The Challenge
Long Bay College, located on Auckland's sunny North Shore, faced challenges with their existing payment system. Richard Beechy, the Business Manager, explains, "Prior to implementing Kindo, we were using the payments module through our student management system, which was a little bit clunky." The system wasn't particularly user-friendly, and a specific pain point was the inability to apply credits effectively.
Embracing new technology
Long Bay College decided to implement Kindo to address these challenges. The transition to Kindo was a game-changer for the school's financial management processes.
Streamlining Administrative Processes
One of the most significant improvements has been in the school's administrative processes. Richard notes, "Since implementing Kindo, there's been significant savings around the processing of the bank statements and the daily reconciliations." The real-time reflection of payments has also been a major benefit, eliminating delays in payment processing.
The integration with Xero has been particularly beneficial. "We use Xero alongside our Kindo, and the Kindo rapid integration solution means that importing our transactions from Kindo and the reconciliation of those transactions is a very quick, very seamless process," Richard explains.
Enhancing Parent Experience
Kindo has transformed the way parents interact with the school financially. "The interface is much easier for the parents to use, and they can do whatever they like with their own funds," Richard shares. He highlights a key benefit for parents: "Particularly if they've come from a school where they're already using Kindo, they can use that single login to add students who are at our school or other schools."
The system also simplifies the process of obtaining tax receipts for donations. "Whenever a donation is paid which entitles them to a tax receipt, that's issued immediately. But you can go back in at any time and get copies of tax receipts for the current year and previous years," Richard explains.
Improving Financial Health
The implementation of Kindo has contributed to improved financial management at Long Bay College. Richard mentions, "We can send out periodical reminders to the parents that they've got outstanding payable items on their account. And one of the really nice features about Kindo is that we can include a deep link in that email so that it's one touch and they're straight into their account."
Smooth Transition and Ongoing Support
Richard emphasises the ease of transitioning to Kindo and the excellent support received: "The process of changing to Kindo was fairly seamless, and the support that we got from the Kindo team was just extraordinary."
Looking to the Future
As Long Bay College continues to use Kindo, they see it as an essential tool in their operations. Richard enthusiastically recommends Kindo to other schools: "I'd have no hesitation in recommending the Kindo platform to other schools. The experience from the initial interactions with Kindo, the transition from our SMS based payments system to the Kindo system has been extraordinary."
He concludes by highlighting the broader impact of Kindo on the school's operations: "It gives us the opportunity to reallocate some of that time to other projects that we might have or to be more proactive around collections and frees up some manpower for more valuable things than just processing bank statements."
In conclusion, Kindo has proven to be more than just a payment system for Long Bay College. It's a comprehensive solution that has improved administrative efficiency, enhanced parent experience, and significantly contributed to the school's financial health. As the college continues to leverage Kindo's versatile features, it remains a valuable partner in their mission to provide excellent educational experiences while maintaining efficient financial operations.
