InTouch Online

I.T. Technician - I manage servers, troubleshoot hardware problems, and do some administration of the company website and intranet portal. I try to keep everything running smoothly so everyone is happy and can do their jobs.

Where were you born? :

Hershey, Pennsylvania (Yes, the home of Hershey chocolate)

Education:

I have 2 more courses to complete before I earn my B.S. in Network Security from the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

How could you describe yourself in three words? :

Logical, Optimistic, and Competitive

How long have you been working for CRS? :

Just over 2 years

What is your favorite thing about spring time? :

Fresh air, driving with the windows down, and the Stanley Cup playoffs!

Where can you be found when you are not at work? :

Relaxing at home with my fiancée, dog, and 3 cats; or out shooting pool with my friends.

What are your hobbies and interests? :

Reading odd books, sports, weird movies, concerts, video games, chess, building computers, traveling, science and gadgets. I enjoy absorbing as much useless knowledge as possible.

Welcome to the New CRS Intern

Jesse Piccolo – Quality Assurance Intern

Jesse comes to CRS Incorporated from Lock Haven University located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. He is currently pursuing his degree in Computer Information Science, and will graduate in May. Already having an associate’s degree in Computer Engineering Technology, Jesse knows a thing or two about computer programming and testing. Not only is he gaining valuable information from CRS’s Quality Assurance department, he is also assisting the QA team in testing SubFinder products, as well as participating in other important projects within the company. Jesse’s interests (besides computer programming and technology) include: video games, hockey, and working on cars. When not at work, you can find Jesse enjoying his last months as a college student with his friends in Lock Haven. Best of luck, Jesse, and thank you for your hard work!

Green Your Spring Cleaning

What is better than opening your windows on the first warm, spring day? That is when you realize it is time to get the winter funk out of your living area! Before you grab those cleaners that are filled with potentially toxic antibacterial chemicals or throw away those items you haven’t used in over a year, here are a few tips on how you can green your spring cleaning.

Reduce: It’s time to get rid of clutter! Pile up all the stuff you haven’t used in the past year.

Reuse: Now that you have your reduce pile, go through it and maybe an item could be reused for another purpose!

Donate: After you take out those items you can reuse, now take out those items you think someone else might need: dishes, kitchen gadgets, books, clothes, magazines, etc.

Recycle: We all know this word. Whether it is traditional recycling, composting, or taking old electronics to retailers; there’s a place for almost everything. Items such as paint or batteries cannot be recycled; however, they can be disposed of safely.

Get the Right Home Organizing Tools: Instead of non-biodegradable containers to keep your items in, why not re-use any cardboard boxes, cloth baskets, or bamboo or wicker baskets?

Make Your Own Household Cleaning Supplies: Eco-friendly cleaning products are a good start, but can get pricey. Clean your home with supplies you already have such as: hot water, vinegar, and baking/washing soda (to alleviate the smell, you can also add some natural oils!)

Aim for a No-Waste Clean: Trade in your paper towels for cloths or sponges (rip up old t-shirts for a nice duster!), and trade in your disposable mop for a reusable one.

Choose Natural Cleaning For Big Projects: Vacuuming out the refrigerator coils makes the appliance more efficient; use eco-friendly detergent for curtains and drapes and dry outside for true freshness.

Go Paperless: Overwhelmed by junk (snail) mail? Use a service like GreenDimes or 41 Pounds to stem the tide of incoming junk mail; then set up your accounts for online banking and payments to cut back on waste.

Plan Ahead: Start small. If you can’t get to all of this in 2009, there’s always improvement for 2010! Don’t let stuff accumulate, don’t buy what you don’t need, and don’t be shy to return items you will never use!

Source: planet green. A Discovery Company; How to Go Green: Spring Cleaning (www.planetgreen.discovery.com)

We're Heading South

We will be at one conference this April. For those of you who belong to the West Virginia and/or Southeastern Association of School Business Officials, we hope to see you in West Virginia!

April 27 - May 1:
WV ASBO / SASBO Conference
Charleston, WV

Dear Customer,

Welcome to the April edition of InTouch Online. With the arrival of warmer weather, nature is finally waking up after the long, grueling winter. This April is filled with celebrations such as Passover and Easter; we hope none of you were too fooled on April 1^st!

