Q. You have recently announced the launch of a new visitor management software package – iReception. What exactly is this and how will it be beneficial to schools?
A. iReception is a software system created to help schools manage their visitors easily and professionally. It is an innovative product as it is securely hosted on the internet which means that schools and colleges don’t have to install anything on their own network (although a network version is available if preferred). They simply access the software from any PC with internet access. iReception allows schools to pre-book their visitors due on site and on arrival prints a professional looking visitor badge with a photo if required and branded with the school’s logo. In the event of an emergency a ‘fire list’ can also be quickly printed to provide a list of all visitors on site.
Q. Management Systems are playing an increasingly important role within school environments. How easy is this package to integrate into existing computer systems?
A. We were very aware in the development of this product of the number of tasks staff in schools have to manage. As iReception is hosted online there are no problems whatsoever in integrating with other software and we have also spent a considerable amount of time making the product intuitive and easy to use so it requires little or no training to begin managing visitors. And any assigned member of staff is also able to pre-book their own visitors, reducing the burden on school office staff.
Q. School environments are notoriously hectic and so new software packages, regardless of the benefits are sometimes disregarded due to the time involved training staff. How would you reassure prospective customers?
A. Our single main focus in the development of iReception was much more than simply providing all of the functions that a ‘best of breed’ visitor system can provide. Our main focus in developing the product was in making it as easy to use as possible in recognition that reception areas and offices can be very busy. We are happy we have achieved this as our user testing has proven. We wanted to be able to promote the fact that if you can use the internet you can use iReception which means little or no training will be required, however on site training and support is provided if necessary.
Q. Security is a massive issue for schools. How would this package assist schools in this area?
A. By providing a highly visible, visitor badge featuring a photo and current date, all visitors should be easy to identify. Should an individual be on a school premises with no badge they can be challenged. In combination with our ID card products all staff can also wear ID badges meaning every adult on site is easily identified as a visitor or staff.
Q. What customer support systems do you have available after the software has been installed?
A. Our customer helpdesk and customer service department is available during and after school opening hours (9:00 – 17:00) which are available in addition to the support area of our website. We also have a network of field based specialists should a school require any support or training. And with iReception being hosted on the internet it also has the benefit of being able to instantly upgrade all of our customers instantly when product enhancements are released. In addition to this, the paper passes that the visitor details are printed on are monitored by our help desk and when a customer is running low we provide a supply of passes all of which are covered by the inclusive cost per visitor of the product.
Q. What sort of competition does this system have and what are the unique benefits of this particular one?
A. We face competition on a number of fronts. It is surprising how many schools do nothing at all. We were one of the pioneers in paper based visitor badges and still have many customers using these systems successfully. There are also a number of off-the-shelf paper based visitor books available in stationery catalogues. However by their nature they do not provide the photo pass, the school branding and the professionalism of the iReception visitor badges. We developed the system as an improvement on these traditional paper systems but also to improve on existing software products. By delivering the product via the internet this gets around the issues of complex software installations and also means customers can be upgraded as soon as enhancements to the product are available.
Q. How closely did SG World work with the education sector when developing this product?
A. In one respect this product has been in development for over fifteen years as we have taken all of the best parts of the printed paper-based visitor systems we have been delivering to schools during this time. iReception is also the next generation of our Safe-pass Software product which many schools use and we took feedback from our users to develop some of the features we have added to iReception. We have also established a focus group with a selection of our school customers specifically to provide feedback on our products and share ideas about future product development.
Q. What other products do SG World currently supply to the education sector?
A. iReception is one of many products that we currently supply to approximately 4,000 schools throughout the UK. Our products fit into what we refer to as the ‘behind the scenes’ functions of running a school covering areas such as Health & Safety, Finance, Administration and Security. In a sense we supply all the products you wouldn’t find in a conventional school supplies catalogue which is why we’ve had to create our own catalogue which has just been launched. Specifically this includes our Visitor Management Systems (paper based and software based), ID cards, APACS approved SIMS and CMIS Cheques, Authorised Absence Systems, Incident/Accident Reporting Systems and a whole range of other products to help manage schools better.
