Back-to-school season can be a stressful and busy time for families and school staff. Everybody has tasks to complete, and families often have shopping to do and school fees to pay with little time to get it all done. However, there is a solution. Digital payments can simplify back-to-school payments and ease stress for families and staff.
How digital payments simplify back-to-school operations
Funding meal accounts, paying club dues, and shopping the school store with just a few clicks or taps are some of the ways digital payments simplify back-to-school operations. Families have a lot on their plates as the summer comes to an end. Many families go on vacation in the final weeks before school begins, and students may be busy with sports leagues, summer jobs, and sunny days at the beach. A digital payment option for meal accounts and school fees lets families take care of back-to-school business from wherever they are in the final days of summer.
However, not every school offers digital payment convenience for all their school fees. This creates an opportunity to significantly improve efficiency, minimize payment reminders and follow ups, and make life easier for busy families. LINQ Connect, our complete payments solution, simplifies all school fee and meal account processes by providing a single place to do it all. Families can log in via the online portal or use the mobile app to pay fees, make school store purchases, and fund meal accounts. They can also access important documents like permission forms and free or reduced-price meal applications.
Below we look at some of the ways a digital payment solution simplifies going back to school.
The advantages of digital payments for back-to-school operations
In addition to making school finances easier, digital payments can also improve security and reduce workload for K-12 finance teams. A secure solution keeps school and family data safe in the cloud with industry-leading security standards. When families use their credit or debit card to make payments through LINQ Connect, they also enjoy the same fraud protection provided by their own bank or financial institution. This means everyone can confidently and safely make payments without the security concerns associated with cash and check payments—like lost money or stolen bank account information.
An easier way to fund meal accounts and make back-to-school payments also means less work and stress for K-12 finance teams. Fewer reminder emails to send and phone calls to make means more time to focus on their other back-to-school preparations. A digital payment solution can even send automated alerts to help increase on-time payments and further minimize workload for busy finance teams.
How digital payments make back-to-school preparations easier for families
We all know families have a lot to do as the first day of school draws near. Their summer routine is about to change, and many are preparing to enter a new school—whether entering elementary school, advancing to middle or high school, or moving into a new community altogether. They’re handling required enrollment forms, permission slips, and school supplies lists. They may also be securing necessary sports equipment or musical instrument rentals.
It’s a lot to manage. Simplifying school payments can make a huge difference in families’ back-to-school experience. They can quickly handle the financial side of back-to-school preparations and get a little more time to enjoy their final days of the summer break.
Here are a few ways digital payments make back-to-school easier:
- More efficient financial operations for school staff
A digital payment solution simplifies processes and automates tasks like reminders, alerts, and issuing receipts. Less time spent on ensuring on-time payments means staff members can focus on their other important back-to-school tasks.
- Better payment security
Cash and checks can easily be lost, forgotten, or stolen on their way to school. A secure digital payment solution gives families and school staff peace-of-mind knowing that money gets where it needs to go without exposing anyone’s sensitive data to the outside world.
- Easier back-to-school processes for families
Funding meal accounts, paying fees, and even purchasing school spirit gear can all be handled from anywhere. Whether it’s from a family vacation spot or in line at the grocery store, families can complete all their back-to-school business quickly and conveniently.
Give everyone a better back-to-school experience with a modern digital payment solution
Take the stress out of back-to-school preparations to put more focus on the excitement of starting a new school year. A modern digital payment solution simplifies school operations and helps set everyone up for success for the year ahead.
Many schools and districts already offer a digital solution for funding meal accounts—taking it to the next step for all school fee management is a growing trend. If you already use a solution like LINQ Connect for meals, incorporating other school payments is a straightforward process. You could implement digital school fee management this year, giving families a better, more secure experience while taking manual payment processing, hand-written receipts, and bank runs off your busy staff members’ schedules.
Learn more about our LINQ Connect solution and how to implement digital school fee management for the best back-to-school season ever.