In last month’s newsletter, we discussed how you can export SubFinder absence information into your payroll system to eliminate the need to enter this data manually. This exporting process is done with a free feature within SubFinder called Data Exchange Pro (DxPro). In this issue, we will go more in depth about DxPro and all of the benefits it has to offer; but first, we caught up with a customer who claims to be SubFinder’s number one fan! We hope you enjoy her story, and learn a thing or two about SubFinder’s Data Exchange Pro.

Customer Highlight: South Madison Community School Corporation

I Am SubFinder’s Number One Fan

Interview by: Corinne Everett, Marketing Coordinator
Interview with: Julie Nice, Benefits and Human Resource and SubFinder Operator

South Madison Community School Corporation (SMCSC) is located in Pendleton, Indiana, only 30 miles from Indianapolis, and is comprised of four communities: Ingalls (Green Township), Markleville (Adams Township), and Pendleton/Huntsville (Fall Creek Township). The SMCSC takes pride in being a leader and innovator in education. With consistent community growth, SMCSC knew it was time to find a solution to manage daily absences and reporting. I received an email from a fellow co-worker here at CRS who told me that Julie Nice, SubFinder Operator at SMCSC, claims herself to be SubFinder’s number one fan. I recently spoke with our “number one fan” to find out how their first school year using SubFinder has been going. Read on to learn what our number one fan has to say:

What is your official title at South Madison Community School Corporation?

Benefits and Human Resources and other duties as assigned.

South Madison purchased SubFinder almost one year ago. What was the deciding factor to purchase an absence management solution?

We had looked into SubFinder several years ago, but when the central office wanted to assign the job of getting subs to one person rather than each school, it was felt that an absence management system would make the process much smoother. SubFinder was the only system that we looked into because of great response from surrounding districts.

How did South Madison handle daily absence management before SubFinder?

We used a small Access database that one of our employees put together. It worked, but was not very efficient because each time a substitute would call and tell me that they would not be available for a day, I would have to contact all of the schools to let them know. The schools spent time calling substitutes who were already working at one of our other schools because we did not have a way to communicate that information quickly.

What attracted South Madison to CRS Incorporated and SubFinder?

I had worked with SubFinder previously in a very large school corporation in Carmel, Indiana and saw how effective and smooth the operation was.

Do you utilize the reporting features within SubFinder?

The reports are used at the site level more than I use them. They really like that there are so many to choose from.

What is your favorite feature (or features) of SubFinder?

Gosh, what isn’t my favorite feature?! I really like how user friendly the whole system is. Our school staff has been amazing in using the system, and our substitutes have adapted very well. I had several substitutes in the beginning that told me that they could never use a computer, but after the training session, they all remarked that “it was so easy” I love the tutorial online for the substitutes, as it is something that they can go back to explain things such as the DND/Unavailable feature.

How are your employees and substitutes acclimating to utilizing SubFinder for their absence management needs?

So far, everyone is thrilled with SubFinder. I hear from the administrators all of the time that they love SubFinder. I even know of a secretary that postponed her retirement just to try SubFinder out! I had several open workshops in the beginning for substitutes to come and learn about SubFinder. Now it just takes me about 5 minutes to work with new substitutes to get them acclimated.

Do you plan on attending the 2009 Annual User Group Conference?

I would LOVE to, but I’m not sure if budgets will allow. Crossing my fingers!

You gave yourself the title of “SubFinder’s Number One Fan” (we like it!)…why is that?

I just think that SubFinder is so well thought out. You can tell that SubFinder’s programmers really listened to the needs and wants of their customers when designing [and updating] SubFinder. It is designed so that the ease of use is one of its best features! I also can’t say enough about the support that I have received from CRS. Our initial training was great! If I ever have any questions, the staff is incredibly helpful and readily available.

Thanks again to Julie and the South Madison Community School Corporation for their dedication to CRS and SubFinder. Does anyone want to challenge Julie for the title, “SubFinder’s Number One Fan”? If so, be sure to contact your account specialist and tell us your story!

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What to Do With All That Data?

