‍“For me, this launch is huge. I’ve always believed in Kindo’s mission - making admin easier and helping schools bring in the funds they need but improving the reporting engine has been front of mind in 2025. After months of collaboration directly with our school partners, I'm incredibly proud that we can deliver the clarity and efficiency they've been asking for.” Amy Taylor, Product Manager.

Why We Rebuilt Reporting

Our legacy reporting module has been serving schools faithfully for years, but schools told us it was time for more - more flexibility, more visibility, and more ease of use. Reports are vital for school leaders, admin teams, and boards. They guide decisions, meet compliance needs, and save staff from hours of manual collation.

So, we started with a simple principle: listen first.

Through customer interviews and deep conversations with our Customer Advisory Panel, schools shared what they loved, what frustrated them, and what they needed next.

Here’s a few of the key insights, (we’re being vulnerable here!)

👉 Schools told us they were spending time manually manipulating data in Excel to create reports. One business manager shared: "I've got an instruction list, but I'm having to pull in vlookups for GL codes and faculty names" - highlighting how much manual work was still required for every report.

👉 Schools needed different versions of the same report for different audiences - but these needed to be created manually. As one school leader explained: "The best thing would be if I could just pull a report that had a board version which was collapsed and a SLT version for the senior leadership team where I could split by faculties."

They wanted one report that could serve multiple stakeholder needs.

👉 Schools found they needed to hunt around every time they needed a report. One said: "The current interface is not intuitive... every time I do go in, there's a little bit of hunting around to try and find what I want and then get it out and then modify it so that it works."

This revealed how navigation barriers were creating friction in daily workflows.

Building Better, Together

The journey from discovery to launch wasn’t just about technology - it was about collaboration.

• Discovery: We mapped out the real challenges schools face in their day-to-day.
• Design: We turned feedback into prototypes and invited schools to react and refine.
• Development: Our engineers worked hand-in-hand with the product and design team to deliver improvements that mattered most.

Every step included testing and iteration with schools to make sure we were on the right track.

What’s New in Reporting

This new tool brings more power and simplicity to every school. Highlights include:

• Simplified report navigation:
  • We redesigned the navigation to be consistent across all reports, with filters grouped in one place and clear breakdown options.
• Flexible report views for different audiences:
  • We added multi-level breakdowns (by year level, faculty, payment category, or item) so the same base report can be tailored for different stakeholders without manual rework.
• Click-to-sort with Excel export:
  • We added click-to-sort columns so comparisons can be made instantly in the tool, and an Excel export option for when deeper analysis is needed.
• Compulsory vs. voluntary separation:
  • We built a simple toggle to separate compulsory vs. voluntary payments in any report.
• Cleaner layouts:
  • Based on feedback that reports were “cluttered” and “hard to scan,” we redesigned layouts to highlight totals at a glance, with consistent fonts, spacing, and colour coding.
• At-a-glance report analytics:
  • We introduced visual summaries that highlight key trends and insights, making it easier to spot patterns without digging through rows of data.

The goal? Reports that don’t just deliver data, but give schools actionable insights - while saving time for the people who already have too much on their plate.

Rolling Out With Care

We’re starting with the most important reports in the new format to start with. This phased approach means we can continue listening, refining, and improving before a wider rollout. Over time, more and more reports will move onto the new reporting tool, until eventually, the classic reporting module is retired.

We know change takes time, so we’ve built support into every step. Phase 1 includes knowledge base guides, in-app tours, best-practice resources, and a live webinar. The classic reporting module will remain until all features are moved across and schools are confident with the new reports. Future phases will expand the suite based on school feedback, with change management at the heart of our approach.

Register for the webinar here

A Promise to Schools

This new reporting tool isn’t just a product update - it’s a reflection of how Kindo works. We don’t build in isolation. We build with schools, for schools.

At the heart of everything we do is our promise: to make school admin simpler, so staff can focus on what matters most - supporting students, teachers, and communities.

“What I’m most proud of in this journey is how directly schools’ voices shaped the tool. From clearer layouts to simpler navigation and detailed breakdowns, every improvement came from business managers, and admin staff. It feels less like we built a feature, and more like we created something together.” Amy Taylor, Product Manager

Thank You

To the schools who shared their time, their frustrations, their ideas, and their feedback - thank you! You’ve shaped this new chapter in reporting, and we can’t wait to see how it helps your teams thrive.

This is just the beginning. As you start using the new tool, we’d love to hear your thoughts and keep improving together.

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