|
District Highlight:
Amarillo ISD;
Amarillo, TX
We Prefer the Preferred
Interview by:
Corinne Everett, Marketing Coordinator
Interview with: Jessie Fincher, Substitute Clerk
and SubFinder Operator
 Amarillo, Texas is the 14th
largest city in Texas and is described by Amarillo
ISD on their website as “a delightful blend of the
old west and (a) modern city.” Located on the Texas
panhandle, Amarillo ISD is comprised of 36
elementary schools, ten middle schools, four high
schools, one alternative school, and a specialty
high school that accepts students from Amarillo and
the surrounding area. The district serves
approximately 30,000 students, facilitated by a
total staff of 3,911. Working within such a robust
organization, SubFinder has never had a day off!
Amarillo ISD has been a customer of
CRS since 1994; through the years, both have grown
physically and technologically. In the summer of
2007, Amarillo ISD made the switch from SubFinder as
a Box-on-Site solution to an ASP solution.
Amarillo’s Substitute Clerk and SubFinder Operator,
Jessie Fincher is pleased by the change, “SubFinder
as an ASP solution has definitely saved our
technical staff time by not having to tend
hardware.”
As a long-time operator of the
SubFinder system, Jessie Fincher recently discussed
with me features within SubFinder; specifically
preference lists, and how they have helped save her
time and guarantee that the most qualified
substitute is placed in the classroom. With a
district as large as Amarillo, you can imagine the
importance of utilizing the preference list feature.
Below is the recent conversation
Jessie and I had regarding SubFinder and the
preference list feature. Maybe you will find
Amarillo’s usage of their preference lists ideal for
your organization!
How long have you been the SubFinder operator at
Amarillo ISD?
I have been the SubFinder operator for three years.
How has SubFinder helped Amarillo ISD manage
employee absence reporting, substitute placement and
data management tasks?
SubFinder has helped Amarillo ISD in managing
employee absences for many years. We first began
with just the basic IVR functionality. Around the
time I started in the summer of 2005, we began the
process of upgrading to what was then WebConnect,
the Internet portion of SubFinder. Finally, in the
summer of 2007, we made the decision to upgrade from
SubFinder as a Box-On-Site to the ASP solution.
Making the switch alleviated the burden of hardware
issues on our technicians…and now we don’t have to
worry about phone lines!
Do you find the preference list feature to be
beneficial in ensuring that your classrooms will be
filled with the most qualified substitutes? Please
explain.
Yes. And with the Internet portion of SubFinder, the
preference list feature gives the site
administrators at each campus the ability to select
substitutes who they feel are dependable for their
classrooms.
How many preference lists does Amarillo ISD utilize?
We utilize all the preference lists: personal,
permanent, site exclusion…you name it. Each of
these lists has a different name to correspond with
the preference. Example: art preference, math
preference (including grade), etc.
What are the rules at Amarillo ISD in preparing the
preference lists?
We first start with the personal permanent
substitute for the large campuses which are entered
into SubFinder by the operator--me. Then, each site
is in charge of how they handle their site
preference lists.
What
factors do you consider when ranking substitutes on
the skill list?
Our skill list is categorized by both education and
experience.
Do you discuss the preference list(s) with the
Amarillo ISD employees, and the substitutes?
During the orientation process, we do make
substitutes aware that we utilize a preference list
so it is not a surprise to them.
What other features or functions within SubFinder do
you find useful for Amarillo ISD?
We love the access that the site administrators have
to make their own changes! Site administrators can
make job changes, view substitute information….they
are thrilled.
All of us at CRS want to thank Amarillo ISD for
being such a wonderful, loyal customer for nearly 15
years! We look forward to working and growing with
you for many more! Thanks again, Jessie!
Return to
Top
Back to Basics
Fine Tune SubFinder with Preference Lists
By:
Joni Gibbs, Account Specialist
Fine tuning your SubFinder system with preference
and exclusion lists does not need to be a
time-consuming or cumbersome task. When you approach
these preferences on an as-needed basis, you’ll find
it’s much easier than you thought!
Let’s start with some basic information.
What are preference lists?
