Juhi’s 8 Tips for On-Boarding Software (#stuconduct edition)

I was first exposed to Maxient at my first Association of Student Conduct Administrators (ASCA) annual conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida in 2013. I remember being nervous because this was my first solo trip to a national conference where I would be meeting up to 1,000 student conduct professionals. At the time, I had obtained my first full time student affairs professional position and it was my first time attending a conference as the College’s representative. I never thought my experience would yield such great rewards; for not only myself, but also my institution.

I remember being at the conference not having a game plan besides learning everything I could from my fellow #stuconduct professionals and representing my institution well. However, the conference had other ideas for me. It was on my first night that I ran into classmates and Twitter friends from across the country and we began to commiserate and discuss various issues we were all facing. My biggest challenge was centered on our addressing student concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible since we were still using paper forms for incident reports. A friend of mine spoke about his use of a web-based conduct software management system that made not only reporting easy but also the follow up on his end easy. Although I had heard about Symplicity, Pave and Maxient, I did not know much about any one system and had no idea if such a system could be brought on board at our community college. We didn’t have residence halls and our incidents on campus were much different than at many of my colleagues campuses. Knowing that we needed some sort of streamlined process for incident reports, I decided to start speaking with representatives from each of the companies at the conference.

Tip #1: Do Research On Each Company

One of the biggest advantages I had when advocating for a software on my campus was that I had done my research. At the conference, I conversed with representatives from each of the platforms individually and I also spoke to my colleagues about their experience with each. Remember, the feedback that your colleagues give you may be brutally honest. Use their knowledge to your advantage when making a decision on a software.

Upon returning from the conference I set up demonstrations for both Maxient and Symplicity. I had gathered plenty of information about Pave at the conference and I needed to investigate the other two softwares. I recognize that I am biased towards Maxient as I have loved my experience of working with them as we learned more about the software and company. I felt Pave and Symplicity did a great job promoting their product, however, our team decided their products were not a right fit for our campus.

Tip #2: Decide Which Product Makes Sense for Your Campus

Both product package and budgetary restraints were important when making the decision. Our community college needed a system that could address incoming conduct incident reports and Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) reports. Other departments had softwares and systems used for other needs outside of student conduct needs. Maxient was the most user friendly system, in my opinion, that addressed specific campus concerns in the scope of my position.

Tip #3: Strongly Consider Customer Service

I vividly remember sending an email on a Sunday afternoon and getting an email back from the Director of Business Development within twenty minutes. My experience with their customer service has remained consistent from the beginning. I remain amazed at their level of commitment to customer needs and that was something that stayed with me since I met their team at ASCA.

Tip #4: Know Who Developed the Product and Why They Created It

I learned Maxient was developed by student conduct professionals who knew there were better ways to address the needs of their campuses while streamlining processes through a software. It helps that the individuals that developed the software came directly from the student affairs field. Many of their representatives are those with experience working in student conduct which made our institution feel more comfortable working with them. The professionals at Maxient were a great help in getting the product on-boarded to our campus.

Tip #5: Know Who Will Support You On Campus

After I completed my research on each company, I immediately looked for support on campus. For me that person was my immediate supervisor, Nestor Melendez, who at the time was the Dean of Student Life & Judicial Affairs at Bergen. Nestor trusted my judgment. When I presented him with my research, he came back with an overwhelming “yes, let’s do it.” He saw the value of bringing a software to help us in our positions. I know I could not have pushed for the product without his support and assistance. It helped that I had a strong relationship with Nestor during his time at Bergen and I am lucky to continue to have that relationship with him after he left. He will always be a supportive supervisor, mentor, colleague and friend.

Tip #6: Showcase the Benefits of the Platform

We quickly came together as a team to push for Maxient on our campus. We made sure to clearly dictate how the platform would benefit us in our roles: for example, the ability to report student complaints to all necessary parties on campus (the people who need to know). One of the biggest issues that Maxient solved for us was to be more compliant with Middle States, particularly the development of a student complaint reporting form. We were able to keep better records of how to address state, federal and various accreditation stipulations. These specific solutions helped us create more buy-in from other stakeholders on campus.

Tip #7: Get Everyone On the Same Page

Include all necessary parties in web demonstrations, conference calls, or whatever else is needed to efficiently adopt a software. Some of the key stakeholders on campus included the Director of Public Safety, the Vice President of Student Affairs, and the Dean of Student Support Services as these were the individuals involved in our current procedures for reporting for behavioral incidents on campus as well as student complaints. It is important to educate everyone about the product on your campus so everyone feels included in the purchase of the product and approves of it. Remember, you want this platform to be successful and to remain on campus even after your departure. The product becomes your legacy rather quickly. For me, the legacy remains that I was able to make an idea come to life with the help of many talented individuals. I could not have brought Maxient on board on my own, but my role in being a tireless cheerleader helped me bring all of the players on our team together to make the important decision that changed our work in meaningful ways.

Tip #8: Be Persistent

Sometimes the journey is long and hard but the end result is well worth the time. I now cannot imagine going back to reporting incidents via paper and thankful my campus gave me and the platform a chance to change the ways we complete processes with the whole campus in mind.

Originally posted on the Check I’m Here blog: http://www.checkimhere.com/blog/juhis-8-tips-for-on-boarding-software-stuconduct-edition/