Latest News

Posted  15th May 2015

Since our allowances update was added to SBS Online in April, we have been hard at work developing and testing another comprehensive update to the software.

This new release will include several great new features, many of which our customers have specifically requested (see – we do listen!) Here is an overview of the major improvements. Search Continuing our efforts to make SBS Online more user friendly and quicker to navigate around, the search function does exactly what it says on the tin, with the added bonus of being able to view or edit an item directly from the results list. Custom salary scales future values For those planners which use custom scales, you will be able set future values for them. Just like the last release for allowances, this will remove the need to add a completely new set of scales each time they change. For those schools which only use the admin scales, we will continue to update them for you. Support scale band ceilings This feature is one we often receive requests about. In a support contract you will be able to choose a maximum scale point to create a ‘ceiling’ beyond which the contract will not be allowed to increment. So it will now be easy to replicate the pay bands for admin support scales or custom support scales. Archive Another feature which is much-requested. As time goes on, you may start to notice that you have staff or items available in list screens or in drop-down menus that you don’t need or want to see any more. The new archive function allows you to send these items to the bottom of these lists so that you only see the items that matter at the top. The release also contains a number of other improvements and bug fixes. Keep an eye on the dashboard page for confirmation of when the update is released and the full list of what is included. New services We are considering the launch of some new services and would like your feedback. Have a look below at the overview of our four new service offerings. We would love to hear any thoughts you have about them. Salary monitor service Struggling to find the time to do your salary monitoring? No problem, we’ll do it for you. Simply provide the data and we will upload it, record all the variances and report back to you with recommendations about what to do next. Then just tell us any adjustments you would like us to make to your staffing contracts. Spring clean Does your planner need a bit of TLC? The SBS Online team will call you for an initial consultation, then perform a thorough review of your planner by checking budget settings, charts of accounts, staff members, staffing contracts, budget entries, salary monitors and budget monitors. We will then report back to the school with findings and recommendations and agree next actions. Custom reporting structure setup If you have found yourself wishing that the reports were more in line with what your governors want to see, then this service is for you. We will create a completely customised reporting structure which runs alongside your existing CFR or GAG reporting, enabling you to provide different reports for different audiences. Online training sessions/crash courses One hour individual training sessions or group webinars on any aspect of SBS Online. If it’s refresher training or a crash course for a new user, just get in touch to discuss details of what you require training on.