They are lists that specify which substitutes should
(and in some cases, should not) be called to fill a
particular employee’s absence. Preference lists are
used to categorize substitutes by job position or
site. This further ensures that the best substitute
will be the first called for open absences. Building
a preference list can be done in three easy steps:
1) Create
and name the list - Being consistent when you name your lists will help keep your
SubFinder system organized as the number and types
of lists increase. Labels such as PEL for personal
exclusion list, PPL for personal preference list,
SEL for site exclusion list, and SPL for site
preference list make the lists self-explanatory.
2) Choose
the substitute
- Adding substitutes to your list is as easy as selecting the
substitutes on the left of the screen and moving
them to the right.
3) Assign
the list to the employee(s) -
This is a
very important step and it is the one most often
forgotten! By not assigning a list, all of your
effort in creating list(s) is a waste.
If your organization uses permanent substitutes, the
site permanent substitute lists are the first
lists you will want to create. The site permanent
substitute is automatically assigned to the first
job created at a particular site.
Next, you should create exclusion lists. These are
the lists that make sure a substitute is NOT
placed at a particular site, or in a particular
classroom. To exclude substitutes from an entire
site, you would create a site exclusion list.
Neither the site permanent substitute list
nor the site exclusion list needs to be
assigned to employees. These lists are automatically
assigned to all employees at the site.
In addition to site exclusion lists, you have the
option to create personal exclusion lists.
These would be useful to exclude a substitute from
taking a job, for example, in their child’s
classroom. After this list is created, you simply
assign it to the employee(s) desired.
Now that we have covered the above steps, you can
begin taking the as-needed approach to
creating your preference and exclusion lists. You
can keep up with satisfying those sites or employees
who want a particular group of substitutes called
first for available jobs on an on-going basis.
Putting substitutes on preference lists also gives
those chosen substitutes the advantage of logging or
calling in to review jobs ahead of other
substitutes.
For additional information about preference and
exclusion lists, along with other features, contact
your account specialist at 800.782.3463.
Return to
Top
Get the Support You Deserve
Registered for the CRS Customer Support Center?
Have you misplaced your SubFinder User Guide? Do you
need SubFinder registration instructions for new
employees and substitutes? This information, and
much more, can be found in the CRS Customer Support
Center.
Who should use the CRS Customer Support Center?
This go-to site was designed specifically for
SubFinder operators, technicians, and
administrators. Please note that if there is a new
SubFinder operator, technician, or administrator you
should contact your account specialist prior to
registering them in the CRS Customer Support Center
so we can update our customer database.
The Customer Support Center is more than a
documentation center…
The CRS Customer Support Center has much more to
offer besides reference and frequently asked
question guides. Within the improved Customer
Support Center, you will have your own personal
profile that can be customized with information you
would like to share with other CRS customers. You
can even upload a photo of yourself for others
within the CRS Community to see.
In the forums section of the CRS Customer Support
Center, you have the ability to communicate with
other CRS customers by posting comments and
questions in various topic forums. Do you have a
question about a certain feature within SubFinder
and wonder how other CRS customers utilize this
feature? Post your question and see what fellow CRS
customers have to say!
You may even assist in others’ questions and
comments.
Communicating with other CRS customers opens the
door for new thoughts and ideas on how to further
maximize your SubFinder system. If you are curious
about a feature, just ask! CRS customers from
thousands of miles away could provide you with great
information about how a feature has further improved
their substitute management and payroll process.
But wait, there is more!
Check out the photo section of the CRS Customer
Support Center. Take a look at past User Group
pictures, as well as pictures of the CRS staff.
Lastly, the Support Links area is a simple way for
you to go straight to the source for additional
help, information, and to share your thoughts and
opinions.
Support Link Descriptions:
· Ask
A Technician
– Ask a CRS technician a question by filling out
this form. An email will be sent to the CRS
technicians, and someone will be in contact to
answer any technical questions.
· Enhancement
Request
– Do you have a suggestion for an enhancement of a
CRS product that you would like to see in a future
version? Submit your request here.
· Customer
Comments
– Do you want to provide a comment about CRS
products or services? Place your Customer Comments
here!
If you have not done so already, register for the
CRS Customer Support Center by going to the website
(www.crs-ivr.com/cs)
and clicking on Join in the right-hand
corner. If (or WHEN) you are registered, start using
the CRS Customer Support Center to its maximum
capacity. If you have any questions about the CRS
Customer Support Center, contact your account
specialist at 800.782.3463.
Return to
Top |
