K-12 Asset Management | Choosing the Best Solution for your District

Installed software is installed on premise, while vendor hosted solutions are managed remotely by a third party. Click here to learn more about vendor hosted software.

What will you spend?

Of course, before deciding on an asset management solution for your district, you’ll want to have a very clear idea of your district’s budget.

When comparing asset management software prices, remember that pricing structures differ from one organization to the next. Some of the pricing structures you may encounter when shopping for an asset management solution include: flat rate pricing, usage based pricing, tiered pricing, per feature pricing, and per user pricing.

Today, AssetMAXX asset management software is priced by student enrollment within a district, but it wasn’t always that way. In fact, we started out with a per user pricing strategy. What we learned, however, is that by charging per user, many customers were requesting minimal users in an attempt to keep costs as low as possible. As a result, workloads were high, and data quality suffered.

You shouldn’t feel encouraged by a software vendor to keep the number of users low. More users means more touch points; which in turn leads to more accurate data. And with a complete audit trail, you don’t have to worry. At AssetWorks, we want to empower your school district, not limit it.

WHO

Who is the vendor?

You may have heard us say this before, but it’s worth saying again: we like to think of the school districts and organizations we work with as partners, not customers.

Keep in mind that asset management processes are ongoing, and so is your relationship with your vendor. For that reason alone, be sure to know a vendor well before making the decision to work with them.

Ask questions about any specific concerns facing your district, and take it upon yourself to research their reputation. Not sure where to look? If applicable, check out the vendor profile on a software review website like Capterra to find out what previous and current customers have to say about the solution.

Who can you call for help?

Another important consideration when choosing a k12 asset management solution is the level of customer support offered by the solution vendor. Will you be provided with a customer support agent throughout the onboarding process? Who can you call if there is a problem after hours, or on a weekend?

Even if you choose the absolute best software solution for your school district, there will likely come a day when you need to call on the assistance of a customer support representative. Be prepared for such an event by understanding the options available to you and your team.

Who does the vendor already serve?

This is a big one. When researching a potential vendor, you’ll want to find out what types of customers the company is currently handling. Are they working with other k12 school districts? If so, how many?

Again, when it comes to asset management solutions, one size doesn’t fit all. Just because they have 80 years of experience in the maintenance industry does not necessarily mean that they’re familiar with the pain points of a k12 school district.

A vendor experienced in working with k12 school districts should understand your needs and concerns, and should offer a solution with the appropriate features to address them.