Looking at Online Ordering? Here are Some Important Questions to Ask...

1) Is it Backed by a Dedicated Customer Service Team?
FlexiSchools is backed by a professional help desk, staffed by dedicated operators, who are
standing by and ready to assist with any issues or questions.  It is vital that canteen managers
and volunteers have this support so that they can dedicate their time to preparing meals and
running the tuckshop.  The key to the success of the system is in reducing the burden on canteen
managers and volunteers, and having a reliable system that parents can trust.

In 2009 Dell recognised FlexiSchools as having one of the best small business customer service
operations in Australia.  But don't trust us - just ask any of our schools, or one of the tens of
thousands of happy parents.

2) Is the System Reliable?
FlexSchools has processed over 500,000 orders, so you know you can trust us to get your order safely to your child every day. When any order is placed in FlexiSchools, it is tracked by our systems to ensure it arrives at the tuckshop and is printed out onto a label.  If just one order fails to be collected in a timely manner, the tuckshop receives a friendly reminder from our customer service staff.  In the event of any issues you can rest easy knowing that our team is standing by and ready to assist both parents and tuckshop staff.

3) Does it Reduce the Workload?
The primary reason given for implementing FlexiSchools is to reduce the workload in the kitchen.  Anyone who has worked in a tuckshop knows that outside of preparing the food, most time is spent collecting the money, creating the tally sheet and dealing with incorrect or incomplete orders.

Collecting the Money:
At FlexiSchools, we interact directly with parents to create accounts, top-up funds, perform refunds and close accounts.  When you consider that one school can generate thousands of transactions a week, it is vital that this work is performed by us and not by the school's treasurer or tuckshop manager. With FlexiSchools, the correct funds are collected every time, including all those extra 20c for any additional toppings that people so often forget!  The funds are automatically transferred into the tuckshop account, and a simple reconciliation report is emailed directly to the treasurer.  This reduces the daily banking and cash counting tasks and generates no extra work for the treasurer or manager.

Processing the Orders and Tally Sheet:
Some canteen managers are initially concerned that they may not have the IT skills to use online ordering.  However, the first time they see the FlexiSchools system in action their first comment is often "is that all I have to do?"  If you can open up a program and click one button, then you can use FlexiSchools.  There are no passwords to remember, no website logins and no fussing about with A4 label sheets.  You open the application, click "Print" and the labels and reports come out immediately. If you'd like to see how quick it is, take a look at our video, or ask us how you can speak to one of our existing schools.

Dealing with Incorrect Orders:
FlexiSchools has a simple philosophy: allow users to order whatever they want ... just as long as the canteen provides it!  FlexiSchools allows items to have ingredients added or removed and limits the flavour options to only those stocked in the tuckshop.  Any ingredients that are added will automatically increase the cost, ensuring the canteen is not short-changed.  Out-of-stock items cannot be ordered and certain items can be made available only on certain days of the week.  In addition, FlexiSchools orders always contain the full order details, including student name, class, order details, break time and other key information. This flexible but strict system ensures the tuckshop wastes no time in the morning dealing with incorrect, incomplete or short-changed orders.

4) Who Provides the Labels?
Good quality sticky labels can be very expensive (over $40 for a pack of 400) - particularly when you consider that the average school requires over 400 labels a week. With significant purchasing power, FlexiSchools can provide all the labels for free to the canteen.  When the labels start to run out, we'll just send you another box.

5) Can I See it in Operation?
FlexiSchools is in operation in 6 states and most regional areas.  We also have schools ranging from 250 to 2500 students, including primary, secondary, government and independent.  So if you need to take a look at the system in action, there's probably a similar school online right near by.  If you can't make it to a school, just give us a call and we'll put you in touch with a school that is just like yours.

6) Is it Accredited?
The Federation of Canteens in Schools is the association that represents school canteens on a national basis and provides accreditation of food, equipment and systems for school canteens.  FlexiSchools is the only technology provider accredited by FOCiS.  FlexiSchools has been installed in primary, secondary, government and independent schools right across Australia.  So we have the experience to help you get set up quickly and easily.

Learn More about Online Ordering...