Ko Smidt likes to reduce the risk of errors and optimize work processes. No wonder: as Head of Exam at Johannes Fontanus College , he is responsible for transparent and error-free exam administration, among other things - a process that involves many people and sensitive data. On the sidelines of SeaDays 2024 in Mainz, he explained why SeaTable is exactly the right tool for him. Because for the secondary school in Barneveld, the Netherlands, with its 300 employees and 2,300 pupils, the introduction of SeaTable meant a significant improvement in efficiency and transparency, while at the same time complying with legal data protection regulations.

The existing processes were not ideal. Before introducing SeaTable, the school used Google Workspace for Education to digitize processes and enable collaborative working. But the practice was different. Collaborative working proved to be inefficient and error-prone with the tools available. Email communication and document sharing were widespread, meaning that incomplete or outdated information was regularly circulating. This led to misunderstandings and a lack of transparency. It was difficult to clearly identify the current status of processes or determine who was responsible for certain tasks based on the information available in the system.

This overall unsatisfactory working situation was compounded by new data protection requirements. The college was no longer allowed to store sensitive student data on external servers outside the EU.

SeaTable ensures data integrity (with a well thought out database structure) and in combination with the Universal App, Common Data Sets and automations, you can gain a lot in efficiency and data management.

Ko Smidt

Initial tests with well-known American spreadsheet tools did not produce the expected results. The solutions tested did not offer the necessary data protection, nor could they be easily integrated into existing workflows. Ko Smidt then began to look around for European providers, particularly those with a strong focus on data protection and security. Eventually, he came across SeaTable. A tool that met his requirements perfectly, especially the fact that it is hosted on European servers and thus complies with legal data protection requirements, offers a user-friendly interface and the possibilities to streamline processes and manage data efficiently through forms, automation and integrated document creation.

SeaTable was introduced in the first step for the Exam Department. The implementation went smoothly and in small steps. In order to gain initial experience with the new tool, the team started by entering data in SeaTable instead of Google and mapping initial processes in it. Ultimately, the biggest challenge was to convince other employees of the benefits of the new tool. In order to get everyone on board, a design thinking approach was used: the problems and wishes of colleagues were discussed together and various approaches were developed and tested in order to ultimately arrive at a solution that satisfied everyone involved. Above all, user-friendliness, which was further improved with the universal app, proved to be a decisive factor.

Another advantage of this approach: as all users were involved in the gradual development, testing and introduction of the new processes and the app, the changeover to the new processes went smoothly for all colleagues.

Johannes Fontanus College

For Ko Smidt, one thing is clear: “SeaTable has significantly improved our day-to-day work.” Data quality has increased thanks to a consolidated, standardized data source and processes have become more efficient. Perhaps most importantly, however, the reduction in manual, repetitive tasks and clearer processes has increased work satisfaction.

The implementation of SeaTable has led to significant optimization in two critical administrative areas in particular: Exam administration and student support. Ko Smidt digitized the examination workflow, replacing manual, paper-based systems with an automated, traceable process. Examiners are now notified automatically, eliminating around 250 manual emails and giving everyone involved real-time insight into exam status.

Student support takes care of the requirements of students with special needs, among other things. Thanks to SeaTable, selected employees can submit all requests, e.g. for additional facilities, digitally with all the necessary documents. The sophisticated automations in SeaTable allow employees to track the status of requests, set precise permissions and optimize communication channels. This has allowed the team to significantly reduce the administrative burden without compromising on data protection and transparency.

The school IT and the canteen are now also using SeaTable. And the HR department is also already planning its introduction.

“SeaTable offers competent, customer-oriented and friendly support. The documentation is comprehensive and the software is stable, reliable and user-friendly. This makes it easy for our team to customize the system and use it effectively,” explained Ko Smidt in our interview. He can unreservedly recommend SeaTable to anyone who needs an efficient, transparent, GDPR-compliant process management and database solution with a high standard of data security.

TAGS: Public Sector