June 2009 IN THIS ISSUE OLATHE USD #233 KNOCK OUT CONFUSION CRS INC NOW CRS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY GET ROLLIN' ON YOUR ROLLOVER MEET A CRS EMPLOYEE   QUICK LINKS CRS WEBSITE NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE SUBPAY WHAT'S NEW AT CRS Dear Customer,   Welcome to the June issue of InTouch Online. As you can see, we have a totally new look! Have you met Maxx? Read more about Maxx and tell us what you think about our new brand and website. We want to hear from you!   Summer is right around the corner, and many customers are preparing for summer break and planning for the next school year. We anticipate a busy summer here at CRS Advanced Technology, and cannot wait for what the next year will bring; we know our customers and future customers are going to be impressed with our new developments. At CRS, we work toward one main goal-- satisfying our customers!   Let’s get started with this issue; we have a lot in store for you in the June InTouch Online. We hope you enjoy!     Customer Highlight: Olathe Unified School District #233; Kansas There’s No Season Like Summer – Preparing SubFinder for Summer Months   Interview by: Corinne Everett, Marketing Coordinator Interview with: Patsy Strieby, Substitute Service Manager & SubFinder Operator     Olathe Unified School District is the third largest school district in Kansas, encompassing over 26,000 students, with a continual growth trend of 500 to 800 students annually for the past 25 years. Comprised of four comprehensive high schools, eight junior highs (and a new one currently being built), and 34 elementary schools, Olathe has been recognized nationally for their excellence in staff development, technology innovation, and crisis management. It is no wonder why the students at Olathe are consistently above state and national scores on standardized assessments. This nationally recognized district includes portions of four cities: Olathe, Overland Park, Lenexa, and Shawnee.   Recognized as a tech savvy district, finding the leading substitute placement and human resource management tool was critical in managing their multiple sites and over 4,300 employees. SubFinder, along with SubPay, have been important management tools in assisting Olathe in substitute pay, and, when necessary, placing the most qualified substitutes to help maintain excellence in the classroom. At Olathe, excellence falls into many categories.   I recently spoke with Patsy Strieby, Substitute Service Manager and SubFinder Operator, about SubFinder and SubPay, and how she keeps both intuitive tools up-to-date and accurate in preparation for the summer months and upcoming school year. See what Patsy has to say regarding SubFinder, along with SubPay…and why it is important to prepare your system for the following year.   When did Olathe Unified School District begin using SubFinder?   Our district began using SubFinder in January, 2000; likewise, I began working with SubFinder when we implemented it at that time.   A lot has changed within SubFinder over the past years; what is your favorite change?   WebConnect, or what is now the Internet portion of SubFinder. All the site administrators love the fact that it is so user friendly and allows them to enter and view the absences for their own teachers. Our teachers and substitutes also comment on the ease of use. Substitutes love to “job shop” via the Internet, as well as have the ability to view past and future jobs they have accepted.   Olathe USD uses SubPay; how does SubPay assist Olathe during your payroll process?   SubPay allows us to set up unique pay rates for day-to-day substitutes, as well as for those long-term substitutes. Our district strives to eliminate as much paperwork as possible, and SubPay has allowed us to essentially go “paperless”. Lastly (and very importantly), SubPay allows for a high degree of accuracy in our payroll process.   It is time to schedule annual rollovers. Has Olathe scheduled their annual rollover; and why do you think it is important to do so?    Yes, we have scheduled our annual rollover for June 2nd. It is very important for us to schedule our rollover each year, as early as possible, so that we can be ready for the new school year. As soon as the rollover is completed, we update our employee and substitute database so when school starts in August, we are set to go.   How do you prepare SubFinder for the end-of-the-year rollover and the upcoming summer months?    In the past, we ran a number of paper reports prior to the rollover; we no longer do that. CRS creates icons for our SubFinder desktop for past years’ data which works really well for us. After the rollover, we mark any teachers or substitutes that we want to remove from the system as “inactive” for the new school year, and then simply purge those individuals from the database. Prior to the rollover, we make sure that CRS is aware that we utilize SubPay.   