In today’s world, data is power. It’s imperative for your center’s success that the correct data is being collected, understood, and effectively utilized. ‘Integrated Solutions’ is the tech industry’s term for enabling your different systems to communicate with each other to improve business processes and optimize the use of valuable data.
The future of childcare technology (and business efficiency) relies heavily on integrated solutions which can streamline the collection and storage of critical family information. In our 2020 Building Blocks for Success report, integrating software solutions emerged as a rapidly growing trend for our user base and has shown significant adoption. Over 3,000 ChildcareCRM customers have already activated an integration with other platforms in their tech stack to start streamlining and improving the effectiveness of family data. In particular, 46% of ChildcareCRM centers utilize lead generation integrations to increase the number of prospective families inquiring for care at their centers.
Let’s explore what integrating your software solutions can do for you and your childcare business.
1) Reduce Data Entry Errors with Software Integrations
In the traditional enrollment journey, after a parent inquires for care through your childcare listing platform (such as Winnie, Kinside, or Care for Kids) a staff member is then tasked with checking the platform for new inquiries before calling or emailing the parent to find out more information about their child. Once the family decides to enroll, their contact information must then be entered manually into your management system. Even if you only have to enter their contact information (such as name, email, phone, and child’s name) into the system and you only have 15 new students inquiring for care each month, you’re still depending on your staff to manually enter 60 pieces of information. The average manual data entry error rate found in information management systems is 62%, meaning that roughly 37 of those 60 entries will prove to be inaccurate.
2) Save Staff time and Improve Productivity
You could save an incredible amount of staff time and increase productivity with the power of software integrations. For example, did you know that businesses that utilize CRM software integrations primarily for data entry processes save an average of 3.8 hours a day? That’s over 8 weeks a year! Imagine what you and your organization could accomplish if you could save hours each day with this simple feature by ensuring an efficient transition of information from your childcare listing platforms to your lead management system, and finally, to your center’s management system.
3) Receive a Greater ROI
Our users have generated a greater ROI (return on investment) by utilizing integrations to reduce the need for manual data entry thereby saving staff time and increasing productivity, as mentioned above. Aside from the time (and therefore, money) you will save by reducing the need for manual entry, you will likely also see a greater number of enrollments due to the improved efficiency at your center and speed of response.
Imagine a new parent inquires for care on your lead generation platform’s profile. Unfortunately, due to you and your staff’s busy schedule, they are overlooked for several days or even a week before someone from your organization reaches out to them to schedule a tour. However, it’s been determined that the business which reaches out to a new prospective customer within the first 24 hours of initial inquiry, is over 80% more likely to win the conversion and another center contacted them first, meaning you lost your opportunity to enroll this family.
Fortunately, with a software integration from your lead generation platform, the lead’s contact information immediately generates in your ChildcareCRM account and is followed up with automatically to ensure you are one of the very first centers to engage with this prospective family. Faster communication leads to greater enrollment rates which leads to a higher return on investment for your business.
At ChildcareCRM, we understand the importance of providing integrated solutions to our users, which is why we are always adding to our Partner ecosystem by collaborating with other, reputable software providers within the childcare space. Additionally, we are continuously working to improve the ease of integration with both our current Management System and Lead Generation Partners.
“From technologies that help connect parents with your childcare center openings, to back-office management solutions that power the administration of your center, ChildcareCRM has you covered. Thanks to our tremendous experience and presence in the industry, we are able to offer integrations with the most trusted names in the industry that make running your organization seamless and easy.”
Both our team and our valued Technology Partners understand that the top priority of our users should be the children at your center. Our efforts to integrate your technology to improve and streamline the collection, utilization, and accurate data will allow you to remain focused on what is ultimately most important.
For more information about integrations and our current technology partnerships, click here.
