A trip to Bloemfontein was on the cards for the Karri team. We had been asked to be at a presentation organised by the team in Bloemfontein. Aside from a list of schools, the venue and the promise of a presentation from us, we didn’t know what to expect.
When we arrived at the Nedbank building in Bloemfontein we were completely blown away by what had been put together. Tables were set up for what seemed like more people than the school list promised, they were decorated in green (conveniently, a colour shared by Nedbank and Karri), and there was an amazing spread of food. I forgot to mention, that there was also a DJ present who organised the projector and microphones. The entire scene spoke of professionalism and preparedness. It was going to be a successful morning.
The schools slowly filed in and we got the opportunity to find out who our audience was going to be. Some of the biggest and smallest schools in Bloemfontein were there, no matter what the size of the school, they could use Karri. The Karri team was introduced by a very passionate Jordaan Roelofse and we had the floor.
We had the opportunity to give a full demonstration of how Karri would work in their respective schools. We then opened the floor to questions. It created great conversations amongst the different schools, and many of them left the room already imagining Karri being used in their schools.
Three weeks after this event Grey College and Grey primary created their first events, and since then they have created forty one and sixteen events respectively. Kontiki Pre-primary school, Hoërskool Diamantveld, Oranje Meisiesskool and Bambi Kleuterskool have also come to use Karri since then.
What have we created? A way for schools to collect money from their parents simply and effectively in some of the biggest and smallest schools in the country. Of course, with every new system and revolution, challenges and risks are a natural part of the progression. However one must consider the long term benefits of creating a school that effectively and safely processes payments.
Written by Niki Dignon
