, students, teachers and the school administration get down to preparing and practising for the upcoming exams with zeal and focus. Some of them preparing for the boards, some for the entrance exams for admission to Universities and many looking forward to moving to their next class whether in kindergarten, primary or middle school. Not known to many it is also a time for tech-savvy schools to evaluate their current school management platforms as the best time to shift and upgrade their ERP is now. Most of the time the shift is triggered by schools fed up with limited functionality, poor service and support and some seeking to consolidate their operations on a single platform. But how does one go about a structured evaluation process? Here are 5 key points to consider while selecting the right school management platform. And yes I would advise a no-obligation demo to understand and compare the functionalities. School management platform is the backbone but let it not take a back seat in the administration of your education institution. So here it goes:_ 1.    INTEGRATION. A school is a complex environment consisting of different stakeholders carrying out daily a multitude of tasks which are interconnected in some way or another. Would you not want to deploy a School ERP that does most of your tasks from admissions to academics to administration seamlessly?   2.    FRIENDLY USER INTERFACE. A school management platform is likely to be used by different users with different usage requirements, varying degrees of tech-savviness, belonging to different age groups, and carrying out assorted tasks. All this means the UI is very important for the platform to be utilized well.   3.    MANAGEMENT INFORMATION. While most of the School ERP systems will be functionally similar more or less, the extent of integration determines its usefulness for decision-making at the management level. This is where a good ERP gives data feed in real-time, generates reports and enables smoother functioning.    4.    CUSTOMISATION FLEXIBILITY. Schools are similar and dissimilar in many ways. While an off-the-shelf ERP will be affordable, it may have limitations which can be observed only on deployment. Lack of modification or customization may make the system sub-optimal. Always consider the aspect of customization that aligns with your school’s overall academic and administration approach.     5.    SERVICE SUPPORT. Unlike most SAAS-based software, school ERP requires continuous tech support that not only takes care of training and induction of users but is also available when needed. For example, you need to move to an online platform overnight or have to make a last-minute change in your examination management module, adapt to changes in the curriculum etc. You need a tech partner capable and reliable to support you 24x7.

New Year Resolution. 😀 Upgrade to Entrar and experience transformation in the daily administration of your educational institution.