Looking at new MIS' - Bromcom, SIMS, RM, Pupil Asset

[Al_NetSupport]

Our trust undertook a review and opted for Bromcom as our new solution. Felt it was the most accessible and flexible. Currently SIMS.

[Banjo]

I've not been on these forums very long, but I'm going to weigh in.

We get it, Banjo, you like SIMS. On other threads you've been very rude about the makers of Progresso - yes the product isn't all it could be but I do feel you've gone a little far. And now you're picking on Bromcom staff. I doubt anyone here approves and if I was not in such a terrible mood today I would leave you to it but I was looking for actual information about alternative MIS suppliers, instead I keep seeing you trolling anything non-SIMS. I can't form an opinion. Any chance you could rein it in please?

 

You obviously didn't look very hard as I'm no fan of Capita ES and have given them a hard time on these forums before now. I don't believe I've been rude about the makers of Progresso - for a start I was referencing when it was developed and that was Serco Learning, not the current owners. I haven't met them personally, but I heard nice things said about the chaps from ScholarPack from colleagues and also RM staff seemed pretty decent.

[matt40k]

The "problem" is you have to base your decision on facts, you can't go into the process prejudging. I can't imagine a single professional willing to bet their career on someone on a person on public forum saying "From my experience the 'people' would put me off doing business with them." as a reason to rule out a supplier. It would be like a headteacher saying the only reason they pick a solution was because the sales person was pretty.

[GREED]

It would be like a headteacher saying the only reason they pick a solution was because the sales person was pretty.[/color]

 

It is why I make so many sales...

[vikpaw]

Let's just move on before we derail even further. I don't want to digress into @GREED's makeup choices.

[GREED]

Let's just move on before we derail even further. I don't want to digress into @GREED's makeup choices.

Fake all the way... Fake hair, eyelashes, nose, chin... John Merrick in a suit.

[Banjo]

The "problem" is you have to base your decision on facts, you can't go into the process prejudging. I can't imagine a single professional willing to bet their career on someone on a person on public forum saying "From my experience the 'people' would put me off doing business with them." as a reason to rule out a supplier. It would be like a headteacher saying the only reason they pick a solution was because the sales person was pretty.

 

An yet when you advertise a job, you take up references from a person(s) you have never met. Personally, I'd rather ask around before jumping in with both feet. We have dodged some bullets in the past by going this route.

[pcstru]

When you ask for a reference you are targeting a person with some subject authority - hopefully someone who has actually managed the person for some time. You also tend to ask specific questions; about timekeeping, general attitudes etc. So you have an expert answering exactly the kind of questions you need answered.

 

Here we just have one statement from an anonymous internet persona which just says "From my experience the 'people' would put me off doing business with them." That tells us nothing useful (your experience could be as a user for many years or just passing by their stand at BETT a decade ago) and seems basically defamatory ('people' in sneer quotes seems quite rude). Those two facts tell me it has no place on a professional forum. In all your statement tells me very little about Bromcom and the people that work for them (my experience of them as an actual customer is generally positive), but it does tell us a lot about you. I suspect that is quite the reverse of the effect you wanted to communicate.

[Banjo]

When you ask for a reference you are targeting a person with some subject authority - hopefully someone who has actually managed the person for some time. You also tend to ask specific questions; about timekeeping, general attitudes etc. So you have an expert answering exactly the kind of questions you need answered.

 

Here we just have one statement from an anonymous internet persona which just says "From my experience the 'people' would put me off doing business with them." That tells us nothing useful (your experience could be as a user for many years or just passing by their stand at BETT a decade ago) and seems basically defamatory ('people' in sneer quotes seems quite rude). Those two facts tell me it has no place on a professional forum. In all your statement tells me very little about Bromcom and the people that work for them (my experience of them as an actual customer is generally positive), but it does tell us a lot about you. I suspect that is quite the reverse of the effect you wanted to communicate.

 

And yet with references you cannot escape the personal bias which based upon the employer - employee relationship at the time the reference is written.

 

My experience with the above were quite recent, and ended up being quite negative. If you have had a different experience with dealing with them then lucky you and you can carry on waving the flag on their behalf, but you need to accept that not everyone wants to join their fan-club.

Edited March 28, 2017 by Banjo

[matt40k]

Might want to rethink your example @Banjo. If you give a "bad" reference for a job, you could end up in court - https://www.gov.uk/work-reference.

[2ilent8cho]

I saw a really good demo of iSAMS at BETT. It's really worth considering. It works out a lot cheaper for us than SIMS and is all web based.

 

Our Exam Secretary has been using iSAMS for the first time this year for the 2017 exam entries , been SIMS every year before. She absolutely loves iSAMS so far, she was worried about changing MIS but she says Exams is so much easier in iSAMS than in SIMS. We start the teachers using iSAMS for registers and behaviour logs after easter, they have had training and a play around, no negative comments yet, only positive, general comments have been about how much easier it is to use, and i'm very happy because its fully web browser based with phone and tablet apps for staff, parents and pupils.

[Banjo]

Might want to rethink your example @Banjo. If you give a "bad" reference for a job, you could end up in court - https://www.gov.uk/work-reference.

 

I am unable to comment as to XXX performance/attendance/attitude etc.. is HR speak for they don't hold them in high regard.

[matt40k]

Again, saying something negative (without any facts to back it up) and saying nothing are two different cases, one is slander for starters. Also your example is flawed. My old boss could comment on me generally, but they couldn't comment on my technical skills. It's why you have more then one reference Edited April 4, 2017 by matt40k

[djrscally]

Again, saying something negative and saying nothing are two different cases, one is slander for starters.

 

This is not quite true. It's perfectly acceptable to say negative things about someone in a reference provided they are accurate.

[matt40k]

V.true. I've edited.

[vikpaw]

Do you guys want to continue this in the general forum please.

I'm pretty sure everyone is aware they have to draw their own conclusions from the opinions expressed in these forums.