Meals Plus Monthly E-Newsletter - February 2015

The Meals Plus Help Desk's
2014 Report Card is In!

Meals Plus continues to provide top-notch customer service - fast!

The Meals Plus Help Desk is excited to report another successful year with our 2014 performance statistics, including those provided by Meals Plus customer survey feedback.

The average time to answer a support call in 2014 was again under 120 seconds. That's right – even including July and August numbers when call volume increases six-fold, Meals Plus customer calls in 2014 were answered in less than two minutes on average! And first-call resolution topped 90% again, coming in at just over 93% for the third straight year.

And the results of our random post-support call survey speak for themselves! On a scale of 1-5, Meals Plus customers rated their satisfaction on the following:

• The courtesy of the Technical Account Specialist: 4.95
• The technical skills/knowledge of the Technical Account
            Specialist: 4.92
• The timeliness of the service provided: 4.90
• The quality of the service provided: 4.92
• The overall service experience: 4.92

To learn more about our award-winning help desk,
visit our website!

Dickson County High School Students Use Meals Plus to Gain Business Experience

Dickson County High School students are using their district's child nutrition point of sale software in a whole new way.

In early 2014, Dickson County School District (TN) saw an opportunity to help students attain professional experience by launching and managing a fully-functional business. A dozen hard-working students were at school by 7:00 a.m. to apply the skills they learned in the classroom to manage The Den, the school's student-based coffee shop and bookstore. With the help of Business Technology and Future Business Leaders of America Advisor Emily Gulledge, the program was a success and the experience invaluable.

"We could not be running and as smoothly as we are without Meals Plus," Dickson County High School student Hagan Mathis said. "Meals Plus' point of sale software has been an absolute blessing to have inside of our business. We have had no issues with the system, and we are able to tweak it in any way we like to fit our needs. Meals Plus is reliable and is an all-in-one system that has made all of our lives easier. The Den would like to thank Meals Plus for all they have done to make our operation run the way it does."

Meals Plus would like to congratulate Emily and her students for making The Den such a success!

NEW! POS+ for Serving Supper

Meals Plus POS+ is a new module built for schools participating in the USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program. The program has the functionality that you've come to expect from Meals Plus Point of Sale, while maintaining its reputation for being easy to learn and use. POS+ meets all of the USDA Accuclaim guidelines and offers an array of reports to meet accountability requirements.

POS+ is available now; contact your sales representative for more information!

Tips from Cynthia Sevier, SNS,
Child Nutrition Operations Consultant

In our white paper, "Keeping the Lunchline Moving: Tips to Increase the Speed of Your Lunchline," William Richie of Anderson County School District 5 (SC) and Child Nutrition Operations Consultant Cynthia Sevier, SNS, examine ways in which your lunchlines can be more efficient. According to Cynthia, line setup and flow are two key elements of a speedy lunchline.

"Regarding your lunchline setup, make sure food is constantly replenished and available. When students have to wait in line for food to be replenished or the lunchline isn't completely ready for service, your lunchline is easily clogged.

Make sure that the lines of students waiting to be served does not interfere with students returning dishes to dish room or trashcans. If you can, limit the number of students in your cashiers' area so that cashiers can easily hear students at your registers."

To read more about the four indicators of financial health,
download your free copy of
"Keeping the Lunchline Moving: Tips to Increase the
Speed of Your Lunchline"

Inventory Software that Makes it Easy to
Track Food, Commodities and Supplies

Meals Plus Inventory Management system makes managing orders and maintaining food, commodities, and supplies easy. It includes a bid analysis component, electronic ordering and is fully integrated with our Menu Planning and Nutritional Analysis Software, allowing you to maximize the efficiency of your child nutrition department.

Schedule a web demo or email us for more information!

Meet the Team: Dolly

Get to know the Meals Plus Team! Dolly is the single point of contact for ALL new customer implementations and works hard to make sure your district is up and running smoothly.

The Dish: How long have you been at Meals Plus?
Dolly: I've been with Meals Plus since June 2003.

TD: What duties and responsibilities does your position entail?
D: As the Implementation and Training Coordinator, I coordinate onsite trainers and supervise development of customer training materials. Also, I mentor new Meals Plus team members.

TD: What aspects of your position do you enjoy the most?
D: Working with our customers and creating training videos.

TD: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
D: Spending time with my family, going to the beach, boating, gardening and cooking.

TD: What was your favorite lunch when you were in school?
D: I always loved the fresh yeast rolls made in the cafeteria!

Visit our blog to meet the rest of the Meals Plus Team!

School Nutrition Conferences

We are spreading the word on how Meals Plus makes managing your school's students, staff, menus, finances and inventory easier. Come see us at the following conferences:

Components

- Point of Sale
- Free & Reduced
- Online Services
- Inventory
- PowerSchool
  Connector
- Menu Planning
- Nutrient Analysis
- Accountability
- Financial
- Time Clock
- Fixed Assets

Free Resources

Fiscal Survival 101: Financial Success in the Era of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

Keeping the Lunchline Moving: Tips to Increase the Speed of Your Lunchlines

Managing the Money on the Pantry Shelves: Inventory Management for Your Child Nutrition Program