RIS
Technical Consulting
Offering a comprehensive digital transformation strategy to transform all aspects of the school’s operations, from its administration, IT, and academics to admissions and sales & marketing.
Motivated by the global pandemic to embrace digital innovation
In early 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of global society, Ruamrudee International School (RIS), a distinguished international school in Bangkok, Thailand, faced an unexpected challenge: their existing systems and processes were in need of a digital transformation to be able to thrive in the digital age.
Parents faced challenges accessing critical information online, administrators and teachers struggled to manage data that was spread across siloed databases and tools, and students faced difficulties because of the inconsistent online learning systems used in each class. The school also needed to comply with privacy laws in the EU and Thailand.
In order to address these issues, and improve efficiency, competitiveness, and customer satisfaction, RIS embarked on a digital transformation journey.
A bespoke solution for an organization with diverse stakeholders and distinct needs
The school’s initial provider, DBot Software, partnered with Seven Peaks Software to improve the school’s operations, processes, and student experience. Seven Peaks used service design principles and a comprehensive audit process to identify the organization’s pain points and future needs. It then proposed holistic digital solutions.
DBot Software worked with several technology partners and the school to implement Seven Peaks’ suggested administrative, learning, IT, and security solutions. They also trained the faculty and staff on using them. Seven Peaks did the implementation and training for sales and marketing.
As a result of the project, the school has made significant and measurable improvements, including streamlining workflows, providing an integrated platform for stakeholders to share information and resources seamlessly, eliminating departmental silos, reducing manual work, going paperless, and achieving compliance with privacy laws.
RIS is now ahead of the curve, meeting the evolving expectations of its stakeholders and outpacing its competitors. This project’s comprehensive approach has facilitated the creation of a more agile and efficient organization that is better equipped to navigate the complexities of the modern educational landscape journey.
Key results
- Successful breaking down of silos between departments
- Efficient workflow automation
- Ensured privacy of school data
- Developed an integrated system for stakeholders to share information and resources
- Decreased manual workload, allowing staff to focus on students and parents
- Achieved compliance of the school with privacy laws
“In Seven Peaks and DBot, we found partners that quickly understood our needs and were agile enough to find solutions for problems that had not been exposed before.
The partnership between the two companies provided us with a plan and timeline to be one of the first schools in Bangkok to digitally transform.
Because of the work of Seven Peaks and DBot, we have generated efficiencies, improved communication between various stakeholders, made our children future-ready, and met our set budget.”
Andrew Djie – Board Member and Head of the Digitization Committee, RIS
Challenges
General
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Administration: lacked digital systems for managing and communicating with teachers, parents, and students; lacked a uniform scheduling system; and needed a simplified process for filling maintenance and IT requests.
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Admissions: needed a simplified admissions process for applicants and families, from inquiries to re-enrollment.
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Academics: lacked an integrated solution for online, hybrid, and in-person classes that was compliant with data privacy laws; included course registration, grading, progress tracking, and homework management.
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Website: needed a better CMS with multi-language capabilities and SEO improvements to raise its ranking on Google.
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Sales and Marketing: needed to automate processes to reduce workloads and provide online information to parents, and measure the conversion funnel.
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Social Media: lacked engagement and needed enhancements, including more video content.
Technical
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Complex, slow, and siloed IT infrastructure.
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Data spread across various databases and tools.
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Antiquated systems with undefined end-to-end processes.
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Inefficient software tools without a clear strategy.
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Unsecured IT landscape not compliant with GDPR and PDPA.
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Outdated learning tools and missed opportunities for new teaching methods.
Consultation (Seven Peaks Software)
- Researched the school’s pain points and needs going forward.
- Conducted over 30 meetings and workshops with the school’s stakeholders.
- Analyzed the school’s IT landscape and identified complex, slow, and siloed systems, data spread across various databases and tools, antiquated systems, and undefined end-to-end processes.
- Assessed the school’s compliance with the privacy laws of the European Union (GDPR) and Thailand (PDPA).
- Identified inefficient software tools and outdated learning tools.
- Recommended new teaching methods and opportunities.
- Identified the lack of transparency caused by the school’s paper-based communications.
- Interviewed schools in Thailand, Singapore, and Switzerland that have undergone a digital transformation to learn best practices.
- Evaluated over 60 software solutions to find proven solutions that are modular, can be integrated into a holistic system, and can be swapped out if needed.
- Chose user-friendly solutions to minimize friction during the adoption period
Implementation (DBot Software with Seven Peaks)
- Liaised between the school and software providers to ensure services and training were delivered to satisfaction.
- Coordinated implementation of administrative, learning, and communication aspects of the solution with stakeholders, service providers, and the school’s sole IT employee.
- Oversaw subcontractors to install hardware, including a VoIP telephone system, and set up networks and firewalls.
- Worked with sales and marketing teams to implement the marketing aspects of the solution.
- Implemented a chatbot to help reduce the burden on school officials to answer common questions.
- Constantly communicated with the school and service providers to coordinate implementation and training.