What steps do you take to determine which substitutes will be coming back for jobs in the next school year?   We communicate with our substitutes via e-mail when we are ready to begin the “re-activation” process for the new school year. We ask them to come to the district office to complete paperwork for the new school year and to have a photo ID badge made. The reactivation process takes a minimal amount of time and gives us an opportunity to thank our subs in person for their support during the current school year and to answer any questions they might have about the coming school year.  We also sponsor a substitute appreciation event on the last day of school each year with refreshments and drawings for gift cards.  There is no formal program--just an opportunity for us to say “thank you” and for the subs to visit with each other in an informal setting.   Do you have any advice for new SubFinder customers about how to prepare SubFinder for the summer months?   Schedule the rollover as early as possible so that you have sufficient time to update your database and begin getting ready for the new school year.   Tell us what you think about the new brand, CRS Advanced Technology. Do you think Maxx is ready for the challenge?    From what I have read recently on the new CRS website about Maxx, and based on CRS's past service, I do think Maxx is ready for a challenge. And like Maxx, we’re always up for a challenge, and I think Maxx will help us Maxximize efficiency! We’re excited!     Back to Top Knock Out Confusion When Selecting Which Absence Time to Follow Employee’s Schedule vs. Same Times Every Day   By: Charma Carey, Implementation Specialist     When adding a job into SubFinder you may find that the option, Follow Employee Schedule, doesn’t work for every job. Out of frustration, you may break up a job creating two or more absences to handle a non-standard job. If the job follows a portion of the employee’s schedule, you may want to try the Same Times Every Day option. Both options are available to SubFinder operators, administrators, and employees when creating an absence.   Follow Employee’s Schedule is the default, and means that each day of the absence will follow the employee’s standard work time. The absence can be for one day, or multiple days.   Same Times Every Day means that the absence will be reported for the same time each day of the absence. This is a non-standard absence for the employee and is best suited for multiple day absences.      For example:   Bob’s work schedule is 7:45 am until 2:35 pm, Monday through Friday. Bob is creating a three-day absence starting at 11:15 am on Monday and runs until 2:35 pm on Wednesday.   Choosing Follow Employee’s Schedule would result in a 2 ½ day absence: ·        11:15 am to 2:35 pm on Monday, and 7:45 am until 2:35 on Tuesday and Wednesday Choosing Same Times Every Day for the same absence would result in a 1 ½ day absence: ·        11:15 am to 2:35 pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (three half-days) Keep in mind that both options will give you the correct totals for the absence you created based on the information you have given. Now you have the knowledge to select which option best fits the absence you are creating.   For additional information, please contact your account specialist at 800.782.3463.     Back to Top   CRS Incorporated is Now CRS Advanced Technology Meet Maxx and Find Out How He Helps Bring Service to a MAXXimum Level     As many of you now know, CRS Incorporated has begun operating under the name CRS Advanced Technology. Some of you may be wondering, why the change? Our General Manager, Pete Lupacchino, can best explain:   "The new brand more accurately represents the company's industry and dedication to the pursuit of the most up-to-date, cutting edge technological advancements. The new company name and subsequent rebranding efforts will greatly enhance the company's position, enabling CRS Advanced Technology to move forward, increasing growth of our position in our chosen markets. This change presents an opportunity for greater visibility and the ability of potential customers to affiliate our company name to our suite of products, further establishing CRS as the leader in human resource management tools."   Originally formed in 1985 as Canopy Road Software, CRS began its 24-year journey that enabled its flagship absence management and substitute placement software product, SubFinder, with a loyal following among its users. CRS has continued development and improvements in design of SubFinder and additional software products that have evolved to meet changes in technology and the demands customers and potential consumers face daily.   