The growth of any institution relies on proper planning and management. The same goes for academic institutions. Back in the day, efficient school management means going through piles of paperwork religiously.
But now, systemic school management comes in the form of school management software systems. These systems are referred to as School Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), used to automate and manage day-to-day school admin tasks.
A single school ERP software covers several features, from automating admissions to managing online classes and examinations.
And, as expected, with its wide range of offerings, school ERP software systems also bring in a handful of benefits.
Let’s discover the top benefits that this software system promises for your institution.
School ERP Software Benefits
1. Reduces Workload
First and foremost, school ERP software is an efficient tool to reduce the admin staff’s workload. One software can do the job of the entire team because of the power of automation.
Let’s take the admissions process, for example. All enrollees need to access the ERP portal to input the required information. It’s also easy to upload the necessary documents. On top of that, payment isn’t a hassle because online payment methods are supported.
As a student, you don’t need to stand in long lines to process your enrollment. On the other hand, the admin staff won’t dread the upcoming enrollment seasons. They just need to go through the submitted documents. They don’t need to do the filing themselves. It’s one task easier and lighter than it ever was before.
The same experience can be expected for other administrative processes too. It reduces the workload and hassle of several school stakeholders at once.
2. Increase Productivity
In line with the previously stated benefit, the lesser workload influences the height of productivity. Because they aren’t bombarded with repetitive tasks, the admin staff can focus their energy on more pressing matters that aren’t covered by the software.
The admissions staff can focus on generating admission leads and follow-up previous inquiries. On another note, the team can also have more time to work on other requests faster to provide a better experience for the students and their parents.
In other areas, the human resources staff can also automate some of their processes using school ERP software. Payroll, in particular, is a significant feature for most of these software systems. It goes hand-in-hand with another element—attendance.
In this case, the HR department doesn’t need to manually go over the employees’ time cards to calculate their salaries. Let’s admit it. The entire process is tiring and draining. It is also prone to mistakes.
Luckily, the software can remedy all these issues. Moreover, it is a cost-efficient option rather than investing in payroll management software that provides the same output.
3. Easy Data Integration
Most school ERP software systems are cloud-based. Being a cloud-based system means that it uses a single cloud infrastructure to store all its bulk data.
This system provides benefits to all stakeholders. The school admin staff, for example, can save and retrieve data from other school departments without any face-to-face interactions. A simple authentication request will suffice.
On the other hand, it is also easier for teachers to disseminate learning material and modules of different file types. They don’t have to stick to the usual slide visual aids and written outlines. Uploading and storing video and audio files for live classes are more accessible.
In the same manner, it’s also beneficial for the students. They don’t have to access multiple digital classroom platforms to get the materials they need for class.
Lastly, as this type of software covers most school administrative processes, it doesn’t require repetitive data input. Say, for example, the student’s record is needed for fee collection. The student isn’t required to give out their basic information again. The staff responsible for the process can easily retrieve the record and filter out what they need.
The ease of data integration also leads to seamless processes between different facets. Admissions files are used for financial transactions. On the other hand, academic records are essential for determining the school’s overall performance and growth. All these processes are covered under the school’s enterprise resource planning.
4. Use of Smart Technology
As years continue to progress, people are figuring out more ingenious uses of technology. One of which is school ERP software. Who would have thought that automating school processes is the way to go in present-day education management.
Aside from the full digitization of administrative tasks, ERP software often uses other smart technology to maximize its benefits.
Some software systems use RFID technology to provide a well-rounded service for their attendance feature. In fact, GoSchooler installs RFID towers near the school gates where the students will just walk through, and their attendance is recorded immediately.
Aside from that, other school management software use AI technology to proctor online exams. The integration of different forms of technology is ensured to be seamless and problem-free.
5. Go Paperless
Lastly, one of the most apparent benefits of system automation is the production of lesser environmental waste.
Most administrative processes need forms to process particular tasks. The output of these processes is mostly paper files too. Most of the time, ledgers and folders are used to track and safely keep these materials.
Using a school ERP software will decrease the need for so many paper files and materials. Requests are filed through the software. Online examinations, assignments, and other paperless tasks are easily possible through this system.
By going paperless, the institution becomes a more green environment. Aside from that, all the documents are easier to manage, track, and store. Large file cabinets are no longer necessary to store three years’ worth of records. A single cloud storage can keep both past and present papers.
Final Takeaways
It goes without question that system automation provides a handful of benefits. Sometimes, the benefits seem too vague or too far-fetched to be relatable. But, school ERP software benefits are apparent and straightforward. There are more than a handful, but the list above points out the best benefits. You don’t even have to work hard to gain these advantages.
What makes these benefits better is that they are holistic advantages that appeal to all stakeholder clusters.
