U-46 launches new website and 'Let's Talk!' customer service tool

Elgin Area School District U-46 launched a new website, www.u-46.org, for the district and its individual schools that provides an engaging web experience for visitors across every device.

The sleek, modern design, located at U-46.org, features an increased use of multimedia elements, easier navigation, and a responsive design that allows pages to more effectively display on smaller screens such as a smartphone or tablet.

"A school's website is one of the primary ways that parents and families stay connected to their child's school," said U-46 CEO Tony Sanders. "In the mobile age, U-46 had to have a website that works and looks just as good on a cellular phone as it does on a desktop."

School and district websites will include global icons, allowing individual schools to shine a spotlight on the in-demand information.

For instance, icons can be used to view lunch menus, access the Infinite Campus parent portal, get detailed information on bus routes and find suggestions on how to get more involved at the school and district level.

In concert with the website, the district is also launching "Let's Talk!," the online customer service solution the board of education approved in June.

The customer service tool is being implemented within several district operational departments, beginning with Human Resources, Business Services, School and Community Relations, Food and Nutrition Services, Student Registration, and School Safety and Culture.

"Let's Talk" invites parents, students, staff, and community members to submit questions and comments that are routed to the appropriate team members who will receive automatic notifications and reminders.

"Let's Talk" provides a dashboard and robust reporting options to allow the district to measure the timeliness and satisfaction of staff responses from each department. During the spring of 2018, the school district will add the remaining instructional and operational departments to Let's Talk and will extend this customer service solution to all schools during the 2018-19 school year.

"We have long aimed to be responsive and transparent, but this customer service tool really helps us track and improve on those efforts," CEO Sanders said. "We're excited to see how 'Let's Talk!' can help us improve our relationships with our employees, parents, students and community members. "

The new website is built on a platform provided by Blackboard Inc. "Let's Talk" is a product of K12Insight.

Both the new website and "Let's Talk" aim to help the District in its efforts to proactively serve its customers, gather feedback about critical issues, provide increased accountability and ultimately, build stronger relationships with local citizens, employees, parents, teachers, students and staff. Stronger relationships within and with U-46 will support a strong future for U-46's 11 communities and surrounding areas.