The Oakridge School
Background:
"Tedious and frustrating." Those are the first words that come to mind when Melissa Grubb recalls the book ordering process before putting their school’s bookstore online with ClassBook.com eight years ago.
"We used phone, fax and paper to receive students’ book orders, and it consumed the better part of our summer," says the current director of studies for this independent pre-K to high school.
If organizing orders and deliveries from 15-20 publishers wasn’t time consuming enough, two weeks before school started, the staff worked tirelessly in Texas summer temperatures to unpack, sort and ready thousands of books for its one-day only book sale for parents and students. And despite all of the planning, the day was chaotic and exhausting, with long lines and constant payment challenges.
The ClassBook.com Solution
Now, book orders are to publishers in the spring; the online Oakridge School bookstore opens to parents July 1st; the payment process is professional; and books are delivered directly to students. The best part, according to Ms. Grubb: "ClassBook.com does all the legwork."
"We were worried about letting a third-party interact with our parents," says the school’s primary point person for ClassBook.com. "We found they treat our families exactly the way we want them to be treated."
As for the school’s additional benefits: The Oakridge School had ClassBook.com customize its website and billing so all book orders include an annual "activity fee" charged per student. The fee, to cover field trips and other costs, is no longer a billing problem for the school. ClassBook.com simply adds the fee and cuts one check to the school for the collected funds.
"We save thousands of dollars a year, can count on accuracy of orders, customer service second to none, and competitive pricing," says Ms. Grubb. "Simply, they’ve been wonderful."