2022 was another busy year for the team here at iSAMS and we can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store. Before we get caught up in the new year, we want to take a look back at 2022 and our iSAMS highlights.
Our top ten:
- Over 70 courses accessible on iUniversity
- 2022 marked the return of in-person User Group Meetings
- We spoke to more schools about their iSAMS experience
- Launching our dedicated Payment Gateway
- Updated iSAMS Family Structures
- iSAMS joined AMCIS
- Announcing the Admissions Cloud Portal
- Enhancing our Fee Billing module
- Releasing our new Wellbeing Manager feature
- New functionality for email conversations
Our year in numbers:
- 165 new schools were welcomed into our continually growing community!
- More than 1,300 schools spanning 90 countries have now chosen iSAMS as their trusted MIS/SIS provider.
- 53 new team members joined our workforce of over 170 people, across a variety of departments.
- We attended 24 conferences across 6 different countries, and we spoke to over 1160 schools during the course of the year at various events and user groups.
We launched some innovative new products and features and were so grateful for the opportunity to get back to visiting our iSAMS school community. Here are our top ten moments from 2022.
1. iUniversity Launch Unlimited Access to over 70 online courses
We launched the iUniversity platform in 2021 to give all iSAMS users instant access to interactive training courses on a range of topics wherever they are, at a time convenient to them.
The learning platform originally launched with seven free courses covering the basics of iSAMS. Today, iUniversity continues to grow into a comprehensive resource centre for users’ online training needs. As of October 2022, users now have access to over 70 in-depth courses for a variety of modules.
2. 2022 marked the return of in-person User Group Meetings
Over the previous challenging few years, we were able to host a number of virtual events to keep in touch with the iSAMS community.
In 2022, we were finally able to return to in-person conferences and events! We introduced the UK User Group Meeting Roadshow on 13th October 2022. We have been travelling around the UK to meet with the iSAMS community and bring you all up to date on everything iSAMS while we’ve been apart.
Over 400 people registered for our meetings, at 9 events held from October, and it’s already been a great opportunity to get valuable feedback and allow local schools to network again. The roadshow continues into 2023, and we’re excited to meet with more of you.
3. We spoke to even more schools about their experience with iSAMS
Throughout the year, we took the time to sit down with many of our schools to discuss their implementation of the iSAMS system and find out how it has benefitted their school. We’re always grateful to hear from our schools and learn from their experiences.
We spoke with schools based both in the UK and overseas, including the Jebel Ali School in Dubai most recently.
You can watch all of our Q&A sessions here.
4.Launching our dedicated Payment Gateway Solution for Independent Schools
In January 2022, we announced the launch of our own payment gateway solution – iSAMS Payments.
Fully integrated with the iSAMS MIS and designed with busy parents in mind, iSAMS Payments enables Independent Schools to offer their parents a quick, simple and secure means of paying invoices directly from their bank account, by credit card or via PayPal.
As always, iSAMS keeps data security in mind, and this payment solution integrates with the wider, fully cloud-based, iSAMS suite.
Read more about payments here.
5. Update to iSAMS Family Structures
At iSAMS, we understand that all family structures are valid, and we want to work to ensure that the system provides flexibility.
In December, we were pleased to announce improvements to the parental contact naming conventions and family tree configuration.
The improvements allow schools to use the ‘parent’ dual contact to store information about two parents, regardless of gender. You also have the option to turn the Family Tree off. Visit our iCommunity site for more information.
6. iSAMS joined AMCIS
In May 2022, iSAMS joined AMCIS (The Association for Admissions, Marketing and Communications in Independent Schools) as a corporate member.
AMCIS has supported the Independent School sector for more than 25 years, with more than 500 member schools throughout the UK benefiting from its events, support and advice, training, and professional development.
It seemed only natural that we took this opportunity to join AMCIS and work together to support independent schools as they work towards improving the education sector for all.
You can learn more about the partnership here.
7. Announcing the iSAMS Admissions Cloud Portal
We were thrilled to announce the launch of a new, cloud-based Admissions solution in 2022. The Admissions Cloud Portal is iSAMS’ answer to a friction-free admissions process.
The portal aims to make it easier for prospective parents to find key school information, complete an enquiry or application and track the application process. Ultimately, the system supports school admissions teams and optimises their time, so that they can focus on daily school operations.
8. Enhancing our Fee Billing Module
Following an in-depth review of our Fee Billing module and, based on feedback from our schools, we launched several new features and enhancements aimed at modernising the solution in February 2022.
This included enhancements to amending direct debits, Copy Bill Recipients, and Invoice Profiles. We’re always open to feedback on individual modules so that we can make your school day’s that little bit easier.
9. Releasing our new Wellbeing Manager feature
We announced the launch of new automation functionality for our Wellbeing Manager module in May 2022.
The functionality enables schools to draw on data from elsewhere in the iSAMS MIS to identify and act on potential student wellbeing concerns, thanks to new automated alerts, workflows and indicators.
10. New functionality for email conversations
In March 2022, we announced a hotly anticipated feature in iSAMS – email conversations.
The new functionality enables two-way email communication to be initiated and recorded within iSAMS, via a Student in the Student Manager module and in the Parent Portal. The feature provides renewed visibility within the iSAMS system, to improve student management and communication.
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We hope you all had a lot to celebrate in 2022, and we look forward to working with you for the coming year!
Follow our blog for more insightful updates throughout 2023.