[ARBOR] Communication problems

[Disease]

We are due to move to Arbor in the summer and I have to say I have found the communication from them so poor, has anyone else had similar issues?

 

I understand that Arbor have a process they stick to but as someone who likes to get ahead on projects I find their lack of engagement with us since we placed the order worrying so much so that we are now considering cancelling. If I email them for info it takes 2 weeks to get back to me with the excuse that my email was caught in their junk box. We wanted to set a transition date that suited the schools needs, Arbor said no we only transition schools according to our time frames and start dates chosen by Arbor, I have so far found the whole experience unsettling for such a big move.

 

Monday I emailed [email protected] expressing my concerns and saying that I had an update meeting with my Head (there is no update I can give as Arbor have given me nothing not even a start date) and that we were considering cancelling, any reply, nope nothing.

 

Anyone else experienced this?

[TheCookieMonster]

Sounds odd to me especially at a stressful time moving MIS. Do you have direct contact details for the migration team or is the hello@ the only contact details you've been provided?

 

Migrations cannot be a faceless process, every school is unique and must be able to ask the relevant questions throughout the process.

 

Hope you get it sorted.

[Disease]

I had email contact with a guy from Arbor (takes 2 weeks at a time to get back to me) but he said it's not really down to him and that I would be assigned a project manager in due course, other than that its hello@ who don't reply either.

 

We ordered back in October last year and apparently our migration path is meant to start just after the Easter break but I have had no official confirmation of this or any contact details provided.

[TheCookieMonster]

I had email contact with a guy from Arbor (takes 2 weeks at a time to get back to me) but he said it's not really down to him and that I would be assigned a project manager in due course, other than that its hello@ who don't reply either.

 

We ordered back in October last year and apparently our migration path is meant to start just after the Easter break but I have had no official confirmation of this or any contact details provided.

 

Keep pushing them for a migration manager would be my advise if all else fails call the support line. Very poor service for a new customer though i must admit.

[K-ITS]

Hi, we recently moved over and yes the communication is patchy at times before the process begins. Once you have signed and sealed you get passed on unless you want to buy more obviously. If your migration isnt planned for a few months they will just allocate you according mostly to their schedule. Once you are closer you will start to receive more communication from the Account Migration team and it takes a few weeks as they stagger it all. I wouldnt worry too much, but it is worth getting your current MIS in order for when it all begins and letting your staff know you will be moving and any benefits you think they will have from using it over your current MIS. It's an unusual process and we found a few hiccups that took a while to sort, but some of it is people putting things in the wrong places. Their communication does seem relatively faceless after the sales process but once a date is arranged it ramps up a bit. Its worth speaking to your current MIS support provider as well as they may be able to offer advice to you, especially if they are continuing to support you when you move over.

[AlistairB1983]

We are due to move to Arbor in the summer and I have to say I have found the communication from them so poor, has anyone else had similar issues?

I understand that Arbor have a process they stick to but as someone who likes to get ahead on projects I find their lack of engagement with us since we placed the order worrying so much so that we are now considering cancelling. If I email them for info it takes 2 weeks to get back to me with the excuse that my email was caught in their junk box. We wanted to set a transition date that suited the schools needs, Arbor said no we only transition schools according to our time frames and start dates chosen by Arbor, I have so far found the whole experience unsettling for such a big move.

Monday I emailed [email protected] expressing my concerns and saying that I had an update meeting with my Head (there is no update I can give as Arbor have given me nothing not even a start date) and that we were considering cancelling, any reply, nope nothing.

Anyone else experienced this?

We are currently in the process of migrating over (due to transition after Easter) and, for this part, their communication has been spot on. We get almost weekly update emails from our Onboarding Manager alongside virtual meetings to discuss how things are going, as well as detailed lists of what data needs to be checked/cleaned prior to the test site going live and, ultimately, the final data move over during Easter.

Prior to us starting this process this term we hadn't had loads of communication since placing our order in the summer, but honestly that wasn't something that ever worried us. We only really started to get communication in the run up to Christmas that was confirming time-lines etc. and scheduling our first onboarding meeting. So for you that would probably be around March or so, depending on your exact transition date.

Whilst I sympathise with the desire to get ahead of projects, I can understand why Arbor are somewhat inflexible in terms of transition dates and/or lack of communication beforehand. They are (judging by the published numbers) dealing with a large number of school transitions and are obviously keen to try and achieve a level of uniformity and consistency throughout their transitions, and so are reluctant to allow for 'ad-hoc' transition dates or to send out onboarding information prior to the start of that process. Plus they're probably limited in terms of the number of Onboarding/Project managers they have, so until one is allocated to you (presumably once they finish their previous school), it's unlikely your transition process is going to begin.

However, I am in total agreement with your frustrations at the lack of communication. Whilst all of the above is, in my view, completely acceptable reasons for a lack of engagement on their part prior to the start of your transition schedule, not communicating it effectively most certainly is not. It's one thing to know you're not able to start until such time due to limitations/staffing/whatever, but to not be told that isn't acceptable - and certainly not when you've already contacted them to ask about it. A reply explaining their reasonings/outlining approximate time frames as far as they're able to (even with a clause explaining these are only estimates so can't be held against them or similar) would, I'd imagine, go a long way in terms of reassuring you that the process was in hand. To that end, if it were me, I would probably try phoning them rather than emailing as it makes you harder to ignore/deal with later, and be quite insistent on speaking with someone who can at least say something similar to the above.

But finger's crossed you managed to get the situation resolved, one way or another.

 

Edit: - also, if it's useful, I'm happy to send you over a list of the sorts of data they are asking us to tidy up prior to the migration?

Edited January 31, 2024 by AlistairB1983

[Disease]

 

Edit: - also, if it's useful, I'm happy to send you over a list of the sorts of data they are asking us to tidy up prior to the migration?

 

That would be great I will PM you my email if you want.

[TheCookieMonster]

Let us know if you get sorted

[Iain.Faulkner]

We're currently investigating our options for school MIS and our experience of Arbor has been similar even during a sales process. Very slow to respond, if at all.

[supportman]

We're currently investigating our options for school MIS and our experience of Arbor has been similar even during a sales process. Very slow to respond, if at all.

 

Their managing director has an account on this forum but he's not been seen in a while. But I'm guessing its simply a sign of their success as so many schools are moving.

 

Not really an excuse though, they should hire more people