SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Transfinder Corp. is making its two-way communication tool Stopfinder Communication available to all school districts in North America free of charge for the remainder of the school year to assist with communications during the COVID-19 crisis. The app provides a secure platform for school district officials and parents and guardians to communicate with each other, including sharing documents and photos.
Stopfinder Communication is being offered to all school districts whether they are Transfinder clients or not. A district does not have to be using routing software to utilize this tool.
Transfinder CEO Antonio Civitella said the app allows districts to blast notifications districtwide as well as to specific groups based on grade, region and other criteria. He added that unlike email, a typical form of communication districts use, there is no “spam” filter to prevent the messages from getting delivered. Districts and parents can also track if messages have been opened. All communications are saved securely for review.
“During a crisis like the coronavirus epidemic, I truly believe you cannot overcommunicate,” Civitella said. “People are hungry for information. But they want and need accurate and up to date information from reliable sources. Unfortunately, when there’s a period of silence, that’s when misinformation can spread, especially on social media. Stopfinder will help parents go directly to the decisionmakers to get answers to their questions. The district, in turn, can give their community the latest information in real-time.”
Civitella noted that like everyone else, Transfinder has been directly impacted by the coronavirus. The 32-year-old software company sent everyone home on March 13 to work remotely. Armed with their computers, monitors, headsets and other tools, Transfinder employees continue to serve its more than 2,000 clients from the safety of their homes. Within 80 minutes of the last support call being resolved at Transfinder’s Schenectady headquarters, the first remote support issue was resolved.
“Out of an abundance of caution, I felt it was important for our employees to work from their homes. We communicate frequently using videoconferencing tools and are probably talking to each other more than we do when we’re sitting next to one another,” Civitella said. “We also canceled all travel plans for the next two months and are taking a wait-and-see approach regarding the remainder of the year. It’s something every organization is dealing with and we truly understand the challenges they are facing.”
Civitella noted that he was also receiving reports about Transfinder clients using Transfinder’s other solutions, such as Routefinder and Infofinder i, to help with the distribution of food to students who receive free and reduced lunch.
“Our clients have amazed us with their ingenuity. They are using our products in ways we never dreamed of. We are asking clients to share other ways they are using our solutions to deal with this crisis so we can share best practices with everyone,” Civitella said.
Civitella remains in touch with his employees, praising them for their quick response to transform Transfinder from a bricks-and-mortar company to a company that has staff working remotely.
“We know it is it not business as usual,” Civitella said. “Times like this require us all to figure it out and think on our feet. That is why we are reaching out even to districts that are not our clients and offering Stopfinder Communication for free to help them communicate with their community. At the end of the day, we want to serve this entire industry that we care so much about.”
To learn how to get started using Stopfinder, call 888-427-2403 or email freestopfinder@transfinder.com.
About Transfinder
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Schenectady, New York, Transfinder is a national leader in intelligent transportation systems, providing transportation management systems and services to municipalities, school districts and adult care facilities. Transfinder, an Inc. magazine “fastest-growing company” for 11 consecutive years, has offices in Austin, Texas, and Shanghai, China. The software company, named a “Best Place to Work” and “Top Workplace,” develops and supports routing and scheduling solutions for optimal transportation logistics. For more information, visit www.transfinder.com.
