Meet the People Behind the Compass Product.

The Compass product is great, and only getting better, and that’s the result of some very passionate people. You may recognise some from training and events, but the majority are working hard behind the scenes. We think it’s time we showed you what we’re made of, and we welcome your feedback on this 'Meet the Team' series, and any aspect of the Compass product & business.

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Kate D | Customer Success Manager for VIC, NSW and SA. 

Kate has a wealth of knowledge of the Compass product, as well as a deep understanding of what schools need and how to deliver the best possible Compass experience to them. 

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Tell us a little bit about your background and what you do at Compass.

Throughout my time at Compass, I have had multiple roles in our customer experience team. I began in our support team before moving into a consultant role that consisted of sales, onboarding and training. In 2019, when we began to expand across Australia, I took on a leading role in the establishment of processes, local offices and teams. Today, my role involves overseeing training teams and processes in each state, and working with a range of clients to ensure Compass is the school management software of choice around Australia.

What drew you to work at Compass?

Through Compass's relationship with Swinburne University, and as part of my Bachelor's Degree in Media and Communications, I was offered a 12 month IBL (Industry-Based Learning) placement at Compass. Compass is such an innovative and energetic company, so I was excited to complete work experience and apply my university learnings in a modern and stimulating setting. Clearly I liked it so much that I never left!!

What’s your favourite product/feature within Compass?

The parent app. We get such amazing feedback from the schools we work with about what a difference the parent app access makes to the running of their school. The concept that schools can go paper free with all parent communications and that parents can make payments or provide absence explanations, all while sitting on the couch or on the train to work revolutionises efficiencies in schools. It allows school staff to spend their time on more important tasks in student learning rather than on chasing up administration details. On top of this, the parent app recently underwent a major facelift, and it is beautiful :)

What do you see as the biggest benefit that Compass offers, whether it’s to students, school staff or families?

Ease of access to and sharing of information. You enter information once and it can be shared with other staff, parents or students with the click of a button. Without software that does this, school staff could be spending time distributing the same information multiple times to different groups of people. You can see attendance, academic and wellbeing information in the same spot, allowing schools to connect the dots and produce the best learning outcomes for students.

What aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?

I love doing something different every day. Working in such a fast growing company means that a lot of the things I do are company-firsts.This calls for a lot of creativity and really motivates me to achieve the best outcomes. No two days in the job are the same and it certainly keeps it interesting!

Where did you go to school (primary/secondary)?

I went to primary school at Lloyd St Primary School, and high school at Ashwood High School. Both are amazing Compass schools :)

What kind of student were you?

High achiever and hard working!

What was your favourite subject, and why?

I loved media and psychology. I was really interested in finding explanations for why things happen or why people do things a certain way.

What are some of the qualities of your most memorable teacher(s)?

My teachers made the effort to treat every student like individuals. They would take the time to get to know each student and how they learn best, and then tailor their teaching to suit this. I was lucky to go to relatively small schools where teachers could work one on one with each student. 

If Compass was available to you when you were at school, do you think it would have changed your learning experience? How?

My high school was actually one of the first schools to adopt Compass only a couple of years after it first launched, so I actually did use Compass for the second half of high school! The biggest change I noticed was ease of access to information as a student. If there was a room change, there was no sending someone down from the office to direct us to where we needed to be - we were pre-notified on Compass. Homework was always in the same spot, assignments and due dates were clearly labelled. I noticed it saved a lot of time that was previously spent chasing up dates and information. This time was replaced with learning!

Surprise & delight us. Tell us something surprising about yourself?

I'm still trying to chip away at finishing my uni degree. One semester to go! I have a full plate working full time, studying part-time and travelling frequently for work in non-lockdown times but I'm determined to get that piece of paper!

When the school bell rings, where would we most likely find you?

Hanging out with my friends!