A Simple Switching Process 

A communications system that lets staff contact parents and guardians easily has become a must for any school. However, it is hard to find the perfect service to fit your needs. If you find yourself constantly having to juggle your priorities with your current provider, Parentapps can help you. Whether you are one or ten schools, whether you need a Parents’ Evening platform, smart forms or a messaging service – or all of the above… We can offer you a solution tailored to your school needs. 

Switching providers sounds like a stressful process. However, we want to make it as easy as possible for your school! Follow our step-by-step guide to let go of your current provider and switch to Parentapps. 

Step 1: Give Notice to Your Current Provider 

This step is the most important one throughout the process because you wouldn’t want to risk paying for two subscriptions. Sometimes, it is easy to forget about contracts that automatically renew; read all about it on our guide on contract renewals.  

If you are tied to a contract that provides your school with a text service, you should consider having a transition period to ensure you use up the SMS you purchased. This will also enable you to give a deadline for the changeover to your current provider and your new one. 

It is essential to give enough notice to your current provider before your contract runs out. A good time to give notice would be at least 90 days before the end of the contract, any later and you risk automatic renewal.  

Step 2: Verify Your Data is Correct 

Whilst the ultimate goal of a school payments software is to eliminate the need for cash handling in schools, it is important to remember that not every parent or guardian has access to online banking or other cashless school payments solutions.

Parentapps Payments’ PayPoint is a facility that lets parents top up their account when they need to with cash. There are over 28,000 PayPoint locations in the UK, making it an accessible choice for parents and guardians nationwide. This system enables schools to become completely cashless, whilst remaining accessible to those who still rely on cash payments.

Step 3: Start Designing 

The Parentapps support team will build your App and online portal based on your current website using your signature colours and your logo, and personalise them to make them unique.  

Step 4: Get Set up and Receive Training 

Once your app and online portal are ready, it is time to switch. You will be able to book in your training with the Parentapps team. They will teach you all about our features, and you will be able to ask them as many questions as you’d like to make sure you can enjoy your service and all its benefits.  

We provide two free training sessions and continuous support afterward. If you need any additional support, we provide many valuable resources on our website.  

Step 5: Enjoy! 

You are ready to launch once training is completed, and we are happy to assist you and provide you with the tools to share with your parents to let them know the school are moving across to a new app for communications.  

Need Any Help? 

Our online support and training portal ensures you can get the most out of the product and all the support you need. If you are unsure about how to use some of the product features, you will find many useful guides and resources. Check out our webinar to Parentapps’ newest exciting update: a new makeover for the support portal! 

Book a demo with our team to start your switching journey today!