Childcare software: configurable vs. out-of-the-box platforms

Out-of-the-box platforms cater to multiple industries, often with predefined settings that cannot be easily changed or manipulated. Configurable software solutions are different in that they have a smaller, more targeted user base and can be tailored to meet organization-specific needs, without the help of expensive software developers.

With the size of the CRM market expected to reach $55 billion, and less than 40% of CRMs achieving full-scale adoption in a company, it’s critical to pinpoint the signals from the noise and choose a platform that can be configured to meet your needs.

Out-of-the-box platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot offer a variety of features, but at their core, they are designed to be generalist solutions in a large-scale multi-industry environment. Often, there is an equally large and complex process behind these tools — one that has emerged after decades of doing business a certain way.

While both types of platforms provide quick onboarding, low development costs and user-friendly features, only configurable solutions are designed to scale according to your unique needs.

With a configurable childcare system you can:

• Grow enrollment and improve family engagement
• Maintain consistently high standards throughout the organization
• Simplify center management at the organizational level
• Automate reports, digitize daily practices, and communicate easily
• Deliver a modern childcare experience for families and staff

Personalized digital experiences are now the rule — not the exception. Here’s how LineLeader’s configurable platform helps you deliver.

3. Custom Fields & Pick Lists

Custom Fields in LineLeader Enroll let you create unlimited fields and drop-down lists within family and child records, allowing centers to track specific information at the family level, such as preferred methods of contact, as well as at the individual child level. 

Custom Fields can be configured as open text fields, single-select or multi-select lists, and set as required or optional. Pick Lists allow you to go a step further by adding additional information to a section of a form and get deeper insight into what is and isn’t working in your enrollment funnel. 

For example, adding information on lead source can help simplify attribution, maximize your total marketing spend and improve your reporting.

8. Drip Campaigns

Drip texts or emails can keep you top-of-mind in a competitive market. But planning effective drip campaigns takes time and energy, often resulting in messages that feel rushed or generic.

LineLeader’s Drip Campaigns empower your teams to build multi-step campaigns based on how parents actually interact with the content you share.

For example, high-intent leads who open and click your content can trigger a task that assigns a staff member to follow up by phone. If a parent or guardian doesn't open the email, the system can be set to automatically send a text within 3 days.

With a configurable platform fueling your enrollment marketing, you can easily launch personalized, behavior-based marketing campaigns at scale.

9. Multicenter Branding

With a configurable platform, each email and text can be customized with the appropriate branding, no matter how many center locations you have in your network. 

Organizations like New Horizons Academy use LineLeader to automate a branded experience for inquiring families and increase their conversion rate from inquiry to waitlisted/registered to almost 40%.

Multicenter Branding not only saves your team numerous hours on personalization, it also ensures consistent and tailored messaging across all interactions. You can save and store professional branding elements like logos and colors to maintain a professional image across multiple locations or brands. 

10. Custom Enrollment Dashboards

Custom enrollment dashboards give you key information on multiple locations or childcare brands in a single glance.

Create and customize unlimited dashboards based on custom fields and drop-down lists within your family and child records. Now you can track and manage the enrollment information you need.