Surveys can be tricky things. If you don’t ask questions, you don’t receive criticism. But you don’t even receive constructive feedback.
Did you know Transfinder has created a free tool embedded in the award-winning Routefinder PLUS routing solution that makes it easy for districts to conduct their own surveys? It’s called Formfinder and it’s far more unique and useful than free survey tools out there because it allows you to tailor your survey geographically or isolate the results based on a certain region.
For example, you may find that concerns being voiced are not districtwide but from one area and as a result there may be a deeper reason for those concerns.
At Transfinder we are constantly conducting surveys, even providing enticements like a gift card to encourage people to provide their honest answers to questions. If you’ve attended any of our webinars or appearances at national or state association conferences, you’ve heard our President and CEO, Antonio Civitella, say, “I want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.”
He’ll quickly add that it’s the only way we can get better.
Survey: How was your school opening?
We recently used Formfinder to survey our clients about how their school opening was. We are continuing to survey clients because there are parts of the country where school hasn’t opened yet. We asked if their opening was “The Best Ever,” “Good Overall,” “Some Hiccups/Minor Issues” or “Serious issues.”
Most of the responses, which came from districts across the country, were that most openings were “The Best Ever” or “Good Overall.”
“This was our best year yet,” said Diane Spurlock, transportation director at Indian Hill Exempted Village School District in Cincinnati, Ohio. “Every year I learn and implement more of the Routefinder PLUS features. Your products are greatly appreciated. There is a lot to it but I love being able to check and sort out my information in so many different ways. This is what made for a great opening day.”
Wes Alexander, director of transportation at Henderson County Schools in Kentucky, had a similar experience.
“Since we upgraded to PLUS last year, our routing has been more efficient and has helped tremendously with smooth days,” he said. Besides Routefinder PLUS, the driver app Wayfinder and field trip solution Tripfinder contributed to the smooth opening.
Was this your school’s experience this school opening?
Routefinder PLUS
Andrew Strack, transportation secretary at East Noble School Corp. in Indiana, said this was the best school opening he’s experienced.
“Making changes to routes, adding students and stops were quick and easy,” he said. “This is my first year in the job of routing and I couldn’t believe how well it went.”
SEO = Safety, Efficiency and Optimization
Dale Wagner, director of transportation at Concord Community Schools in Michigan, said he faced challenges prior to the start of school.
“We lost a driver due to retirement,” Wagner said, yet with Routefinder PLUS, he was “able to eliminate and combine his route into others completely.”
Wayfinder and Infofinder i
Craig Henson, coordinator of transportation at Tuscaloosa County Schools in Alabama, noted that “Transfinder products provided a wide array of tools and resources to handle all of the logistics necessary for opening school and being prepared for transporting 12,500-plus students. Safety, efficiency and optimization were three key tools that helped in this.”
SEO – Safety, Efficiency and Optimization – are embedded in Transfinder’s suite of products. Henson mentioned beyond PLUS the importance of the driver app Wayfinder and Transfinder’s Infofinder i solution, which allows parents to quickly access their child’s bus information.
Jeannie Del Rio, an administrative assistant with Murray City School District in Utah, also boasted of a good opening thanks to tools such as Routefinder PLUS and Infofinder i.
“We were able to create a new route, get students geocoded, send parent emails and transmit up-to-date information for Infofinder,” she said, noting that Transfinder’s resources, such as the twice-a-day hotlines, played a role in such a smooth opening. “I think the summer webinars helped me be prepared. I was able to get route and information in place prior to the onslaught of student registration!”
Stopfinder
Carla Stearns, transportation supervisor at Brookfield Local Schools in Ohio also pointed to the parent app Stopfinder as a huge help for school opening.
“Stopfinder has made communication with parents much better,” she said.
Viewfinder
Kelly Dicke, transportation coordinator at St. Mary’s City Schools in Ohio also mentioned how critical Viewfinder was for a seamless opening. Districts with Viewfinder provide unlimited users access to district transportation information, including bus schedules.
“Building secretaries were able to look up students to assist with afternoon bus numbers if the student wasn’t sure which bus to board,” Dicke said.
Are phone calls into your district from parents up, the same as last year, or down? Abby DeWeese’s response may surprise you.
Read what the routing supervisor at Alvin ISD in Texas had to say.
To learn how you can have the kind of opening these districts had – and many more – call 800-373-3609 or email marketing@transfinder.com with the word “Opening” in the subject line.
The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.
