The connection between parents, students and Food Service management

< Home > < Product Description > < News & Announcements > < Your Ideas & Suggestions > < Contact Us > < Company Information > < Other Useful Websites >			< Details - Food Service > < Details - Parents > School Administration A school administrator has many different duties. However, those duties tend to follow one theme --- allocating scarce resources. The scarce resource may be money or time or talent, but there is always a scarcity. How do you decide? Imagine offering parents in your district a simple way to gain access to helpful and sometimes critical information. Imagine offering this access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without adding staff. Imagine improving communication within the district, yet decreasing the workload and interruptions in the Food Service office. Imagine receiving a huge return on a small investment. Imagine making everyone happier. This is the purpose of the LunchPhone. Here are a few questions to consider. Click on the question to get the answer. · How does the LunchPhone work? · What benefits come from having the LunchPhone in the district? · How much does the LunchPhone cost? · If I am interested in the LunchPhone, what is my next step?
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LunchPhoneÒ is a registered trademark of Molitors Management Consulting, LLC				Phone: 513.489.4457
LunchPhoneÓ System, copyright 1980-2007, MMC, LLC; all rights reserved				Fax: 513.489.4457
www.LunchPhone.com
	Q: How does the LunchPhone work? The main part of the LunchPhone system is technically called an “IVR” (Interactive Voice Response) system. This means that it is a computer hardware/software system controlled through your responses on a touch-tone telephone instead of a keyboard and mouse. Since the telephone is used instead of the keyboard and mouse, this means you can control the LunchPhone remotely from any place that has a telephone. The process begins when a parent calls the phone number you have assigned to your district’s LunchPhone system. The LunchPhone is constantly in the ready-to-answer-the-phone mode; when a parent calls, the LunchPhone automatically answers. The parent will hear the greeting and instructions to enter their child’s student ID number. After confirming and verifying the student ID, the parent will hear the “main menu”, listing a series of options (Note: you have the ability to set or change the options and their order, as well as record your own custom greetings and menu choices). Typically, there are three “listen” options --- (1) listen to your child’s current lunch account balance, (2) listen to the date and amount of your last payment, and (3) listen to the mailing address for sending in payments and questions. There are also two “active” options; these are options that require the parent to enter additional information (in order to gain additional features). If your district wishes to allow parents to add money to their lunch account by using their credit cards, the “Add Money” option can be activated. A parent would enter their credit card number, expiration date, and the amount they wish to add to their account. The second “active” option allows the parent to request a printed-or-faxed Activity Report. The Activity Report will show them each day’s purchases and payments, along with a running balance and other useful details. The report will cover the previous 7, 14 or 31 days. If the parent requests an Activity Report, it will automatically print in the Food Service office or at any designated printer (it can then be mailed home or sent home with the student). If the parent enters their fax number, the Activity Report will be automatically faxed to them a short time later. Keep 1 major point in mind --- all of the above activity occurs without any intervention by Food Service management or staff. The LunchPhone is designed to operate on its own. While Food Service management has the ability to control its features and may use some of the back-office functions that will help them, the LunchPhone does not need a baby-sitter to perform its daily tasks. Once a day, the LunchPhone will update its database with that day’s lunch purchases and payments from your point-of-sale system. This means that a parent will hear the most current information available. Information, much like lunch, is best served fresh and when the parent wants it. < return to SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION >
