Quick, convenient school payments
Image courtesy of Flexischools
By Gemma Easton, Editor
How much cash do you have in your wallet right now? For most people, the answer will likely be none. As society moves away from cash in favour of digital payments, and we all carry less cash daily, it makes sense for schools to also reduce their reliance on cash. Digital payment systems provide a secure, easy to use solution, which can benefit the school, students, and parents. Most existing payment points in your school can be incorporated into digital payment systems. Terminals at pay points can integrate with your digital payment system, and allow for in-
24
person payments. Some systems accept credit or debit cards, while other set-ups have system specific cards which can be used by students, parents, and staff. Terminals could be set up at your school tuckshop, uniform shop, main office, or library. Digital payment systems offer the added convenience of remote purchasing. Using an app or the school website, parents can order tuckshop, uniforms, or pay for excursions and other events. This eliminates the need for students to carry cash to school, which they may lose or have stolen. Parents are also in control of their purchases, and do not need to task students with purchasing uniforms or other school supplies. This may be of particular benefit
for families with younger students, who may not have the confidence to conduct these transactions themselves. Ordering ahead can alleviate pressures on busy school tuckshops and uniform shops. Staff levels can be adjusted on a weekly or daily basis, depending on the expected workload. Stock levels can be more easily maintained, if staff know ahead of time what students will be purchasing that day. Some systems incorporate school fee payments, providing a complete solution for managing payments. Automatic reminders for late payments, account reconciliation and accurate reporting can all be facilitated by digital payment systems. As well as reducing the likelihood
ADMINISTRATION
of errors, this can ease the workload on school finance officers, allowing them to focus on other tasks. Parents will also benefit from peace of mind that the school is accurately recording fee payments. This can increase families’ confidence in the school, and improve the overall perception students and parents have of the school. Of course, with more people making payments to and at the school digitally, there will be less cash handling required by school staff. This can improve safety and security, and reduce the risk of theft. The need for staff to manually balance tills will be removed, and subsequently the incidences of human error in reconciling cash will reduce. For some parents, knowing they Term 1, 2024 | school-news.com.au