Over the years, technological advancements have had a major impact on the way schools and other educational institutions manage their administrative processes and responsibilities. Today, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software has made it easier than ever for colleges, universities and other institutions to streamline these processes.
If your school isn't already using ERP software to handle its day-to-day administrative tasks, then it may be time to make the switch.
The exact duties that ERP software can streamline will vary from one school to the next (as well as one software platform to the next). However, in most cases, this type of software can handle processes such as:
Implementing a new software platform on a large scale can be daunting — especially for larger educational organizations that have been doing things the same way for years. However, the benefits that your school or organization can yield from the right ERP software will be more than worth it in the end.
While an ERP platform may require an initial investment to set up, the reality is that schools can stand to save a great deal of money in the long run by using this type of software solution. Notably, ERP platforms can help to streamline and even automate administrative tasks that would otherwise need to be done manually. This cuts down on man-hours, saving your organization money while improving overall efficiency. Meanwhile, your employees can free up more of their time to focus on other important tasks and projects.
Schools and other educational facilities are frequently handling sensitive information. From staff and teacher payment information to student data, security is always a concern. Unfortunately, data breaches have become more common than ever — and even schools can be targets. Falling victim to a data breach at your school not only puts your employees and students at risk (if personal information is compromised) but tarnishes your school's reputation as well.
By implementing an ERP solution with robust security features in place, you can safeguard your organization’s most sensitive data and enjoy some added peace of mind for your employees and students. The right ERP platform will also come with backup storage that can be easily automated, ensuring that you'll always have copies of your most important files stored in a remote location no matter what may happen.
For schools that require an application and admission process, the amount of data that needs to be collected and stored can be overwhelming. Likewise, manually checking for required records (such as previous school transcripts and even immunization records) can be time-consuming and cumbersome.
With an ERP software platform, it is possible to automate many of these tasks to save your employees time and your organization money. Meanwhile, the entire application and admission process can be streamlined to help your school enroll the best student candidates into their respective programs.
With so many different departments on even the smallest of campuses, having one cohesive place to store and share data can make life easier for everybody. An ERP solution can make this possible. These platforms foster greater communication and collaboration across departments and make it easier for teachers to share information with students and across departments.
From tuition and technology fees to late fees and other expenses, handling student payments with an outdated platform can be a hassle. With an ERP platform in place, your school can manage all of its payments under one easy-to-use system. Not only can the right ERP software collect these different types of payments, but it can automatically track and generate reports for each type of payment received. Students can also be easily alerted to confirm when they've made their payments or when a payment is due/overdue. All of this can be handled automatically, saving your employees time and your organization money.
These are just some of the many benefits your educational facility could be enjoying when you choose to implement an ERP software solution. And when you select the right ERP platform for your institution, the transition can be made as seamless as possible. From there, your organization can begin saving money and avoid the hassle of time-consuming manual processes.
Not sure where to begin when it comes to finding an ERP software solution for your school? Sparkrock has you covered! With solutions for K-12, colleges and other educational organizations, we can help improve processes for you, your employees and your students. Contact us today to find out more about what our software can do for you.