Mobile and Online School Directory for School Parents – Top Ten Reasons
Do we use the printed copies of the Yellow Pages?
Years ago, after search engines like Yahoo, Google and Bing put businesses on the internet highway, the paper Yellow pages have grown extinct. We no longer refer to the paper directory as much as our mobile apps or the online white and yellow pages. Our schools however continue to churn out a paper directory year after year after year. A Mobile and Online Directory is not common yet. Schools are generally cautious in their approach to technology and rightfully so. However, we offer several compelling reasons to adopt a mobile school directory below.
The school directory contains the contact information of all the parents, teachers and staff in the school, the school calendar and the school rules/regulations. Here are Top Ten simple reasons to move all of the directory information to a mobile and online directory.
10. Updated Real time – Paper directories are static and are out-of-date even before they are printed. The information in the mobile and online school directory is up-to-date with the latest school schedules, addresses and contact information.
9. Convenient – Parents are looking for easy ways to access information. While they are on-the-go, in the office, at home, or at the soccer field, they can access the directory online without having to carry around a paper directory.
8. Search and Find information Easily – The search functionality helps people find information based on various attributes easily. You can find a staff members name based on their title instead of their name.
7. Go Green – In these days of global warming and climate change, save trees and print less paper. A school directory that has about 100 pages with about 800 families will print about 1000 directories since many people carry directories in multiple cars, at home and work. This would cost the planet almost 6 trees per school per year not to mention the printer cartridges, ink and other resources needed to make the paper directories.
6. Save Time and Money – Parent Teacher Organzations (PTOs) spend innumerable hours collecting information and creating the directory. It is mostly voluntary work from a couple of dedicated Mothers that makes this happen. However, it is a tremendous amount of repetitive work, done year after year. Instead through the self-service edit profile interface, parents update their latest information and they remain in the directory for the entire duration that their kids are in the elementary school – usually for 5 years. Only the incoming and outgoing classes are updated each year.
5. Paper directories are often misplaced – Paper directories get lost and misplaced easily. They get coffee stained, worn out and even your dog’s teeth marks on it.
4. Advertising – PTOs can make money through out the year using online advertising. When you advertise through a paper directory, the directory can only be updated before it is printed. If you have updates to publish. With online and mobile advertising, you can update your marketing messages real-time.
3. Group Messaging – We are always trying to send emails to the class parents to find a driver, arrange a class party or get some assistance for the class teacher. You can send a class group message to all of your class parents in a single click.
2. Email/Text/call Easily – You can email/text/call anyone by searching and finding their details in a single click.
1. Car pooling – The SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT REASON is that it is easy to CARPOOL. You are always running out of the house to drop kids off to various activities and car pool with a parent or multiple parents. Now, you don’t need to carry the paper directory in each of your cars to find their addresses. It is available right at your finger tips !!
