The Dish - Quarterly E-Newsletter - Fall 2013

Meals Plus and PowerSchool Integration

Meals Plus has signed on to be a Pearson Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Partner, giving Meals Plus and PowerSchool customers more functionality and control over their student data management.

With the PowerSchool integration, it will be easier for school districts to bring accurate data into their Meals Plus program on a timely basis, therefore decreasing manual data management and increasing productivity. Seamless, automated data exchange will reduce, if not eliminate, many of the hassles associated with managing the flow of important data into the cafeteria software.

Easily Request and Monitor Software Enhancement Requests

We value our customers' feedback and look at it as a way to improve Meals Plus' usability, functionality and overall, to keep the lunchline moving! So, in an effort to further streamline the process of managing software enhancement requests, customers can now submit them via our Support Site. Meals Plus customers can even track the status of their enhancements with our new "Meals Plus Development Tracker" tool.

Free Download: Tips to Manage Your Inventory, Both With and Without Software

From Cynthia Sevier, SNS comes our latest free white paper, "Managing the Money on the Pantry Shelves: Inventory Management for Your Child Nutrition Department." This free resource offers an in-depth look at how to best manage your school district's cafeterias' inventory. Topics discussed include menu planning, procurement, supply chains and more.

Click here to download your copy!

Did you miss Cynthia's webinar for "Managing the Money on the Pantry Shelves"? Register for our re-broadcast on December 5th, 2013 or visit the Meals Plus Support Site and click on the "Webinars" tab to watch the archived webinar at your own convenience!

Online Payments Now Better Than Ever

Managing online payments for school meals and other school-related fees are easier than ever. Districts that use the Meals Plus Point of Sale system can use our online payment system, K12 Payment Center, free of charge! The site helps districts increase participation and decrease lunch debt. Setup is quick and simple; click here for an overview of the system! And the website is now mobile! Making it easier for parents to pay on their phones and other mobile devices. We provide districts with all of the promotional materials they need to market the site to parents. To see how simple it is to manage online payments, register for our Online Payment Administration Webinar on December 18th, 2013 at 2:00PM EST. Contact us today for more information!

Customer Spotlight

Ramon Torres, Alvord Unified School District (CA)

The Dish: How long have you been using Meals Plus?
Ramon Torres: I have been using the Meals Plus Program for over 3 years in my current position.

TD: What duties and responsibilities does your position entail?
RT: My position at Alvord Unified School District in Riverside, CA is very customer service oriented, as it not only involves processing, verification, archiving and the filing of lunch applications, but it also involves assisting parents by phone and in person. This helps to make the lunch application process very simple and painless.

TD: What aspects of your position do you enjoy the most?
RT: I love helping people and in my conversations, displaying the qualities of kindness and respect go a long way to keeping the lines of communication open. In most cases I find that just listening to a person and allowing them to speak and express themselves enables me to figure out what steps to take and how to proceed to resolve the issues presented.

TD: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
RT: I am a Minister and a full-time evangelizer, so my free time when I am not working is used to help people learn about God through the pages of His word, The Bible. I also love spending time with family and friends and when possible, I enjoy driving to the beach. I find it very relaxing, just closing my eyes and listening to the waves and breathing in the sea air. It brings back memories of my childhood in New York.

TD: What is your favorite "like" about Meals Plus and/or how has it helped your operations?
RT: It is the overall program and the assistance that I have received when calling in for help. It gives me confidence in the program and its abilities. It ultimately makes my job easier when everything functions and works efficiently. It then allows me to concentrate on other aspects of my job responsibilities.

Meet the Team: Ellen

Get to know the Meals Plus Team! Ellen is the Manager of the Customer Support Team and her main focus is to make sure our customers have an excellent technical support experience.

The Dish: How long have you been at Meals Plus?
Ellen: I can't believe it but it's already been 6 years!

TD: What duties and responsibilities does your position entail?
E: As the director of customer service, my main concern is to make sure our customers are satisfied. That starts at the beginning of their experience with Meals Plus, through their everyday tasks, through training and implementation, customer support and consulting services.

TD: What aspects of your position do you enjoy the most?
E: I most enjoy my relationships with customers and being able to be a part of a system that makes providing healthy meals to students (which is actually a very involved process!) easier for a Child Nutrition department.

TD: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
E: In my free time I love to spend time outside and really enjoy the weather in the Wilmington area. I am also a co-Leader of a Brownie troop, which is a lot of fun. We followed my parents to Wilmington when they retired and were lucky enough to convince my husbands parents to retire here too. So family is a big part of our life.

TD: What was your favorite lunch when you were in school?
E: Pizza! Who doesn't love the square pizza?

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

Archived Webinars

Did you miss our Inventory Management webinar with Cynthia Sevier, SNS? Or would you like to see other parts of the Meals Plus Suite that can help make managing your cafeterias easier? Register for any of our webinars at our Webinar Calendar!

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:

Welcome to Meals Plus

We'd like to welcome the following school districts to the Meals Plus Family!

In This Issue

- PowerSchool Integration
- Enhancement Requests
- Free Download
- Online Payments
- Archived Webinars
- Customer Spotlight
- Meet the Team
- Trade Shows
- Welcome to Meals Plus

In Case You Missed It...

- Meals Plus Menus is USDA Approved

- Meet the Team: Julia

- Roanoke Rapids' Successful Implementation

- Customer Support Goes Above and Beyond

- "Back to School Season" Statistics

- NSLW 2013

- SNA Awards Program

- Fuel Up to Play 60

- Fiscal Survival 101

- Alvord USD (CA) Feature

- Inventory Management White Paper

- Customer Spotlight: Bette Warner