Support
Seems like an odd place to start but it will make such a difference. Take for example, you have a customer who is having an issue signing up. You need to be able to pick up the phone and speak to someone straight away, someone who can help you straight away. Why not try testing how responsive the support is by asking how a feature works for example.
Your customers might be booking at any time, any day of the week so its always worth checking when support is available. If an issue occurs on a Friday evening will you have to wait until Monday morning before someone can help?
Adaptability
2020 has highlighted how important it is that you choose a childcare management software that is both configurable and that the provider is willing to adapt the software when required. Does the software deal with any complexity you may have in your childcare business? perhaps you offer add-ons at clubs that customers can request? You may offer later collection times for an additional fee. If there is a free trial available its well worth testing out some of your setups to ensure this software is going to fit.
Referring back to support, Any good provider will be able to help you get setup and do their best to fit around your business.
Pricing
Pricing normally comes in two arrangements:
- Fixed monthly fee (£200 per a month)
- Fee based per booking / feature used (2% of booking cost per booking)
Fee based models can be better value when you are handling a small amount of bookings, say a small nursery with around 10 spaces. The fixed monthly fee model normally consists of access to a wider range of features and a consistent fee that you can plan around. Fee-based models can soon rack up as your business grows so its worth working out the rough fees charge per a booking and comparing that with any monthly fee based solutions.
All online payments are normally handled by a third party company like WorldPay o Stripe. These companies handle the complexities and more importantly the security requirements of taking online card payments. Most processors charge a percentage fee plus a one off fee per transaction. Does the childcare software provider pass on these fees to you? or are they inclusive.
Reliability
Reliability is always a hard thing to gauge until you start using the software. Most childcare management software is hosted online so that both you and your customers can access it 24 / 7 but that does mean that if the solution is reliable you could lose access to your data for hours at a time. Downtime is not the only issue, but if the software is error prone it will likely frustrate you and your customers and could lead to data loss or serious admin mistakes.
We offer a childcare management software that keeps these 4 must-have features at the heart of what we do. We offer a adaptable and reliable solution that will adapt with your business at a reasonable monthly cost. Support is always a top priority so why not get in touch and test us out :)