The Department of Art and Media Technology (ATM) at Cégep de Jonquière facilitated the coordination of over 400 people by opting for the online reservation system Hector.
Cégep de Jonquière, located in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, offers 28 pre-university and technical programs. It is particularly recognized for its programs in Art and Media Technology: Communication in the Media (with profiles in Journalism, Radio, and Advertising), Television Production and Postproduction (with profiles in Production and Postproduction), and Multimedia Integration. With over 50 years of experience in teaching media communications, Cégep de Jonquière is the only institution offering all three programs in Art and Media Technology, two of which are unique in Quebec. Students' learning takes place, among other settings, in studios with access to a wide range of equipment.
Several years ago, Cégep de Jonquière began searching for an inventory management software that could meet its needs. The old system did not allow students to make reservations themselves, which was very problematic.
“The tracking and management of technical equipment were really not optimal; we needed a more modern solution.”
Jean-François subsequently took over the project. In continuing his research, he discovered several software options, including VimBIZZ, Koha, Coba, and BookingPoint. However, these software solutions available on the market were too complex and costly, unsuitable as they did not meet the needs, or were closed systems (i.e., for a single user).
The Cégep decided to opt for a cloud-based solution, which was more flexible and reliable, to enable students to be autonomous.
The risk was minimal for Jean-François and his team in Media Art and Technology, as they were able to build up their inventory in the software.
” Hector’s flexible pricing allowed us to add our equipment gradually. We started by offering our students the opportunity to book their set decors online. In addition, despite the fact that some features were still being developed, we added other assets that depended on them, but everything went smoothly. ”
Scheduling inventory reservations for TV is paramount in ATM. As there are more students than devices, reservations must be pre-approved by the responsible teachers.
” There was a lot of wasted time when booking with our paper system. Depending on the equipment or space requested, authorizations and signatures were required. With Hector, reservations can be directly approved or denied online by the teacher, making it much easier to process applications. ”
” Students can see right away, through the catalogue, the equipment available on the dates they want to use it, depending on their program or study group. That’s what we like about Hector: the information is updated in real time.
With our old paper system, students did not necessarily return to cancel their reservations in the notebook, suggesting to others that they could not borrow the material while it was available. ”
The implementation of the software at Jonquière Cegep was very well received by students and teachers who had an great and easy experience using it from the start. All of them have noticed the benefits the software has brought.
” During the test phase, teachers and students were immediately seduced when trying Hector. ”
” During the procedure, a few flags were raised, which helped improve the interface. Hector is a continuously improving product and we were able to share our development requests and were listened to.
We don’t feel stuck with Hector. With the speed of customer service, we feel that we are important and valued. In short, the adopted approach is extremely user-friendly. “
« There are many reasons that led us to lean towards Hector. Although there were shortcomings at the beginning and the solution did not fully correspond to our initial needs, Hector’s team was very open-minded and ready to improve their product.
The cloud system (Cloud) has also been an important consideration as it makes it possible for students to checkout and book. Subscription pricing is very advantageous. Since then, Hector is a Quebec company that offers a French-language solution: which represents a significant asset! »
In the end, Jonquière Cegep is pleased with the technological shift it has undertaken by choosing Hector. Staff members are now far from the initial « pencil » method and have been able to discover the benefits that an inventory management system can bring to an educational program, without having to spend unnecessarily on expensive software that was not adapted to their needs.
If you want to benefit from this improved management within your school or business, try Hector for free for 15 days or plan a call with one of our specialists to concretely target the gains you will make when taking your exact needs into account!
