- Cloud services to support the work of childcare providers
- Various functions facilitate communication between childcare facilities and parents
- Also serves as a bridge between Corona Vortex childcare facilities and families.
According to one survey, childcare workers spend less than an hour each day on reporting and communication tasks, and the communication service "hugnote" was born out of the desire to increase the efficiency of administrative and clerical work at childcare facilities and to allow more time for interaction with children through the use of ICT. The "hugnote" business support service is not only used to reduce the workload of childcare workers, but also to strengthen cooperation with families. We interviewed Ms. Megumi Honda of the Marketing and Service Planning Department, Planning Supervisor, hugmo Inc. about "hugnote," which connects facilities and families.
(We spoke to...)
hugmo inc.
Planning Supervisor, Marketing and Service Planning Department, Ms. Megumi Honda
HUGNOTE, the core of a cloud service that reduces the burden on childcare workers
Editorial:Please tell us about the features of the "hugnote" service.
Honda:hugnote" is the core service of several cloud services we are developing (hugphoto, a photo sales service; hugselection, a sales function for original hugmo products; huglocation, a real-time notification service for bus location information; and hugsafety, a health management service). It provides functions to support communication between childcare facilities and parents as well as business operations within childcare facilities.
hugnote" is the core service of hugmo, which comprehensively provides various functions related to the operation of childcare facilities on a single platform.
Editorial:What exactly are the functions that support communication between the childcare facility and parents and operations within the facility?
Childcare worker-friendly features are also great features for parents.
Honda:The "hugnote" application has a function for simultaneous communication to parents, including emergency notifications, and a "contact notebook" function that allows communication of tardiness, absences, pickup changes, etc., on the application. While these communication-supporting functions are the mainstay of our service, we also provide work-supporting functions to reduce the workload of childcare workers.
Editorial:It seems that the task of communicating with parents is burdensome for childcare workers. Is there a function to assist with tasks other than communication?
Honda:In December 2020, automatic calculation of extended daycare fees and automatic billing functions were added in conjunction with QR code entry/exit time stamping management. In addition, we have started providing a function that allows the creation, approval, and management of documents such as daycare plans and logbooks in the cloud. We hope that these functions will reduce the burden of administrative work and allow you to spend more quality time with your children than ever before.
Parents simply hold up the QR code and the attendance is recorded. The touch panel is easy to use and makes it much easier to keep track of childcare hours," said a daycare administrator.
Editorial:What kind of feedback have you received from preschools that have introduced "hugnote"?
Honda:When making emergency calls, for example, the "hugnote" application makes it easy to see at a glance whether the message has been read or unread, and we have received feedback that this has dramatically improved our efficiency compared to when we used to communicate by phone. Also, some users commented that they no longer have to print and fold 600 paper letters every month, which shortens their time and saves them money. With the application, unlike a bulletin board, there is less worry about missing something and it is possible to look back at it later as many times as you like. The ability to know whether the letter has been seen by families as well as emergency notifications has been a great relief for the preschool.
Editorial:This wave of efficiency seems to be affecting parents in a positive way.
Honda:With "hugnote," photos taken with a smartphone can be uploaded to the cloud with the application, making it easy to share what is going on at the preschool. This has been very well received by parents, who can now see what is going on at the preschool better than ever before. This feature is not only fun for the parents, but also makes them feel more secure.
Editorial:Photographs can also give a direct picture of the children.
Honda:That's right. There are times when comments in the contact sheets are not enough to convey the message, and it is not possible to spend a lot of time talking with the childcare workers when dropping off and picking up the children. Positive feedback from parents also motivates the childcare staff.
Serving as a bridge between daycare centers and families on leave in Corona.
Editorial:The spread of the new coronavirus has probably made communication more important than ever.
Honda:When the state of emergency was declared, it became difficult to contact parents face-to-face to inform them of the voluntary suspension or reopening of preschool, and the need for a simultaneous communication function increased significantly. We learned from interviews that during the period of self-restraint, teachers were using "hugnote" to keep families and preschools connected, such as sending messages from the teachers and introducing games that can be played at home. I was glad that "hugnote" was able to help even a little during those days of anxiety.
Editorial:What is your outlook for the future?
Honda:The burden on childcare workers in terms of disinfection, hygiene, and health management has clearly increased compared to before Corona. We believe it is necessary to further enhance the work support functions of the Corona Vortex to alleviate some of the burden on childcare workers in the future.
After the interview
The words "efficiency" and "streamlining" may sometimes give a cold, mechanical image, but I realized that "hugnote" is a warm and friendly service that is close to the people and sincerely addresses the voices of those in the field. In order to prevent extremely busy childcare workers from becoming exhausted, I hope that more convenient functions and services that bring smiles to more people will be created in the future.
hugnote
https://www.hugmo.net/hugnote
