School management software?

[Damian Mavis]

Can anyone vouch for any martial arts school management software? Im mostly looking for something to keep track of attendance etc... in fact just plain attendance software would be helpful if there's no school management software.

[BytomicCoaching]

Have a look at Bytomic Systems - Home There is School Management Software and other stuff here. The School Management is web based so it's very stable and it's developed and used in the UK.
Hope that's useful

[swryu]

If you are still looking for software to track attendance you may want to take a look at Studio MA Manager (Studio MA Manager for Windows). The software gives you several methods of tracking attendance (touchscreen, barcode, finger scanner, mouse, keyboard, etc.).

[Scott Bolinger]

i've always used microsoft excell

[j_s_kelley]

Martial Managmenet Class Managmenet software.

I don't know if this thread is still active but I will try anyway. There is a website out there developed by a myself, a professional software developer and martial arts instructor. the software has been under development for 10 years and I use it myself for my classes. The website is Martial Management.net. Useage of most of the functions is absolutely free. The attendance and everything. The only thing that will be charged for will be the advanced features like tracking payments and inventory and the like. You can go there, create a free account/organization and start using it. Only one thing, please let me know how you like it.

[saisatish]

School Management Software from Indian Servers

Check out the screenshots here.

School Management Software ,School Automation Software , School Automation , Indian Servers , Indian Pioneers , Free Demo

[darean]

Completely Online School Management Software

If you have a martial arts school and you're looking for something that will cover your attendance problems you might want to check out this school management software. Do note that it is designed for smaller schools, with an attractive monthly subscription, and I hope it is applicable to your situation. (Disclaimer - I work for QuickSchools)

A while back I also found out about jackrabbitdojo.com, they're similar to QuickSchools, so why not try both out? See which one you like?

[Datis]

Damian Mavis -- ChampionsWay is a world leader in Martial Arts Software and Solutions with over 5000 customers worldwide.

We have recently released the latest version of our Martial Arts School Management Platform, click here for the free trial!

[jeffbarnes]

I would never recommend Championsway for their software. One it is absolutely expensive and on top of that, they take hefty fees for payment solutions.

[Datis]

Jeff,

ChampionsWay software is expensive compared to what? Research needs to be done before making false statements. There are over 5000 clients worldwide that use ChampionsWay solutions for a reason Jeff. With ChampionsWay you are receiving more than a software disc and installation guide. You are receiving a full support and training team for free, constant software updates and improvements, a support team that understands the martial arts industry and has the experience needed to provide you with results... and a guarantee. Many of these cheapo Martial Arts Software companies disappear after a few years, leaving you stuck with software that isn't compatible with newer browsers or operating systems. They also charge you for technical support! We provide clients with free technical support and guarantee that a representative will be on the phone with them within a minute and half.

Product's are cheap for a reason. Ever heard of the expression "It sounds too good to be true"? 99% of the time it's because it is. As far as "absolutely expensive" goes Jeff, I am sure that if you did some research and compared prices, features and values, you'd realize that our packages are very reasonably priced.

Cheers.

[jeffbarnes]

First and foremost, I was a Championsway customer for over two years. I spent the high amount of money per month in hopes to have a successful growing business as promised.

Now why isn't Championsway a good choice for a new school starting out?

1. Price - Even with a reduced price and reduced features, most starting schools do not need to invest in high priced software to manage their business. There are many out there to choose from and most can be found in the price range from FREE to around $40 per month. From there, prices grow as the school membership grows.

2. MyMarketer - One of the big things that I was sold on was the Marketing capabilities that Championsway supposedly had. Which in turn never worked correctly, often buggy and quite frankly lacking for what I was paying. While yes it provided follow ups and contacts, it lacked flexibility and essentially lacked the same functionality I could get out a Aweber, IContact, or Constant Contact for a far cheaper price.

3. Software based instead of Web 2.0 based. I know that you have a web interface for managing at home yet, with the dangers of personal computer crashes, failed back ups, and other security risks of having all your information on a personal computer in the school office, this is literally a bad choice for a new school owner. It is better to manage your entire school from a web based software which most companies have moved or even managing their schools with google docs. At least they will not have to worry about losing data or rebuilding their database of students when they experience a crash.

