Key Takeaways
Rocket Alumni Solutions provides complete hardware, installation, and support services with a single point of contact. Discover why schools trust Rocket for hassle-free digital recognition systems.
The Hidden Cost of “Software-Only” Solutions
Many digital recognition platforms market themselves as modern solutions but reveal a critical limitation after purchase: they only provide software. Schools then face the burden of sourcing compatible hardware, coordinating installation, troubleshooting technical issues, and managing warranty claims across multiple vendors.
This fragmented approach creates several problems that schools frequently encounter:
Vendor Finger-Pointing: When displays malfunction, software vendors blame hardware and hardware manufacturers point to software configuration. Schools waste valuable time determining who is actually responsible for resolving issues.
Technical Expertise Requirements: Understanding hardware specifications, compatibility requirements, mounting considerations, and network integration demands technical knowledge most school administrators don’t possess and shouldn’t need to develop.
Installation Challenges: Properly mounting commercial-grade touchscreens requires professional expertise. DIY installations often result in stability issues, improper viewing angles, accessibility compliance problems, or damage during mounting attempts.
Ongoing Maintenance Uncertainty: When touchscreens fail, software-only vendors offer no assistance beyond “contact your hardware supplier.” Schools face downtime while researching replacement options, ordering equipment, and scheduling new installations.
Hidden Costs Accumulate: The advertised “low cost” of software-only platforms ignores expenses for purchasing hardware separately, paying for professional installation, coordinating technical support, and managing replacements when equipment fails.
Schools need recognition systems that work reliably without requiring technical project management skills. This is where Rocket Alumni Solutions’ comprehensive approach delivers substantial value that software-only alternatives cannot match.
Rocket Alumni Solutions: Complete Hardware Responsibility
Rocket Alumni Solutions operates on a fundamentally different model that eliminates the coordination burden and technical uncertainty schools face with fragmented solutions. Rather than offloading hardware responsibility, Rocket provides, installs, and supports the complete recognition system as your single point of contact.
Professional Hardware Selection
Rocket specifies and provides commercial-grade touchscreen displays engineered for continuous operation in high-traffic educational environments. Unlike consumer displays that fail under constant use, Rocket’s hardware meets durability standards schools require:
Commercial-Grade Components: Industrial touchscreens designed for 24/7 operation in public spaces, not consumer electronics repurposed for institutional use.
Proven Reliability: Hardware selections based on actual performance data from over 1,000 installations across schools nationwide, not theoretical specifications.
Size-Appropriate Displays: Guidance selecting screen sizes matched to installation locations, viewing distances, and recognition program scope.
Network Integration: Complete connectivity solutions including wired and wireless options configured during installation.
Schools work directly with Rocket’s team to determine optimal hardware configurations for their specific recognition needs and facility constraints, ensuring systems match requirements without requiring technical research.
Expert Installation Services
Rocket provides professional installation services that ensure recognition systems are mounted safely, positioned optimally, and configured correctly from day one. This eliminates common problems schools encounter with DIY approaches:
Site Assessment: Experienced technicians evaluate proposed installation locations, identifying optimal placement for visibility, accessibility compliance, electrical requirements, and structural mounting considerations.
Professional Mounting: Certified installers properly secure commercial-grade displays using appropriate hardware for wall construction types, ensuring stability and safety.
Complete Configuration: Systems arrive fully configured with your school’s content management access, network connectivity tested, and touchscreen calibration verified before installation teams depart.
Staff Training: On-site training ensures your team understands content management, basic troubleshooting, and how to maximize the system’s capabilities for your recognition program.
Schools avoid the risks and hidden costs of coordinating separate hardware vendors, hiring contractors, and troubleshooting configuration issues that inevitably arise with fragmented approaches.
Single Point of Contact for All Issues
The most significant advantage Rocket provides is comprehensive customer success support serving as your single point of contact for any issue, whether hardware failures, software questions, content assistance, or system optimization.
Customer Success Team Expertise
Rocket’s customer success team understands both the technical aspects of recognition systems and the operational realities of schools. This combination enables effective support that actually resolves issues:
Immediate Triage: When you report a problem, Rocket’s team immediately begins troubleshooting without passing you to multiple departments or vendors. They own the outcome regardless of whether issues stem from hardware, software, content, or configuration.
Proactive Monitoring: Rocket monitors system health remotely, often identifying and resolving potential problems before schools notice any issues. This preventive approach maximizes uptime and prevents disruptions during high-visibility events.
Content Assistance: Beyond technical support, customer success helps schools optimize recognition programs, suggests engagement strategies based on usage analytics, and provides guidance implementing new recognition categories.
Training Reinforcement: Staff turnover is common in schools. Rocket provides ongoing training support ensuring new administrators quickly become proficient with content management regardless of when they join your team.
Hardware Issue Resolution
When hardware problems occur, Rocket owns the complete resolution process. Schools don’t coordinate with multiple vendors or navigate complex warranty procedures:
Rapid Response: Report hardware issues directly to Rocket’s customer success team. They immediately begin the resolution process without requiring you to contact separate hardware manufacturers.