Staying true to form, CRS Advanced Technology is committed to providing superior market-centric, innovative and efficient absence management solutions to meet the ever changing needs of HR professionals. We are driven by, most importantly, our customers. We are technological innovators capable to adapt to each customer’s requirements and needs. CRS Advanced Technology is here to work for you and your organization.   So, you may be wondering, who is Maxx? Maxx is the answer to all of your human resource needs. He is the embodiment of what CRS Advanced Technology will mean to you by providing your organization with:   ·         Maxximum Efficiency   ·         Maxximum ROI   ·         Maxximum Options   ·         Maxximum Care Do you want to learn more about CRS Advanced Technology and meet Maxx? Check out our new website at www.crsadvancedtechnology.com!   If you have questions about CRS Advanced Technology or the new website, contact your account specialist at 800.782.3463.   Back to Top Get Rollin’ on your Annual Rollover Keep SubFinder in MAXXimum Shape, Schedule Your Rollover     Have you scheduled your annual rollover of your SubFinder data? It is highly recommended to rollover your SubFinder data at the end of each school year to ensure MAXXimum performance from SubFinder; performance could possibly be jeopardized by not performing an annual rollover.   Here are some helpful thoughts before your rollover appointment:   ¨  Prior to the scheduled rollover you have two options to consider when it comes to job numbers.  The job numbers can continue going from the last job number assigned, or they can be renumbered to start back at 1 by purging out all past job numbers.  If you want the purge done up to a specific date, then the job numbers will keep going up from the last job number assigned.   ¨  To make the process go as smoothly and quickly as possible, you will want to make sure you go through and mark only the records you want to purge  as “inactive”; such records include Employees, Substitutes, Sites, Site Groups, Job Positions, Job Position Groups, and Calendars.   ¨  If you are using SubPay, please have the start and end dates of your new school year in mind.   ¨  If you are currently utilizing Leave Control, keep in mind that Leave Control accrual is not part of the rollover process.  We suggest running your annual Leave accrual after the rollover is complete.   ¨  If you are currently using a tape backup system, be sure to purchase new tapes for the upcoming school year prior to the rollover date.  You may want to consider replacing your tape backup with an external hard drive for data backup as it is more user-friendly, reliable, and cost efficient.   To complete the rollover process, contact your account specialist at 800.782.3463 to schedule your rollover appointment.   Download your Year End Rollover Check List.   Back to Top Meet a CRS Employee Tammy Smith – Assistant Manager of Client Services     Please tell us your full name: Tammy Rae Smith   Tell us about your career at CRS; how long have you been working at CRS? I have been with CRS for over four years. I started out as an account specialist, moved to the Implementation and Training department, and then became the Assistant Manger of Client Services. I couldn’t ask for a better place to work. Most people you know can’t say this, “I love my job!”   What are 3 adjectives that describe TAMMY: Spontaneous Dependable Fun   What do you think of the new addition to the CRS family, Maxx? I think Maxx is fantastic! Not only is he dependable, but he is flexible and works well with anybody. Maxx is truly a “person” you want to be around.   What do you enjoy doing outside of the office? In the warm months you can find me outside doing something to the yard, spending time with family at the cabin, or hanging out with friends on the water. In the cold months I am usually tearing something apart in my house, or watching movies.   What item of food could you live off of? Pizza!   What are your summer plans? To spend time with family and friends at picnics, enjoy my backyard [that I have put so much time and money into], and make some trips to the beach and wineries.   Where is your favorite travel destination? Iceland! There is not as much ice as you may be thinking. The beauty of the country is breathtaking.  Unique can only begin to describe the mystic waterfalls, geo-thermal hot springs, glaciers, volcanoes & geysers. If you are a traveler be sure to add it to your must see list!     Back to Top   Tell Us What You Think! Tell us what you think about our new brand and Maxx, and you could win a $25 Visa Gift Card! We hope you have a fantastic month of June, and enjoy the beginning months of summer! We also look forward to hearing what you think about the new brand...and of course, Maxx!   Sincerely, The CRS Advanced Technology Team