OWNA Reviews

Smooth transition, will never go back

Comments: Extremely Positive! OWNA support have been kind, accessible and super helpful! OWNA aligned with our personal sustainability goals (paperless) and has every feature we need. Highly Recommend!

Pros:

OWNA is easy to navigate and is a one-stop shop! It honestly has it all! From planning and programming, linking learning stories and observations, sharing information amongst management and staff, and so much more. Our families love the 'cheat sheet', finding it easy to navigate with this assistance, and now engage with our content/documentation so much more than ever before. Everything is ONLINE! Going paperless is easy with OWNA.

Cons:

The only hiccup - transferring families from our old software left emergency contacts behind and only took primary caregivers. it took a lot of work to get those contacts all included in each child's profiles. Several years on, this isn't a problem as new families enter the details right into the system.

The Hills Little Learners Review

Comments: Amazing.

Pros:

In my many years in the ECEC Industry and using a many different apps for the indurty, OWNA has by far exceeded my expectations as it offers so much. Not just fr the educators documenting but also for Admin and enrolments. Having everything on one app makes it so much easier to stay on top of things and also for families which can see everything from their child's day to our QIP, centre poilcies etc. It has been a very welcomed change to our service and the eudcators and myself really love using this daily

Cons:

It can be glitchy at times and we may have to close the app, re open for it to work. Sometimes the educators lose their work if the app glitches if they are in the middle of writing an observation and it stops working, it doesnt automatically save to draft.

Alternatives Considered: QikKids

Reasons for Choosing OWNA: Seesaw is more for primary school teachers. Did not offer what OWNA has to offer

Switched From: Seesaw

Reasons for Switching to OWNA: Owna seemed to offer more and the value was great for our small service.

CCS, Billing, Direct Debit

Comments: Great tool for parents interaction. Horror tool for managing billing, charging parents and direct debit is extremely cumbersome, tedious taking my time away from working on my business and spending more time in my business. I do not have confidence with OWNA in using it do discuss billing issues with our parents.

Pros:

Parents interaction, parents communication

Cons:

Billing, Direct Debit, processes, lack of automation, lack of formal parent statement day by day

Alternatives Considered: Kidsoft and QikKids

Reasons for Choosing OWNA: We wanted to consolidate using 1 platform instead of 2 when the mandatory parent sign in/out was introduced to reduce our time spent in the system.

Switched From: QikKids

Reasons for Switching to OWNA: We had a good experience with the parents interaction and as we are customer focus we thought we should lead with this principal. In our belief, billing and CCS and direct debits are standard functions that should not be a concern but once we switched over there have been some nightmarish episodes which we discovered were substandard in operation and procedures specific to the childcare industry. We are still waiting for OWNA to improve its billing system and can't wait much longer. Parents are knocking on our door to exit the direct debit system and we have to try and convince them otherwise.

Best move ever!

Comments: We are just starting to realise many benefits - which include time saving features. We have also been able to move a lot of our paper based practices to OWNA, which works in well with our sustainability practices. I love that the support team are always on hand, and work hard to resolve any issues - including our user-knowledge, or lack thereof!

Pros:

Moving over to OWNA has been incredible. We are still not using all the features, but definitely moving towards this. OWNA has and will enable us to move all our processes into the same software, rather than using different platforms for different functions. It literally has just about all we need and more. The platform is simple, clean, and functional. The team at OWNA are so responsive to needs and suggestions, and seem to work around the clock to ensure that their program does everything we need (and want) it to do.

Cons:

There are definite issues with the accounts side of the software, and flaws that need to be ironed out.

Alternatives Considered: QikKids and Xplor Education

Reasons for Choosing OWNA: We were becoming ever frustrated with our provider, and had seen many positive comments around OWNA - and when we checked it out for ourselves, we were definitely impressed! We did not come in eyes closed - we knew we were dealing with a team new to some aspects (Child Care Subsidy) - but we also watched as they moved quickly to make improvements and iron out issues.