All You Need to Know About Data Exchange Pro

By: Meredith Gee, Implementation Specialist

Data, data everywhere and I don’t know what to do . . . . .

SubFinder stores a tremendous amount of data that can be used for payroll, personnel, and leave calculations. One of the problems faced by operators is how to get that data out of SubFinder and into the payroll, personnel, and leave systems. SubFinder has a feature to meet these needs.

Data Exchange Pro (DxPro) offers flexible and diverse data importing and exporting options. Data Exchange Pro is a feature that comes with SubFinder for free. There are over 60 exports available to choose from which allows you more flexibility to decide which data export best fits your needs. If there is not an export already available that fits your payroll, personnel, or leave system, we will work with you and your payroll or leave vendor to pull the data out of SubFinder in a format compatible with the other systems.

Data Exchange Pro doesn’t just export information; DxPro also offers imports to update SubFinder with information from payroll, personnel, and leave systems. Using imports reduces the need for manual entry when adding new employees or substitutes, or when changing existing employee/substitute information. You can also import certifications, leave values, and much more. You decide when imports and exports will run to update information. Importing and exporting is completed either manually or automatically. This allows you to update information on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Your account specialist will be happy to assist you when setting up DxPro by: selecting the correct export and/or import formats, running manual exports and/or imports, or to set up an automated import and/or export process. It’s time for you to find a place for all that data! For more information, please contact your account specialist at 800.782.3463.

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Beyond the Basic Capabilities

Can I Export Information to Our Payroll Application?

Let’s face it - human resources and payroll departments are always looking for ways to create a seamless work environment. Many of our customers will agree that SubFinder’s Data Exchange Pro (DxPro) has made their payroll process more efficient, and let’s not forget about the hours of tedious manual data entry that is no longer dreaded every pay period.

DxPro goes beyond the basic capabilities of other systems by completely automating the data transfer process with advanced automation and scheduling technology that only DxPro can offer. Each one of DxPro’s exports can be scheduled according to individual needs. With over 60 exports designed specifically for payroll applications, you are sure to find a match! Click here to see our list of current exports. If you do not see your payroll application and are interested in exporting, please contact your account specialist at 800.782.3463 for further information.

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So Much Fun, Let’s Do It Again!

CRS Annual User Group Conference is Vegas Bound

We invite you to attend our 13^th Annual User Group Conference. This year’s event will take place at The Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, NV, November 10^th -12^th.

While CRS took various locations into consideration, we decided to return to Las Vegas due to the affordability. We are pleased to offer this year’s conference at the same cost as last year, including all of the same great benefits that our attendees love:

· Three (3) full days of new product training, upgrade planning, seminars, and hands-on workshops

· Ability to network with other SubFinder operators, comparing notes, sharing information

· CRS Incorporated Welcome Reception

· Three (3) days of breakfasts, lunches

· And more!

You won’t want to miss this exciting conference! We hope to see you in Vegas!

For more information and to register online, please click here, or for further information, contact your account specialist at 800.782.3463.

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We hope you are enjoying the beginning of spring! In the upcoming months, we will have more information for you on the Annual User Group, getting school districts prepared for the upcoming summer months…and so much more.

Take care,

The CRS Team

Take the DxPro Challenge and you could be a winner!

April SubFinder 101 Quiz – Challenge Your DxPro Knowledge

Lately, we have talked a lot about Data Exchange Pro. Are you ready for the DxPro challenge? Take the following quiz and prove that you know all there is to know about DxPro. Remember, you may find answers within the newsletter, or in the SubFinder User’s Guide (which can be located in the CRS Customer Support Center). By completing the CRS quiz, you will be placed into a drawing to win a $25 Visa Gift Card. Please limit entries to only one quiz per person and all answers must be submitted by Thursday, April 30^th. Good luck!

Take the April SubFinder 101 Quiz by clicking here.

The winner of the March SubFinder 101 Quiz is Joanne Pozzuoli of West Haven City School District in West Haven, Connecticut! She has won a $25 Visa Gift card!

For answers to the March 2009 SubFinder 101 Quiz, please click here. To see how you did in comparison to other quiz participants, click here!

Please only one entry per person. Good Luck!

April SubFinder 101 will be closed Thursday, April 30, 2009