5 Key Ingredients for Your K‑12 Nutrition Software Support Team

The world of K‑12 nutrition is fast-paced and full of challenges. This was the norm well before the events of the last few years, and food service professionals have consistently risen to the occasion. Your mission is clear – make sure that hungry students are fed nutritious meals. However, feeding students is only one aspect of the job. Menu planning, inventory management and claims submissions are also part of your responsibilities. In order to do your job efficiently, you need the help of child nutrition software. To use that software to make your job easier, you need the help of an expert support team. So what are the key ingredients to look for in your nutrition software support team? We have gathered up a list below:

What to look for in your K‑12 Nutrition Software Support Team 

1. Relationship Building With You and Your Team 

Students learn best when they know their teacher cares about them and their success. In the same way, teams are more likely to trust a support team that is invested in their success just as much as they are. LINQ’s support team hosts conferences to share industry innovations and updates with our school partners. We conduct onsite “drive-bys,” when we can come to campus, shake the hands of the people using our nutrition software systems, and answer any questions while we’re there. This approach to customer support starts with our leadership. For Peter Cardinale, President of Nutrition Support at LINQ, ensuring that everyone has a positive experience is a priority. “Our partners’ success is our success, and we take it very seriously!”

2. High Customer Satisfaction 

As part of your research when selecting a nutrition software system, it’s a good idea to hear what other customers are saying about their experience with the support team. After all, an innovative, high-efficiency system is only good if the people who need it understand how to use it. And since technology is always evolving, the level of support you receive will be extremely important to your level of satisfaction. Our team at LINQ is committed to continuing their technology training so that we always have the most up-to-date information. We have implemented a closed-loop process so that customer issues receive a response, no matter what!  Our school partners have peace of mind knowing that we will always get back to them. LINQ consistently scores over 90% for customer satisfaction, and we continue to focus on improving our support.

3. Support for Every Step of the Process 

Implementing new software is not a set-it-and-forget-it process. First, your school nutrition team must be educated on what the software does. Then, the technological aspect of integrating the software with your existing systems must take place. (Fortunately, we have a team of experts for that as well). Finally, and most importantly, your team needs to be guided on how to use the software in their day-to-day activities. The entire process is ongoing. Software will need to be updated, new products – like TITAN Claims – will be rolled out, and your school team members will have questions that need to be answered. Whether you are Front of House or Back of House, our implementation process ensures that your team gets the support they need, no matter which stage of the process you’re in. 

4. Continuing Education & Training On-Demand

School nutrition is a fast-paced environment and the opportunities to attend conferences and other training may be limited at times. With this in mind, LINQ offers regular webinars to provide updates to our school partners. In addition, your team can access on-demand training that they can easily fit into their schedules. Our TITAN Academy gives users access to training, such as “new administrator” training and “end of year” training, to name a few. The Academy content is consistently updated by our support team, and participants have the opportunity to ask questions and get them answered live by the experts. Our team makes every effort to make sure that you have the most updated information available at your fingertips. 

5. A Team That “Gets You” 

Our LINQ support team is made up of a group of people who care deeply about education. Many of our team members are even former education professionals who have been in your shoes and understand the challenges you face. Making sure that students are fed nutritious meals is only one part of your job – we get that. You can trust that the guidance you will receive is based on years of industry experience, best practices, and with the best interest of both your team and your students in mind. 

“Customer service has been a great plus. While training and implementing, our trainers were available at all times and were eager to help us as needed,” Therwhanger said. “The training was presented in a smooth and efficient manner. We love TITAN!” (Cindy Therwhanger, Food Service Director at Seminole ISD)