Switched From: Storypark and QikKids

Reasons for Switching to OWNA: OWNA is definitely a superior product, AND the team seem to be committed to making the best software on the market, and not losing their vision of this, and their responsiveness to us as customers as they grow.

IF YOUR NOT USING OWNA YOUR MISSING OUT

Comments: heaps less admin time as normal daily tasks are simplified and completed in less than half the time with OWNA software compared to old school applications. enhanced programming capabilities, and Families LOVE the transparency of OWNA!

Pros:

This product is extremely user friendly and the software integration when we first swapped over was so simple the customer service team handled majority of it. our centre loves the transparency of the app, families love it, we are able to provide enhanced programming cycle compared to all other apps on the market.

Cons:

i would like to see some additional report features added. for example a 1.8% tool, and customisable booking sheets. however in saying this OWNA has shown a strong commitment to continuous improvement and every time we take a new idea to them they run with it and within weeks/months we see it implemented in the app. i hate Fat Zebra they are hard to work with compared to other direct debit companies.

Alternatives Considered: Xplor Education

Reasons for Choosing OWNA: Because OWNA has it all, it combines all features of running an early learning centre into one App. huge time save and to be honest its not overpriced compared to 'long standing applications'

Switched From: QikKids

Reasons for Switching to OWNA: Programming personalisation capabilities. OWNA also seemed to have such a passion for helping operators by providing an app that was committed to listening to their customers and continuous improvement rather then just selling a product. we wanted a company and app that was innovative and that would keep improving with time, and OWNA has lived up to this.

why we use OWNA

Comments: Overall we have had a very good experience with OWNA and have recommended it to lots of people. Thank you for the wonderful service that you supply.

Pros:

changing to OWNA has completely change the way we do paperwork at our centres. It has saved so much time in administration costs. Parents, Staff and Admin all love OWNA and how easy it is to use, the information they are able to produce and the open lines of communication between everyone. OWNA Support have always been excellent and we have never had to wait very long for an answer/resolution to our problems.

Cons:

Transition from other programs can take a little bit for staff/parents to get their heads around. But once they get to know the program and all the features they begin to really enjoy it. The QIP part of the program could be easier to use. It is a bit frustrating in its current format.

THANK YOU for your great software

Comments: Your team are the best and I especially love the fact that the team always call back if they don’t have the answers to my myriad of questions.

I have felt really supported and am so happy that I have made the switch.

Pros:

Just want to give you a huge THANK YOU for your great software, but more importantly for the awesome help and support that your team have been providing over the past few months whilst our service has transitioned over from another software.

Cons:

I would like there to be an easy-print one page A4 daily rolls for admin purposes.

The best move we made!

Comments: Everyone in our team is able to use it as it is so user friendly and not complicated even for our non techy staff.

Pros:

We loved how everything we use was on one platform and how inexpensive it was. I also appreciated how amazing the customer support team is and nothing is every to much for them. We have also had so much more parent communication about the children's learning

Cons:

I find the billing side includes a lot of steps and the statements are difficult to read.

Must have system

Comments: Our whole team have easily transitioned to OWNA and we find new features to use and make our lives easier every day. I have been extremely happy with the service provided and have recommended to many people.

Pros:

OWNA has combined multiple other software into the one space, streamlining many daily function. It is easy to use, the support provided is great (often getting replies even if I email them late at night or over the weekends when I encounter the issues). It has almost everything required to efficiently and effectively run our centre at the touch of a button and are constantly updating with new features that just make daily operations easier. Having OWNA has also assisted us to remain compliant, as we have everything clearly documented, easily accessible and notified when something is expiring.

Cons:

The only issue we have had is parents understanding the new invoicing system as there has been confusion between the balance screen and the invoicing however this is a feature that is currently being worked on to simplify in the coming months :)

Owna review

Comments: I guess the team is busy so accessing support can be a struggle at times.