Warranty Management: Even though OEM warranties exist in the background, schools never interact with them. Rocket manages all warranty claims, replacement processes, and manufacturer coordination on your behalf.
Quick Replacement: For hardware failures, Rocket expedites replacement equipment shipping and schedules installation, minimizing downtime for your recognition program.
Restoration Services: Replacement installations include complete system restoration, ensuring your content and configuration transfer smoothly to new hardware without data loss or reconfiguration requirements.
This comprehensive approach means schools experience the benefits of OEM warranties without the frustration of managing them. Rocket absorbs the complexity while delivering the outcome schools need: functioning recognition systems with minimal downtime.
Why Schools Trust Comprehensive Service Models
Schools across the country consistently report that comprehensive service models deliver measurable advantages over fragmented approaches. When evaluating recognition system providers, schools prioritize several factors that full-service models address effectively.
Hardware reliability emerges as a primary concern. Schools need recognition displays that operate continuously in high-traffic environments without frequent failures. Professional-grade equipment selected specifically for institutional use demonstrates substantially longer operational lifespans than consumer electronics adapted for recognition purposes.
Installation quality directly impacts long-term satisfaction. Properly mounted displays positioned for optimal visibility and accessibility compliance prevent issues that plague DIY installations. Professional installers understand structural mounting requirements, electrical considerations, and configuration needs that ensure systems work correctly from day one.
Responsive customer support determines whether minor issues become major disruptions. Having a single point of contact who owns issue resolution regardless of whether problems stem from hardware, software, or configuration eliminates the finger-pointing schools experience with multiple vendors. Quick response times and knowledgeable support teams minimize downtime and maintain recognition program continuity.
Beyond Installation: Ongoing Support Value
Rocket’s commitment extends far beyond initial installation, providing long-term value through continuous support that adapts as schools’ recognition needs evolve:
System Updates and Improvements
Rocket continuously enhances platform capabilities, with improvements automatically deployed to existing installations without requiring hardware replacements or manual updates:
Software Updates: New features, interface improvements, and capability enhancements roll out automatically, ensuring schools always access the latest recognition tools.
Security Maintenance: Continuous security updates protect systems from emerging threats without requiring school IT department intervention.
Performance Optimization: Ongoing refinements improve system responsiveness, content loading speeds, and touchscreen interaction quality based on real-world usage data.
Content Strategy Consultation
Customer success teams provide strategic guidance helping schools maximize recognition program impact:
Analytics Insights: Regular reviews of usage data reveal which content engages visitors most, informing decisions about recognition priorities and content development.
Best Practice Sharing: Rocket shares successful strategies from across their nationwide school network, helping institutions learn from peers’ effective approaches.
Program Expansion: As schools’ recognition programs grow, Rocket provides guidance implementing new categories, organizing historical content, and maintaining consistent quality across expanding archives.
Hardware Lifecycle Management
Recognition systems remain operational for years. Rocket supports the complete hardware lifecycle, ensuring long-term value:
Proactive Maintenance: Regular system health checks identify potential issues before failures occur, extending hardware lifespan and preventing unexpected downtime.
Upgrade Pathways: As technology evolves, Rocket provides clear upgrade options when schools choose to refresh hardware, with migration processes that preserve all historical content.
Trade-In Programs: When upgrading to newer displays, Rocket offers trade-in value for existing hardware, reducing costs for technology refreshes.
Comparing Service Models: Rocket vs. Alternatives
Understanding how Rocket’s comprehensive approach differs from typical alternatives clarifies the value of having a single point of contact for complete recognition systems:
Software-Only Platforms
Many digital recognition providers offer software platforms while leaving schools to manage hardware independently:
What They Provide: Web-based or app-based recognition platforms with content management capabilities.
What Schools Must Handle: Researching compatible hardware, purchasing displays separately, hiring installers, configuring network integration, troubleshooting hardware issues, managing warranty claims, coordinating replacements, and ensuring continued compatibility as software updates.
Support Limitations: When issues arise, software vendors limit assistance to their platform, offering no help with hardware problems even when hardware-software integration issues cause problems.
Generic Digital Signage Solutions
Broader digital signage platforms adapted for recognition purposes provide similar fragmented experiences:
What They Provide: General-purpose digital signage software designed for advertising, wayfinding, or corporate communications rather than educational recognition.
What Schools Must Handle: All hardware responsibilities plus extensive customization work adapting generic templates for recognition needs, lacking school-specific features like athletic statistics, achievement categories, or alumni connection tools.
Recognition Limitations: Generic platforms lack purpose-built capabilities schools need, such as advanced search and filtering for athletic records, academic achievement categorization, or multimedia biography presentation optimized for recognition contexts.
Rocket’s Integrated Approach
Rocket provides complete systems where hardware, software, installation, training, and ongoing support come from a single provider:
What Rocket Provides: Commercial-grade touchscreen hardware selected for your needs, professional installation services, purpose-built recognition software, content management platform, staff training, customer success support, warranty management, repair coordination, and strategic guidance optimizing recognition programs.
