Oconomowoc Area School District gains efficiencies with Asset Essentials™

A phased approach to implementation and adoption

When Tracy Peterson started her job as Operations Supervisor at the Oconomowoc School District, she was excited to continue her work with Brightly, formerly Dude Solutions, as she leveraged Brightly’s legacy SchoolDude products at her previous job as the the facilities coordinator for a local YMCA. After focusing her first few months on installing new HVAC projects in several buildings, Peterson realized she needed more features and functionality from SchoolDude. Peterson trusted Brightly, and instead of researching other vendors she quickly decided to move to Brightly’s robust cloud-based Asset Essentials™ platform.

“I’ve seen other programs at conferences, but Asset Essentials looked like the best program on the market,” says Peterson. “I’ve been a huge supporter of Brightly for years. We loved SchoolDude, and now we really love Asset Essentials.”

Peterson’s team was hesitant about moving to a new platform, so she implemented changes one step at a time. First, she moved the buildings and grounds staff to Asset Essentials. Her team started assigning work orders to each other and using Asset Essentials for preventive maintenance, while the school staff and teachers continued using SchoolDude to request work orders.

Once the buildings and grounds team were comfortable, the school district’s employees began using Asset Essentials to submit work order requests. Peterson says this approach worked well because her team was already very well-versed in the platform.

Saving time with bulk editing and assigning

Asset Essentials makes it much easier for Peterson to manage work orders for her team of 75 in the buildings and Grounds Department. Instead of having to assign a single technician to a work order, she can assign multiple team members. The ability to easily bulk edit preventive maintenance requests saves her a significant amount of time. Her team members regularly tell her how much easier they find working in Asset Essentials.

“The more I dive into Asset Essentials, the more shortcuts I find,” says Peterson. “Asset Essentials is super helpful.”

When Peterson opens Asset Essentials, she uses the dashboard to quickly see the completed work orders and make sure all requests were completed correctly. Being able to view 50 work orders at a time instead of only 10 is a huge time saver. With the new features and ability to manage bulk orders much more quickly, Peterson manages work orders five times faster than previously. “I now have more time for one-on-one meetings with my staff. I spend more time going to the buildings and checking in on my team,” says Peterson.

While away from her desk, she can keep tabs on what’s happening by using the Asset Essentials mobile app. Many of her team members also use the mobile app to update their tasks in real time and get additional information when needed. She also regularly shares the new reports in Asset Essentials with her team.

I’ve seen other programs at conferences, but Asset Essentials looked like the best program on the market. I’ve been a huge supporter of Brightly for years. We loved SchoolDude, and now we really love Asset Essentials.

Tracy Peterson

Operations Supervisor, Oconomowoc School District

“Flawless” move to Asset Essentials

Peterson says she plans to begin using the barcode feature in Asset Essentials soon. Currently, teachers can add a work order for projects (such as installing new shelves) that have not been approved by their school’s principal.

“I also want to start entering labor into Asset Essentials. This would be a huge indicator for me on how long tasks take and how much money we spend on specific equipment.”

Peterson sums up the entire process of moving to Asset Essentials as “flawless.”

“Brightly’s client service is top notch. When I have a question, someone is always happy to help,” says Peterson. “Brightly makes me feel like we are their only client.”

Brightly’s client service is top notch. When I have a question, someone is always happy to help. Brightly makes me feel like we are their only client.

Learn more about Asset Essentials and our asset management software for schools.