Before the Bell: 5 Tips for Technology Leasing and Planning to Avoid the Summer Rush
Attention School Districts — The Secret to Beating the Summer Rush is to Start Now
Summer is the busiest time for IT departments in school districts, with the goal being 100% ready to go on the first day of school. No matter how much you try to prepare for it, the last-minute rush to get technology equipment delivered, set-up, and installed before classes start can feel like a mad dash.
With technology initiatives becoming more prevalent and demands for new or refreshed laptops, tablets and displays steadily growing, education technology acquisition is an ongoing challenge to manage. But Insight Financial Services (IFS) can help you shift your planning so that you can engage earlier in the technology equipment financing process which will help you to avoid the rush and make a smoother, more efficient and productive start to the school year.
5 tips to help you beat the bell and avoid the summer rush:
1) Get your order in early
It may be cold outside, but now is the best time to start the process of placing your order for the following school year. Don’t wait to present to the board until May, get on the agenda as early as possible in Q1. This will allow you the time to present your plan and avoid potential delays. Earlier approval allows you to work with IFS to place your order now, and schedule payments to begin later in the year to coincide with the start of the next school year. IFS can help you structure payments to fit your budget, fiscal year timing and eventual refresh cycles. Getting in the queue early gives you a leg up, not to mention ample time to deal with any unexpected issues that may crop up before the start of the next school year.
2) Encumber your budget dollars
With all the worthy priorities, we know it can sometimes get tricky to define and/or hold onto the budget you need for technology equipment. By working with IFS and placing your order early you will have budget reserved for your technology equipment. Setting up a leasing contract with defined payment terms makes budgeting predictable and creates a smoother process for the year to come.
3) Prepare for manufacturer delays
Unfortunately, no one is immune to the occasional manufacturer delay. For a variety of reasons, shipments can arrive in stages or later than anticipated. However, if you start the process earlier, then you’ve left yourself plenty of time to manage any surprise issues and still be ready before the start of school. Working with the experienced K12 teams at IFS trusted technology equipment helps to minimize the impact of delays and any other potential manufacturer issues.
4) Lock in equipment pricing
By shortening the planning-to-contract timeframe, you can secure exact pricing now. This is important because having clear, defined and guaranteed pricing is helpful for budgeting. IFS will work with you to structure payments so that challenging peaks and valleys in your equipment budget are eliminated. Instead you benefit from a straightforward, predictable and sustainable budget.
5) Plan your summer workload
Planning ahead makes summer staffing more manageable, efficient and enjoyable for all. If everything is on track and you’ve ordered early, you will have plenty of time to take delivery of and set up all new technology for the school year well before first day of classes without having to call in extra resources or ask staff to work overtime.
The first day, and sometimes the entire first week, of school is exciting and chaotic by nature. But doing your part to secure the required technology equipment earlier can help you to steer clear of the noise and be available to support other needs. Best of all, you can help the entire school be 100% ready for the first day of the academic year ahead.
IFS is an independent leasing firm that offers flexible equipment financing programs to help schools manage their technology acquisition and upgrade needs so that districts can provide all students and staff the most current tools such as laptops, tablets, software, monitors, and more. IFS’ experience in the education market, along with its flexibility and commitment serving customers, makes leasing technology equipment a rewarding experience because districts appreciate the predictable, affordable, sustainable payments that allow them to plan ahead.
Contact Insight Financial Services today to learn more about how an independent leasing partner can support the specific technology equipment financing needs of your organization. info@ifsleasing.com or www.ifsleasing.com