Worried about a smooth school start with the software you currently have? Stressed about hitting deadlines when it comes to potentially getting new software? You may already have what you need to succeed in your current ‘toolbox’ of software and hardware.
Like students starting new classes with new pens and notebooks, you might also want a fresh start. But transportation software and hardware aren’t like new pens and notebooks at all. You’re giving yourself a very short period of time to make a dramatic change to fundamental ways of doing the most basic things, including how to absorb information and how to communicate it.
If you’re dead-set on change, it’s not an impossible task. Edulog’s seasoned staff is always available to help if you’re ready to open your arms to something new. But before you do, you need to consider the very practical option of using the tools you have to get you through a critical part of the year (school start) and, after that’s over, introducing a significant new change – giving your team a chance to absorb the new habits and processes that come with new tools, before embarking on a vital mission.
You can still stay on your continuous improvement program. You might just change the timing of introducing significant changes to minimize adding risk and stress to a demanding time of year. Or it could mean that you use both your legacy system and your new system in parallel to better understand how the new one will work differently from your old one and be very ready for the full transition after school starts.
Are you getting everything you want out of the tools you currently have? Are you utilizing your full toolbox? Sometimes we get so used to the tools we have that we don’t see their potential anymore. It can take a fresh eye to inject some excitement, novelty and understanding into what we already have. And it’s true that it’s not efficient to use all the tools in your toolbox every day; there is a reason why the assembly line and stripping processes down to their simplest iterations has become such a mainstay of how we approach productivity.
Edulog’s products and services help districts be efficient in their use of time, money, and personnel in many different ways. We have small add-on features, like Ride Registration or Transportation Change Request, that leverage more value out of existing tools and assets. If the pandemic and the driver shortage have taught us anything, it is that every seat on the bus is precious. If, prior to the pandemic, we were “guessing” at how many students would ride, that approach may no longer suffice.
Fitzgerald Public Schools in Michigan employed the Transportation Change Request feature of Edulog’s Parent Portal app to make sure they were routing for an accurate number of students. Using an opt-in transportation approach, parents must request transportation for their student to be assigned to a school bus.
Transportation Supervisor Laura Victory reports that her ability to plan has improved greatly because the process requires parents to be proactive to request transportation. Parents are also pleased with the improved communication with the transportation department, all via their smartphones.
It can be just as important to show that you’re already doing the best you possibly can, given existing circumstances. That’s just what we’ve done with several clients who needed to show that improved service levels (shorter ride times, shorter walk distances) were simply not achievable without additional resources or changes in schedules.
Edulog’s Advisory Services group performs operational efficiency analyses that help pinpoint what levers you can pull a little harder on, what changes can be made, or just as importantly, if the system is already operating at maximum efficiency.
Finally, don’t forget that sometimes, all you need to get out of a rut is a little personal training. It’s true for your personal health and wellness, it’s also true for the health and wellness of your transportation operation!
Reach out to your Account Manager to review the products and services you already have access to, and whether a few hours of training might have a multiplier effect for you and your team.
We have lots of options and an entire team of coaches who can work with you to achieve a smooth school start. Schedule with our Advisory Services department or Client Services team to see how you can best utilize your tools and save money. Contact us at www.edulog.com, 406.728.0893, or info@edulog.com to get started.
Download the Advisory Services Overview here.
We can help you. Our team has extensive experience in student transportation and is staffed with former district transportation directors and data analysts. We can assist with Transportation Optimization, Bell-Time Optimization, District Policy and Contract Analysis, Demographics and Redistricting, Operational Assessments, and implementing new technology. Then, when the analysis is complete, our team can provide remote assistance to ensure your solutions are a success.
