Name: OneSchool Global
Industry: Education
Size: Over 8,000 students, 120+ campuses and more than 2,000 staff and volunteers.
Location: 20 countries including US, UK and Australia
Number of sites using Sign In App: ~70 and rolling out more.
OneSchool Global operates 125 campuses across 20 countries, serving more than 9,000 students with the support of over 2,000 staff and volunteers. With such an extensive global presence, maintaining consistent safety protocols presented a significant challenge—particularly in their North American region, which encompasses 36 campuses spread across the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.
"Our global management team and insurance providers have been mandating that we improve the accuracy and reliability of our visitor protocols," explains Jonathan, Regional Director of Operations for OneSchool Global. "With so many visitors and volunteers, we needed a system that guaranteed we know who is on site at any time, which positively impacts the safety of everyone at the campus."
The Challenge
OneSchool Global faced unique security challenges due to their heavy reliance on volunteers. Their North American region alone includes 21 campuses in the US, 11 in Canada, and 4 in the Caribbean, supported by 275 staff members and more than 1,500 regular volunteers. This high volume of campus traffic created significant security concerns.
"Our school system has been dependent for so long on volunteers coming to the school every day," notes Jonathan. The sheer number of daily visitors made it difficult to maintain accurate records of who was on campus at any given time.
Their previous manual sign-in methods were proving inadequate. Some campuses used color-coded lanyards to designate visitor status, but this system was easily compromised. "It's so easy to forget you're wearing it and you get in the car and you're halfway home before you remember to hand it back in," Jonathan explains. "It's too late and you've compromised the whole system."
The paper logbook system presented its own problems. "The paper log book was impossible to audit," says Elizabeth, Executive Assistant at OneSchool Global. Without digital records, tracking visitor history or generating reports for compliance purposes became a time-consuming, error-prone process.
Additionally, insurance requirements and safety regulations mandated better tracking systems. As schools face stricter compliance standards, OneSchool Global needed a solution that would satisfy insurance providers while maintaining a welcoming environment for their essential volunteer workforce.
The Solution
After evaluating their needs, OneSchool Global implemented Sign In App across their campuses. They took a methodical approach to the rollout, beginning with a pilot program to identify and address potential challenges before full deployment.
"One key lesson we learned is the importance of piloting the initiative, especially when working across multiple campuses," Elizabeth explains. "Rolling out a pilot first allows you to identify and address potential challenges before full-scale launch, ensuring a smoother experience for our end users."
For implementation, they set up iPads at reception areas in each campus, connected to badge printers. The system was configured to preload all staff and approved volunteers into the app in groups, making signing in fast and easy. Local administrators at each campus received training on how to manage the system, while maintaining centralized control for consistency.
The technical setup process focused on creating a user-friendly experience. "We took parent feedback regarding the height of the stand," Elizabeth notes. "The first stand that we had tended to take a not appealing image from them. So we looked at changing the stand." This attention to detail helped create a positive first impression for visitors.
Communication was key to successful adoption. OneSchool Global made sure to explain the "why" behind the new system to their volunteer community. "We made sure that we communicated the why and everyone, of course, is happy to know that our campuses are safer places because of it," says Jonathan.
Results & Benefits
The implementation of Sign In App transformed visitor management across OneSchool Global's campuses. The centralized database made signing in convenient for frequent visitors like Jonathan, who travels between campuses regularly. "It's certainly much more reliable than the old pen and paper system," he notes. "Whichever campus I visit right across the whole North American continent, all I have to do is type in the first few letters of my first name, and it pops up on the screen. Simple as that."
For campus security, the new system provided much-needed peace of mind. "For me personally, with a primary responsibility for the safety of our staff and students, it's really great to know that there's no one ever on campus unaccompanied that hasn't been pre-vetted," Jonathan explains.
The solution also streamlined their volunteer approval process. Elizabeth details their workflow: "After volunteers sign their agreement and complete the training on child safety, we run a background check. Each month, we add these approved volunteers to the sign-in app, which makes their check-in smooth and helps us keep good records."
Data collection and reporting capabilities have significantly improved their ability to meet insurance requirements. "Many of our insurance policies require us to have strong security for volunteers and visitors, so we use Sign In App's reporting tools to provide clear records of everyone on campus," says Elizabeth. "This helps us to answer questions from our insurance providers each year as we do our renewals."
Want to learn more? Watch the full webinar here. Or if you’re ready to get started with Sign In App to streamline your campus safety, start your free trial today.
