Lowell Area Schools Case Study

About Lowell Area Schools

Located 18 miles east of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Lowell Area School District serves approximately 3,500 students from preschool through 12th grade. With a staff of 480–500, including teachers, custodians, and administrative personnel, the district is dedicated to providing a high-quality learning environment. Greg Pratt, Director of Operations at Lowell, knew a well-maintained school infrastructure would be essential to achieving this mission, which is what led him to seek a better facility

The Challenge

Before implementing FlowPath, Lowell Area Schools used another computerized maintenance management system, but found it lacking in user-friendliness and efficiency. With their previous system, work orders typically took 5 to 7 days to complete, delaying critical maintenance requests.

Before adopting FlowPath, Lowell Public Schools encountered several facility management obstacles:

Difficulty tracking and prioritizing maintenance requests.
Lack of visibility into work order statuses and completion timelines.
Inefficient communication between staff and maintenance teams.
Reactive maintenance leading to costly repairs and disruptions.

The district needed a solution that would streamline work order management, improve response times, and be intuitive for staff at all levels.

"The number one piece that we identified as a goal was to turn around our work orders quicker. Right now, with FlowPath, most of our work orders are being completed in 2 or 3 days, even with some long-term requests in the system."

‍– Greg Pratt, Director of Operations, Lowell Area Schools

Why FlowPath?

After evaluating multiple solutions, Lowell Public Schools selected FlowPath due to its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, and seamless integration with comprehensive customer support.

Key decision-making factors included:

An intuitive platform that required minimal training.
Real-time tracking and reporting for improved accountability.
Automation capabilities to streamline maintenance workflows.
A responsive support team committed to customer success.

Ease of use was a primary factor in the district's decision to adopt FlowPath. Staff members, including those who were less tech-savvy, found the system simple and intuitive.

‍"I am not a tech-savvy guy, but if I can use it, anybody can use it. The ease of use on both the front end for end users and the back end for administrators made a huge difference for us."

How Lowell Area Schools Uses FlowPath

Since implementing FlowPath, the district has seen significant improvements in maintenance operations. Lowell uses the following FlowPath features and modules the most:

Work Orders: Teachers and staff submit maintenance requests quickly and easily, allowing the maintenance team to address issues promptly.
Event Scheduling: Custodians and event staff rely on FlowPath’s event calendar to coordinate space usage efficiently.
Equipment Management: The district is beginning to leverage FlowPath’s equipment module to track and maintain assets, with plans to expand this use further.
AI and Reporting Features: While they are still exploring the new FlowPath AI Assistant feature, Lowell Area Schools has already seen the advantages of AI-driven functionalities and custom reporting to enhance decision-making and resource allocation.

FlowPath’s mobile-friendly platform has also become a major factor in Lowell’s operational efficiency. Lowell’s maintenance team, like many others, can’t be tied to their desks if they want to be effective, Greg pointed out. Having mobile accessibility makes it easier to keep workflows moving so he and his crew can do what they need to do from their phones or tablets while in the field.

A Seamless Onboarding & Standout Customer Care

Another standout aspect of Lowell’s transition to FlowPath was the smooth onboarding process and ongoing customer service that follows.

"Your onboarding was tremendous. Having someone like Jake to call for support makes a huge difference. We just don’t get this type of ongoing support from other vendors."

FlowPath’s customer support has been a crucial factor in ensuring Lowell Area Schools maximizes the platform’s potential. Jake Miller, their Customer Success Manager, has partnered with Greg to help improve efficiency with the use of FlowPath from maintenance crew to end user. Like the rest of FlowPath’s customer success team, Jake has been available to support data migration, adoption of new FlowPath features, customization tools, and more. Our customer success is considered top-tier for a reason.

The Results

Since implementing FlowPath, Lowell Area Schools cut their work order turnaround time in half—from five to seven days down to two or three. The user-friendly interface has enabled widespread adoption from custodial staff to office managers and teachers– and everyone in between. The mobile-friendly platform has also enhanced efficiency, allowing the small maintenance team to address issues remotely.

"The phone app is even easier to use than the desktop version, which is great because most of our work is done remotely. With only four maintenance staff members, that flexibility is essential."

Looking Ahead

Lowell Area Schools is just beginning to explore the full capabilities of FlowPath. Now that they’ve improved their work order turnaround times and have found an efficient workflow, they’re looking at ways to further improve equipment storage and data-informed decision-making– and FlowPath is at the ready.

One of FlowPath’s greatest strengths is its ability to grow with your organization. Greg plans to expand Lowell’s use of the equipment management module and leverage AI-powered insights to optimize maintenance strategies further. With FlowPath’s customizable functionalities, visuals can be adjusted to suit their needs, and quarterly check-ins ensure Greg’s team receives the support they need every step of the way.