Pros:

We like the reconciliation for the payments, the CCS management and attendance records.

Cons:

Staff discounts still have weaknesses and children's attendances

Alternatives Considered: Xplor Education

Reasons for Choosing OWNA: We were using CCS with Qikkids and basic OWNA, so we decided to use one system.

Reasons for Switching to OWNA: Better pricing and easier functions

Happy Customer - would definitely recommend

Comments: Fantastic experience with OWNA. Friendly team and easy to use software

Pros:

I cannot fault owna. I previously used another software but I am so glad i switched to owna. Its cost effective, everything is so customisable, its so easy to use for admin, educators and families. They also have amazing customer service and frequent training sessions and tutorials. I love OWNA!

Cons:

I cannot fault this software. I love it.

Industry Leader. Innovative and Always Improving.

Comments: We were one of the first during the pilot and have been a dedicated customer ever since.
Relationship with Owna goes up to management level.
Feedback and response to issues or improvement requests are dealt with on a personal level.
Always adding community requested feature or even custom features for our specific needs.

Pros:

Real-time updates on attendance and ratios. Privacy and security-aware. Meets regulations and tight policies in the industry. Intuitive and easy to use interface. Platform independent and customised apps for Android/Apple devices.

Cons:

The product is great but there are still areas/processes that we believe can be integrated to reduce paperwork and improve efficiencies in our industry. We're sure these will come in time but would be good to have now.

Alternatives Considered: QikKids

Reasons for Choosing OWNA: Cost savings. One app vs multiple apps. Platform independent. Can use on a mobile device via the app or via a web browser. New functionality improved efficiency of business. One dashboard for a birds-eye view of everything.

Reasons for Switching to OWNA: Cost savings. Additional features.

All in One, perfect for Child Care

Comments: I have implemented this software for 3 services now, and so far except for teething issues, it has been great. Once fully set up it is the easiest software I have used. There are many more things that could improve its functionality, and the team are always making changes, activating new features, and supporting services all across Australia. I always feel good when I call OWNA for help.

Pros:

It is really easy to add to an attendance. Entering family transactions are seemless (except when you make a mistake!) and reports are great too.

Cons:

The fact that reports do not print out in colour like the screen. Needs a message pop up system when parents sign in or out as they often don't use notifications. There needs to be a better layout for the emergency drills and the fact that running balances cannot be seen on the parent app is a negative.

Review

Comments: Great way to provide families with information and to communicate. Great way to go sustainable by getting rid of paper based work.

Pros:

Ease for families to access and provide information.

Cons:

Feature requests are not always added when requested.

Happy Customer

Comments: My experience has been very positive. I have used several digital platforms and this is by far the best platform for programming i have used so far.

Pros:

I love that i can put everything in the one place and have everything stored digitally. The ease of use for staff to access programming, follow up and other ideas. Capturing parent comments and having everything in real time to share with parents makes it a wonderful tool. The ease of use for parents has made my life easier. Updating policies for feedback and sending out correspondence is now just a click of a button.

Cons:

Some changes are not communicated to us and this causes an issue when staff go to program, but we sort it out in the end. it may just be as simple as a button to press or a feature changed to admin only.

Not a bad thing to say...

Comments: OWNA staff are always quick to respond to any queries.

Pros:

Software is easy to use both on a desktop, and use smartphones/tablets. The app is similar to many social media apps, so even the parents and families find it easy to use! Our parent input has increased so much since we started using this app. The reduction of wasted paper is astronomical - wait list, enrolment and excursion forms, incident/accident reports, medication reports, daily charts to checklists, philosophy and policies, critical reflections, programs, observations, daily journals, portfolios, etc. Its everything you need in one place. And that's just the educators side of the things. We also use OWNA as our CCSS - attendances, accounts, fees, etc.

Cons:

We absolutely love this software and feel like there isn't much we could fault.

