Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 22

business
operations
companies are willing to license
their software on a per-bed basis,
which means that most systems have
some sort of affordable base price.
Identifying the quantifiable items
early on can clarify the bottom line -
the return on the investment - and
can help answer several important
questions: What is the monetary value
of the benefits that the HMS can bring
to the institution? Specifically, how
many more students will it help attract
or retain for on-campus housing? Can
the system improve housing retention
and be useful for staff during daily
operations?
Information about costs can come
from sales agents, who can provide
estimates for software options as
well as the hardware needed for
network support and can break down
different system modules for different

22

TalkiNg STick

prices. A good starting place for this
kind of research is the exhibit hall
at national or regional conferences.
Many products showcased at these
events are fully operational systems
with assignment options as well as
some online components. Some
are out-of-the-box systems with
little configuration or customizing
available, and others are fully robust
operating systems that are configured
to integrate with the institution's
current student database.
The process of purchasing and
integrating the system requires
strategy and technical expertise.
Someone on the project should
know the ins and outs of both the
institution's housing processes and its
student database. Technicians who are
versatile in new system environments
and who understand the details -

system files, data fields, status dates,
reporting needs - should serve
as project leaders so that housing
directors can devote their attention
to the bigger picture, managing the
overall project and timeline.
After identifying the product that
best suits the institution's needs,
make sure to ask for a "sandbox" (an
isolated testing environment) before
negotiating the different modules,
prices, timeline, etc. Getting the feel
of a user interface and testing its
capabilities will help determine what
actually needs to be purchased and
what the institution may still prefer to
do on its own. It's also important to
know how the institution's business
processes will need to change or
how they will be integrated into the
coNTINues

50


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Talking Stick - November/December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - November/December 2013

Talking Stick - November/December 2013
Contents
New Member Highlight
Vision
Just In
Your ACUHO-I
Transitions
Res Life
Business Operations
Special Focus
Calendar
Partnerships in Programming
Mind over Matter
Conversations
First Takes
Reporting Out
New Members
Snapshot
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Talking Stick - November/December 2013
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Cover2
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 1
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 2
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 3
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - New Member Highlight
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 5
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Vision
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 7
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Just In
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 9
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 10
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 11
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 12
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Your ACUHO-I
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Transitions
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 15
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Res Life
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 17
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 18
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 19
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Business Operations
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 21
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 22
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 23
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Special Focus
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 25
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 26
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Calendar
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Partnerships in Programming
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 29
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 30
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 31
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 32
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 33
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 34
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 35
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Mind over Matter
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 37
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 38
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 39
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 40
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 41
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 42
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 43
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Conversations
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 45
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 46
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - First Takes
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Reporting Out
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 49
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 50
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 51
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 52
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 53
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - New Members
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 55
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Snapshot
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Cover3
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Cover4
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