Ten questions to ask every vendor
- Does it do statements and family accounts? Daily reports are the nice part. Monthly statements, siblings on one account and arrears ageing are what saves the owner’s weekends.
- How do parents pay? Ask about card, instant EFT, EFT references that can be matched, and debit orders. Ask what the payment provider charges.
- Can it run enrolment and re-registration? Your October re-registration should not need a second tool.
- How does it protect children’s information? Look for consent records per child, access by role, an audit trail and a written operator agreement. Our POPIA consent guide explains why.
- Does it work when the connection drops? Wi-Fi and power are not always reliable. Teachers should be able to keep logging and sync later.
- What do teachers see? Teachers should only see their own class, with no fees or staff records. Ask who trains them.
- What do parents need? The fewer apps and passwords, the better. An emailed report is easier than another app to install.
- Can you get your data out? Ask what you can export and what happens to your data if you leave.
- What does it really cost? Find out whether pricing is per child or per school, whether there is a set-up fee, and what extras such as SMS or WhatsApp cost.
- Who answers when something breaks? Ask how you reach support, during which hours, and whether they understand how South African schools work.
How to run a fair trial
- Pilot with one class and keep the paper diary running in parallel for a week or two.
- Ask the teacher how long a day takes to log, compared with writing it by hand.
- Ask three parents whether the report is clearer and arrives when they expect it.
- Test the awkward case: a sibling discount, a late pick-up fee, a payment that does not match.
A quick scorecard
Give each question a score from 0 to 2 for each vendor, add them up and compare. If two options are close, let the teachers’ and parents’ feedback decide.
Ask us the same ten questions
We would rather you compare us honestly. See how HiDay pricing works or WhatsApp us and ask any of the ten.