Owna onboarding experience

Comments: So far it has been more than I expected, the support has been amazing

Pros:

The software seems complicated at first but once you complete the videos and see how much you can complete on the program it is amazing. Love that all checklist's, Incident reports, family communication can be completed in the software. I thought invoices would be hard, but i actually think it will be easier than a running balance as parents can view an invoice and see exactly what they have been charged for.

Cons:

Few things on the app have turn off notifications that are not on the web version. Would also like to see a tag button on the app for logs and incident reports. Our staff leave things in draft form for supervisors to view. I understand that you can attach and email address for notifications but then they are notified on everything. Would love to have a way I could attach and email address for supervisors to be notified of maintenance or incident reports but not have to receive emails that relate to the accounts side.

The Best Decision

Comments: An 'exceeding' experience!

Pros:

The OWNA Team have made our transition and experience with the software extremely smooth and positive. Since making the decision to transition to owna, we have not looked back, going on almost 3 years now. The Team have excellent customer service, attending to our requests and needs straight away.

Cons:

We are unable to fault this software. Especially because all feedback is taken seriously and used to improve the software straight away, sometimes over night!

OWNA Review

Comments: Easy, meets high standard requirements, allows for parent input in all areas and showcases the focus of the children learning.

Pros:

Being able to log children's daily information, compliance checklist, easy to use, excellent customer service.

Cons:

The children aren't able to revisit their learning like they are able to when using a paper-based programming. This issue could be solved by enabling by ises selection specific posts to play on a slideshow-like feature.

Feedback

Comments: Happy to continue with using most of the functions but we don't have a large % of families that use apps or are interested in using them to communicate. It's good to have it there for those who do like it though.

Pros:

I like the incident reports and communication with families. QIP, loading documents, maintenance log.

Cons:

Rostering - way too confusing and unable to navigate so far. CCS and accounts - Not really interested in going here at the moment as I find it not as user friendly as our current system. Adding discounts, holiday fees, changes to bookings - these are all quite clunky compared to what we use.

OWNA Review

Pros:

I love how user friendly OWNA is. It makes programming so easy and I love how you can customize tags and categories. Our families are finding OWNA easy to use and it is a great way of communicating. There are so many features on OWNA that is really helps in running a quality service.

Cons:

The only thing that is a bit tricky is how different the app is to accessing it on a computer... there seems to be some restrictions when using the app on a phone/ipad.

A day in a Life at Little Stars EEC

Comments: the overall use of Owna is quite easy and good to use. Especially if you don't really know how to use the software it is pretty straightforward to use.

Pros:

My staff really like this app for all uses, they like that it is live and goes straight to the parents to see what their child has been up to throughout out the day. Parents have also told us that they like that everything that their child has done comes to them straight away they like to see what their child has been up to.

Cons:

There are no features that need to be changed to the software it is very user-friendly. Staff and parents like using this software.

Review of app

Comments: really good. whenever i have a question staff at owna are very helpful and call you back pretty much straight away

Pros:

It has all the apps and features that we wanted to use in one system

Cons:

To be honest the only thing i have found is when changing fees and we have different session hours i had to do each child seperate. It would be good to have done it in one go

Feels like its in its baby stages of development

Pros:

Support team are very patient & responsive although e mailing is pretty pointless as ends up in a completely misunderstood to and fro situation. Phone call support is fantastic. Features are being considered/added quickly as suggested/required.

Cons:

I dont find this software at all user friendly in comparison to other childcare software platforms I have used in OSHC. Lots of opportunity for error, difficult to manage basic tasks such as navigating around a child's complete details (usually kept in one space/page not multiple different areas) tricky to learn as does not seem logical/practical to the average person without formal IT training!

OWNA review

Comments: Great experience all round

Pros:

Lots of features that cover all aspects within an education setting. Easy to use Always open to new ideas

Cons:

It would be ice to see exactly what the parents see so you could guide them