How To Get Leadership Buy-In For An SIS Student Portal At Your School

Technology strives to simplify life and work in every industry, and it’s no different in the educational sector.

A Student Information System (SIS) is becoming a must-have in any school. If you’re reading this, chances are you want to install an SIS at your school.

?One of the hurdles you might encounter is getting leadership buy-in for this solution.

?What makes a SIS an attractive addition to the school’s administrative system?

?More importantly, how does it solve problems for your school’s administration?

?And, how will it impact your bottom line exactly??

To get approval for your investment, you will need to present a case to management.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to convince your school’s leadership to buy into your chosen SIS. Let’s dive in!

How to get Leadership Buy-In

While implementing an SIS might seem like a fantastic idea for you, your employers and leadership committee members might still need some convincing.

Most businesses struggle to implement new forms of technology. Whether concerned over returns on their investment or a limited budget, most institutions aren’t open to changing their operation systems.

Before getting into the steps you should take to get leadership buy-in, we must consider one important factor.?

Schools are businesses, and like all businesses, they have a bottom line. They need to continuously update technologies that allow them to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

1. Is A New SIS System Needed?

Before implementing any new or updated technology, validate that the initiative or system is needed.

It is essential to think about the aims or current challenges within your school’s operational model and how an SIS can help solve them.

For example, will introducing a new system improve student onboarding and reduce admissions friction or complications?

If student communication or payment collection is challenging, what improvement can a SIS? What features would benefit your school?

Finding an answer to these questions is vital.

2. Develop A Pitch

Once a value is determined that a SIS can help solve, it is time to develop a pitch for management.

The first step is to develop an “elevator pitch .”

An elevator pitch is a short, concise, and practical description of the issue and the concept that entices the listener, who in this case is school management. The goal here is to generate interest and ensure that your listener wants more information.

Here are a few key points when developing your pitch:

●??????Identify the issue that the SIS software can solve. It is important to describe this issue so that your listener knows what is at stake.

●??????Explain how the software will solve this issue. Here you should think about the specific features that address the problem.

●??????Sell the software you’ve chosen. You’ll want to explain why the software you’ve selected is the best for solving the issue at hand. Here, you can also explain how the SIS portal will integrate into the rest of the school’s existing operating system and mention a few benefits of using it.

Remember to tailor the pitch to your school’s needs, aims, and values. For example, if your school has issues with efficiency, explain how SIS can help with that. Then, relate this to your school's aims and values.

3. Find The Perfect Time To Make Your Pitch

The next thing you’ll want to consider is when to present your pitch to the leadership. After all, timing is everything, and knowing when to pitch can be the difference between acceptance and rejection.

Finding the right moment will vary from school to school. For example, it might be a good time to present your pitch at the end of a school year or when your school's priorities are shifting. So, it is essential to know the culture of your school and figure out when the best time is to suggest a change.

4. Find Supporters For Your Case

Tech buy-ins are generally better received when several people back the platform in question.

One of the easiest ways to get your buy-in is by showing that you have the support of other faculty members. Using your pitch, you should be able to enlist some of your colleagues who support the introduction of a new system.

Having people on your side is a great way to better your pitch with real-world examples of how the software can be implemented. Remember, there is strength in numbers.

You could also consider having your colleagues join your presentation so they can expand on the challenges and solutions you’ve identified and explain the consequences if they aren’t addressed. This improves your argument and shows that action is needed.

Here are a few things to consider when trying to gain supporters:

●??????Try recruiting managers who are experiencing the issue you’ve identified. Not only do they have the experience, but they’re also part of leadership and could legitimize your pitch.

●??????Recruit a wide variety of supporters. Have people from different departments join your presentation. This shows the support is widespread and provides solutions to every department. It also indicates the software you’ve chosen has widespread application.

5. Remember The Cost

Lastly, as mentioned before, you need to remember the bottom line. A large part of that bottom line is expenses. So, you’ve pitched your software and have everyone’s attention, but the one thing on their minds is how much will this cost?.

We suggest that you have the hard figures on hand and show them during your presentation. You’ll want to have clear answers on a monthly subscription or licensing costs. It is good to estimate how much money is needed and whether employees need to be trained on the new software.

You’ll also want to show that leadership will get a return on their investment. Figure out how much time and money an SIS student portal could save the school or how much revenue it could generate. Try offering actual numbers since this will strengthen your case.

Conclusion

Managing a school without SIS software is simply not sustainable in this digital age.

Once you have found a system that you believe will benefit your school, it’s a matter of putting together a compelling case for buy-in from management. They will want to know what problems a new platform will solve, how it can benefit students, and how it will impact the bottom line? It’s up to you to put in the time and do your research to prepare to answer these questions and more.

Getting support from the faculty members will do wonders for your pitch, and you need to time things right.

Finally, go heavy on the numbers. Management will want to know that they have a viable solution in front of them.?

With DiamondSIS , you get an A-Z system that offers superior functionality.

Our platform offers all key accounting functions, student record management, document management, registrar functions, communication channels, report generators, and much more.

You can also customize the entire system to serve your institution’s specific structure and requirements.

Contact us today for more information.?