	Q: What benefits come from having the LunchPhone in the district? There are many specific operational benefits with the LunchPhone, but the single largest benefit is COMMUNICATION. There is a constant desire to increase the communication between the schools and the parents. Unfortunately, “communication” often takes the form of mounds of data in a blizzard of paper sent to the parents (especially at the start of the school year). While necessary, this deluge of details can be overwhelming and mind-numbing. On the other hand, when parents do require a bit of information from the school, they will probably interrupt your schedule and workflow. You may be preparing end-of-month reports or dealing with personnel, and a parent calls wanting to know how much money is left in their child’s lunch account. While this request may be simple and relatively minor in the scheme of things, you now need to give it the same or greater weight of importance as your monthly cashflow report or budget. So the real issue is not simply communication; it is the TIMING of communication. You wish to give parents information when it is convenient for you. Parents wish to receive information when it is relevant to them. Unfortunately, the two wishes do not generally coincide. The LunchPhone solves the timing issue completely. It is waiting with the district’s detailed, current account information for every child in the district. It is waiting for the phone to ring. It is ready to communicate. When a parent calls requiring lunch account information, the LunchPhone does not need to interrupt its workflow since its sole purpose is to answer the phone when it rings. Since the LunchPhone delivers information only when requested, it is referred to as a demand-driven system. Demand-driven systems provide a great deal of value to the end users provided the information they contain is up-to-date. The LunchPhone, because of its daily update process, meets the demand with the best information available. For further details, click here [Food Service Benefits] to jump to the “Details for Food Service” page and read about the specific operational benefits. < return to SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION >
	Q: How much does the LunchPhone cost? The LunchPhone system is a district-wide system, and its price varies according to the number of incoming telephone lines you wish to have… 1-Line LunchPhone………$7,695 2-Line LunchPhone………$9,895 4-Line LunchPhone………$14,895 Remember two things about our prices --- (1) the price is a “complete” price and (2) the price is for the entire district. The prices you see are “complete” prices. We call them complete because they include all the elements of a LunchPhone system --- the telephony hardware (i.e., the telephone control boards that are installed in your computer), the telephony software, the telephony licensing, the LunchPhone control software, the LunchPhone database, the LunchPhone record and playback software, the software licensing, the user’s manual, the cost of installation, on-site training, and upgrade-and-phone support for the 1^st year. The only cost not included in the prices listed above is the cost of travel/lodging (please contact us for a specific quote). Since the LunchPhone was designed to serve any parent in your district, it makes perfect sense to price it on a district basis. You do not need to worry about how many individual buildings, the number of kitchens, lunch rooms or serving lines within your district. So which level of LunchPhone do you need? We have discovered a rough rule-of-thumb that balances need (i.e., having enough lines most of the time with minimal busy signals) with cost (i.e., buying a too-large system). Our rule is based on student population --- 1 phone line for every 2,000 – 2,500 students. This rule-of-thumb takes into account varying degrees of lunchroom participation, the free and reduced students, and multi-kid families. What if you guess wrong and need to expand? We have also established an expansion price chart, allowing you to expand your LunchPhone to meet the needs of the district. The expansion can be accomplished without losing your initial investment. Here is the Expansion Price Chart… Expand from 1-Line to 2-Line LunchPhone………$3,195 Expand from 1-Line to 4-Line LunchPhone………$8,495 Expand from 2-Line to 4-Line LunchPhone………$6,495 You should have one last question about pricing: Are there any on-going costs? The answer is “yes”, but the cost is minimal. After the first year, the upgrade-and-phone support is $495 (1-Line), $595 (2-Line), and $895 (4-Line). This keeps your LunchPhone current and up-to-date. < return to SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION >
	Q: If I am interested in the LunchPhone, what is my next step? The LunchPhone system sounds interesting. What is the next step? The first thing you might consider is calling us. You should ask any questions, including asking for references. The next thing to do is gather some preliminary information (these will be your answers to our questions)… - how many children are enrolled in your district? - which point-of-sale system do you use? - are the district’s computers networked together? - do you have a computer available to use as your LunchPhone system? Before a district purchases the LunchPhone, there is usually discussion between the food service director, business manager, and the superintendent. You should consider the pros and cons, again asking us any questions that arise. As always, we will be happy to provide you with any details you require. You will make a proper, informed decision! < return to SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION >
LunchPhoneÒ is a registered trademark of Molitors Management Consulting, LLC LunchPhoneÓ System, copyright 1980-2007, MMC, LLC; all rights reserved www.LunchPhone.com