4. Credit card payment, POS system, etc - Most new school management companies offer this as well. Just because you can accept payments or collect recurring billing is not a huge deal anymore. You can for a very cheap price go to Quickbook online and setup an account where you can manage your membership, collect recurring billing and sell items from a web interface. Of course you have to setup a merchant account, but you have to do the same for Championsway partnership. Regardless, it is still cheaper and it is well integrated with your quickbooks online account which means it is a one stop shop when you are preparing for end of year and taxes.

5. Online Community - Perhaps you may say that you have an online community or members section built. True, you have spent some time with that. Again most successful software companies and your competition offer the very same for a much cheaper price. But I would say a better option is to simply create a Facebook group, or Ning network, or Google Group to get the same functionality, support and add on tools you need to communicate with your students. With forurms, chat, video sharing and open communication that is ALL FREE... why would a starting business owner fork over hard earned cash for that?

6. But, But, But.... you have all those schools under your domain. Sure, I glad you guys are successful. You have a great marketing campaign and great salesman. While this may sound like a social proof that you may be the best. You are. You are the best at selling your product. Not necesarrily the best choice for budding school owners. I even bought into it for a while. And while forking over the dollars for the perceived value of benefit seems like a great idea at first, what the school owner doesn't realize is that if he put the same effort looking elsewhere as he would have to do to get his business off the ground with Championsway, he can save a hunk of money each month.

So... have I done my homework? I think so! But let me give you one final point....

7. Maybe you think you have great consultants to help school owners build their schools. Most of the people you have selling your product may be martial artists but that doesn't mean they have a lick of sense about running a martial arts school. Most advice given today from consultants even MAIA, NAPMA, come with the drivel of buying into a boxed system of marketing and coaching advice. That isn't what theyse guys need. They need people who are in the trenches and know what it takes to run a martial arts school in TODAYS economy.

Unless you have run a school of your own, bootstrapped it from the ground up, built your membership one by one then you don't have a clue.

[Datis]

Jeff,

Overall, you are saying by using bundles of different software and signing up for this and that you will save money. By signing up for multiple services you are being inefficient. ChampionsWay software synchronizes everything on a regular basis and provides everything for you in one place. Instead of constantly importing and exporting data through different programs you can simply press "print report" and ChampionsWay software will do it for you.

The fact of the matter is, you can't simply rely on a software platform "to have a successful growing business as promised". ChampionsWay software eliminates redundant tasks to save you money, it facilitates school management and tracking, it provides you with easier/quicker contact methods. Some of the cheaper companies don't even have phone support, so is the time you waste learning the software, going through e-mails and sending e-mails back and forth really worth it? You could always pay for phone support too if you'd like?

Our community is completely free Jeff, so our competitors do not provide such services for a "much cheaper price". We have successful school owners worldwide sharing applied success tips, consultants with over 500 students who provide weekly webinars.. for free. We also offer web-based service in addition to software based. Your information is a little mixed up.

As far as your last statement goes about our consultants and our team... Master Farid Dordar the CEO of ChampionsWay developed this software as a solution to the many needs he sought out in his school which has over 600 students in TODAY'S economy. He has continued to develop it to meet increasing advancements in technology and the feedback of Martial Artists worldwide. Sensei Nick Dougherty has over 500 students and is one of our top consultants. ChampionsWay understands TODAY'S economy and provides solutions for it. ChampionsWay provides tried and true solutions through its team of world-class developers and Martial Artists.

[jeffbarnes]

Signing up for 2-3 packages which in turn save an enormous amount of money outweighs what you have to offer.

[champion]

I've used championsway for 4 years now.

I must say Jeff, your feedback is misleading... Because of them, I am where I am today, 3 locations with a total of 765 students.


New school owners in need of help need to look at it from both sides of the fence.

Jeff may have had a bad experience. But me and my Account Manager at their company have built a great relationship and to date are still working together to per-fect my school's service.

I dont know about Jeff, but from what I know Datis, your company is doing a great job and are not expensive AT ALL for the return I've recieved.

Hundred bucks a month for thousands in revenue per quarter? Doesn't seem expensive at all.

Take it from me, I am a guy that used for or 5 different softwares and all of them are nowhere to be seen now. Except one, and I am not the one to down talk any company so I won't mention names.

Datis and Championsway, keep doing what you do.


Thats my 2 cents,

With respect,
Sayonara!

[j_s_kelley]

Again, you could try Martial Management. It does a bunch of stuff for free and it is getting ready to launch some premium services on subscription basis. You can try it for nothing.

Main Welcome

Scott.