Smooth daily operations by linking all data
Editor: So linking the data was the key to reducing the burden?
Koike： We can also manage each child's nap time, temperature check, and bowel movement check, and reflect them in individual records and contact books. We have also simplified labor management by linking attendance data, including the clocking in and out of daycare workers and staff, with shifts. I think the strength of Kodomon is that it has a wide range of functions and that various functions can be shared side by side.
Editor: Four years have passed since the service was launched, but how many childcare facilities have adopted Kodomon?
Koike： As of the end of July, there are about 3,600 facilities that access Kodomon every day. In addition to that, including users who only use the free photo function, about 4,000 childcare facilities are using the service. It is said that there are about 40,000 childcare facilities nationwide, including nursery schools, kindergartens, and school-age children, so this means that about 10% of all facilities have adopted the service.
Editor: Did you anticipate from the beginning that as many as 4,000 facilities would be using the system?
Koike: Things are going about as expected. Our goal is to reach 10,000 installations by April 2021. To achieve this goal, we have set a reasonable price (zero initial cost, from 5,000 yen per month) so that the usage fee will not be a barrier to adoption.
Proposing optimal solutions as a problem-solving professional while listening to the voices of childcare professionals
Editor:Are there any particular things that are important to you when developing a system?
Inaba: The basic philosophy of our development department is to design with a wide range of features to satisfy all childcare facility users. At times, we work to enhance and improve functions by interviewing childcare workers, but we don't always believe that the best solution is to take all of the customer's requests into account. We are problem-solving professionals, so we first uncover the problems in the field, then discuss internally what screen settings and layout should be used to solve them, and propose the best solution.
Editor: Do you hold frequent hearings with childcare facilities?
Koike： Yes. In addition to phone calls and e-mails, we sometimes receive opinions directly from our customers by showing them screens under development. Also, in recent years, I feel that data has become as important as feedback from the frontline. In many cases, the various data on children recorded daily at childcare facilities reveals things that even the childcare workers are not aware of. In the future, we would like to focus on data analysis and provide childcare facilities with the data necessary for children's development.
