3 Red Alerts That That Your Current School Lunch Program Isn’t Working

You’ve moved your school lunch management from the old pen and paper method to a digital system; everything should be running smoothly, right? Unfortunately, not every lunch management program is built with convenience in mind, especially if it is not cloud-based. Here are three warning signs that you might need to reconsider your current lunch software:

There’s a Lot of Hardware - and It Needs Maintenance

A lunch management program is supposed to simplify your lunch ordering, tracking, and payment process, but if it requires special machines, it could end up complicating everything. Hardware-based programs mean you will need specific machines to operate and access the system, which can add on to your IT budget if you need to upgrade your machines. Additionally, it can limit the ways your staff, parents, and catering partners access the system, which should be a major benefit instead of a challenge.

Additionally, if hardware breaks or needs maintenance, it often means you need to bring in a technician from the company itself to fix things, which can cause delays - and maybe even more expenses.

If you’re looking to avoid the hassle of machine limiting, hardware-based school lunch programs, you should consider a cloud-based school lunch software instead.

Regular or Constant Updates Drag Down Your Efficiency

As you evaluate the right school lunch software, there are still red flags you want to avoid. Software will inevitably need updates, but if your system requires constant rebooting or scheduled downtime to bring these updates online, it can really kill your school lunch efficiency. Some software requires that the users schedule the updates themselves, which can add another to-do item on your already crowded list. Or the updates may require additional fees or a specialist to help get them going.

When evaluating lunch software, be sure to ask how regular updates are handled. The right partner will use a cloud-based software system that proactively pushes and installs updates for you at no cost, and during traditional downtimes, to ensure you’re not caught up waiting for a system to update in the middle of the lunch rush.

You Can’t Pull the Reports You Need, When You Need Them

One of the most important reasons to replace or implement school lunch systems in the first place is to better track free and reduced lunches to ensure your school is compliant with federal guidelines and receiving accurate reimbursements in a timely manner. If lunch tracking isn’t making this reporting a priority in the system, or making it difficult to find or understand, then it is depriving you of one of the most powerful benefits of modern school lunch management.

Spotted Some Red Flags in Your System? We Can Help

If you’re currently dealing with one or more of these red flags, upgrading your system doesn’t have to be a chore. EZ School Apps is a cloud-based school lunch management software that was built with convenience and ease-of-use in mind.

Our cloud-based system means that you don’t have to install any special hardware or need new machines. It is easy to implement - we can have your school up and running in a single day. We also proactively manage and install any updates your software might need - you don’t have to lift a finger to stay current.

Finally, our robust reporting allows you to easily track student lunch orders, prepayments, and invoicing, and makes it easy to report on free and reduced lunch data. The best part? Our solution is priced to make school administrators happy at $695 per school.

Want to see more? Contact us for a free demo of our solution and get started with a free 30-day trial , and say goodbye to those red flags complicating your lunch process.