Blog

3 Best Practices to Manage School Help Desk Tickets

Posted on November 20, 2018November 27, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

School technology staff should follow these best practices when working in your help desk ticketing system.

By Gena Blankenship

Help desk ticketing systems are a great tool to streamline the daily management of school help desk tickets from teachers, students, and school administrators. They also hold a goldmine of data that you can use to drive decisions to provide the best technology possible for staff and students.
To make use of this data, you need to establish clear, standardized procedures that your technology staff can execute. Creating consistencies in processes and ticket data will allow you to identify SLA compliance, product issues, technician efficiency, and much more.

Clearly establish standards in these three areas to support ticket management and reporting: Continue reading “3 Best Practices to Manage School Help Desk Tickets”

How BIG is Your Inventory Responsibility? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted on August 23, 2018September 26, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

Find your district’s total inventory value below to understand the scale of your inventory responsibility.

School districts own and support more inventory than ever. With that comes a large responsibility to track, manage, and audit your inventory to ensure you’re being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. Find your district’s inventory value below to understand how large that responsibility is.

Inventory management tools can ease the burden of this responsibility by making processes easier and more efficient. Talk with one of our experts today to learn how Hayes can help. Continue reading “How BIG is Your Inventory Responsibility? [INFOGRAPHIC]”

Meet the Hayes Team: John Mellios

Posted on August 2, 2018August 2, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

By Jordan Grulke

Before joining the Hayes team as Director of Client Services, John Mellios worked in education for 16 years. He started his career after graduating college at Oakland Unified School District (CA). Here he worked as an AmeriCorps member in three schools in Oakland USD (CA), providing oversight and technical support, and installing fiber optic networks and technology in each school. He then transitioned onto the administrative side and managed technology within the same district. Finally, John moved to Chicago to be closer to family, serving the role of Director of Educational Technology and Tools at Chicago Public Schools for five years. Continue reading “Meet the Hayes Team: John Mellios”

The 3 Types of Inventory Audits That Will Boost Your Data Accuracy

Posted on July 31, 2018August 8, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

Performing these 3 types of inventory audits throughout the year will improve your data accuracy and usability.

By Gena Blankenship

School districts need to know where their assets are at all times, and a reliable inventory tracking system is the first step to having great data at your fingertips. The next step…audits! One of the best ways to boost the accuracy of your inventory data is to complete these three types of inventory audits throughout the year.

1. Real-Time Audits

Completed on a regular schedule
Completed at random locations
Take less than 20 minutes to complete

Continue reading “The 3 Types of Inventory Audits That Will Boost Your Data Accuracy”

The Best Time of Year to Conduct an Inventory Audit (Hint: It’s not May!)

Posted on July 3, 2018August 14, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

Think you know the best time to audit inventory? Consider these 5 reasons to change your audit schedule.

By Gena Blankenship

Many districts complete inventory audits at the end of the academic school year when staff, teachers, and students are already stressed to the max. Often, crazy schedules and competing priorities cause the audit to go undone, forcing you to use inaccurate and outdated inventory information to plan for the coming year. Is that really the best time to audit inventory?

In my experience, completing your inventory audit in the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is much easier for all involved. Here are 5 reasons you should consider conducting your audits in late fall, instead of the end of the academic year. Continue reading “The Best Time of Year to Conduct an Inventory Audit (Hint: It’s not May!)”

Meet the Hayes Team: Ryan Gross

Posted on June 19, 2018June 15, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

By Jordan Grulke

Ryan Gross, a 17-year science teacher turned National Account Manager, is one of Hayes Software Systems’s excellent employees. Ryan worked in Pflugerville Independent School District (TX) for ten years as a science teacher before moving to Leander Independent School District (TX) for seven years. Continue reading “Meet the Hayes Team: Ryan Gross”

Meet the Hayes Team: Blake Sobol

Posted on June 13, 2018June 14, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

By Jordan Grulke

Blake Sobol is a Senior National Account Manager at Hayes Software Systems. Before joining Hayes, Blake worked for an education service center in San Antonio (TX) for ten years, then moved to Michigan to serve as Director of Technology at Midland Public Schools. Continue reading “Meet the Hayes Team: Blake Sobol”

The 4 Biggest Inventory Mistakes You Don’t Realize You’re Making (And How To Fix Them)

Posted on June 8, 2018November 1, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

You may be making major school inventory mistakes without even realizing it.

By Gena Blankenship

K-12 school districts have limited resources, leaving little funding and time for the countless administrative processes that seem to grow with every new state or federal legislative session. Taking inventory shortcuts is tempting, but can cost you time and money in the long run. These are the four most common school inventory mistakes I see districts make without even realizing it – and how to fix them. Continue reading “The 4 Biggest Inventory Mistakes You Don’t Realize You’re Making (And How To Fix Them)”

3 Secrets to Success from an Inventory Champion

Posted on May 1, 2018June 13, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

By Greg Wright

When your district invests in an inventory system, the success of your technology adoption depends mainly on its users. Staff must use the system regularly for the system’s data to be accurate and provide value. We recommend that school districts have an inventory “champion” who continually encourages and educates staff to use the system effectively.

Greg Wright, Instructional Materials Coordinator at Leander ISD, has spent 12 years coordinating textbooks and instructional materials for 38,000 students at 42 campuses. During that time, he has championed the use of TIPWeb-IM to more effectively and efficiently manage the use and purchase of instructional materials.

We’ve invited Greg to write a guest blog post to share how a “champion” can motivate staff to effectively use an inventory system:

Continue reading “3 Secrets to Success from an Inventory Champion”

Meet the Hayes Team: Debbie Disler

Posted on April 30, 2018June 14, 2018 by Hayes Software Systems

By Jordan Grulke

Debbie Disler is one of the many exemplary leaders at Hayes Software Systems. Prior to working at Hayes, Debbie worked at Leander ISD (TX) as an Instructional Materials Coordinator, using Hayes’s TIPWeb-IM textbook management system to track her inventory. Continue reading “Meet the Hayes Team: Debbie Disler”