What Schools Handle: Content creation and recognition decisions (selecting honorees, gathering photos, writing biographies). Rocket handles all technical aspects.
Support Advantage: Single point of contact for any issue regardless of cause. Rocket owns outcomes and ensures uptime, eliminating vendor coordination frustrations.
This fundamental difference in service philosophy delivers tangible value schools experience daily: confidence their recognition systems will work reliably without requiring technical expertise they don’t possess.
Real Cost Comparison: Total Ownership Perspective
While software-only platforms may advertise lower initial costs, comprehensive total cost of ownership analysis reveals Rocket’s integrated approach often delivers better value:
Software-Only Platform Hidden Costs
Initial software subscription: $1,500-3,000 annually
Plus these additional expenses schools must manage separately:
- Commercial touchscreen display: $3,000-8,000
- Professional installation: $800-2,000
- Network configuration: $500-1,500
- Initial troubleshooting and setup: 20-40 staff hours
- Annual hardware maintenance: $500-1,000
- Warranty claim management: 10-20 hours over system lifetime
- Replacement coordination: $1,000-2,000 when hardware fails
- Compatibility verification with updates: Ongoing staff time
- Technical support coordination: 5-15 hours annually
Total first-year investment: $8,300-17,500 plus 25-55 staff hours
Ongoing annual costs: $2,000-4,000 plus 15-35 staff hours
Rocket Alumni Solutions Comprehensive Value
Complete system investment (hardware, software, installation, training, support): Custom quotes based on school needs, typically $8,000-15,000 for complete systems.
Ongoing annual platform access: Included in comprehensive service agreement.
Additional costs schools manage: None – all hardware, support, maintenance, warranty management, and technical coordination included.
Staff time requirements: Minimal – content management only (5-10 hours annually).
When accounting for staff time value, coordination frustrations, and comprehensive support, Rocket’s integrated approach frequently delivers comparable or better value than software-only alternatives while eliminating technical burden and uncertainty.
Implementation Process: What to Expect
Understanding Rocket’s implementation process demonstrates how comprehensive support begins from the first conversation:
Discovery and Planning
Rocket’s team conducts thorough discovery to understand your recognition goals, current recognition approaches, content readiness, facility constraints, and specific requirements:
Recognition Program Assessment: Discussing which achievements you plan to recognize (athletics, academics, alumni, arts, service) and how extensive your historical archives are.
Site Evaluation: Identifying optimal display locations considering visibility, accessibility, traffic patterns, electrical availability, network access, and facility aesthetics.
Content Planning: Determining content migration needs, identifying existing materials that can be digitized, and planning initial content development priorities.
Customization Requirements: Understanding branding preferences, design priorities, and specific feature requirements for your school’s unique needs.
Hardware Configuration and Installation
Based on discovery findings, Rocket specifies optimal hardware and schedules professional installation:
Hardware Selection: Recommending display sizes, mounting configurations, and system specifications matched to your installation environments and recognition program scope.
Pre-Installation Preparation: Coordinating with facilities teams on electrical requirements, network connectivity, and any facility preparation needed before installation.
Professional Installation: Certified technicians mount displays, connect systems, verify network access, calibrate touchscreens, and confirm full operational status before departing.
Quality Verification: Comprehensive testing ensures displays respond properly, content displays correctly, network connectivity remains stable, and touchscreen calibration provides accurate interaction.
Training and Launch Support
Rocket ensures your team feels confident managing recognition content and understands system capabilities:
Administrator Training: Hands-on sessions teaching content management, profile creation, media upload, organization systems, and publishing workflows.
Support Resource Introduction: Explaining how to access customer success support, submit assistance requests, and utilize help documentation for common tasks.
Initial Content Assistance: Guidance developing first profiles, organizing historical content, and establishing content quality standards that engage visitors.
Launch Planning: Strategic advice timing your recognition system launch, promoting it to your community, and maximizing initial engagement.
Ongoing Partnership
After launch, Rocket’s customer success team provides continuous support ensuring long-term success:
Regular Check-Ins: Proactive communication reviewing system performance, discussing recognition program evolution, and identifying opportunities for enhanced impact.
Content Strategy Support: Ongoing guidance optimizing recognition approaches based on usage analytics and best practices from Rocket’s nationwide school network.
Technical Maintenance: Remote monitoring, software updates, and preventive issue resolution maintaining optimal system performance without school IT involvement.
Hardware Support: Immediate response to hardware issues, warranty management, replacement coordination, and restoration services ensuring minimal downtime.
Why Schools Choose Comprehensive Service Providers
Schools consistently report that working with comprehensive service providers like Rocket Alumni Solutions delivers advantages that justify selecting them over software-only alternatives, even when initial costs appear higher.
Peace of Mind
School administrators managing numerous responsibilities appreciate knowing their recognition systems work reliably without requiring technical expertise:
“We don’t have time to become hardware experts. Knowing Rocket handles everything – hardware, software, installation, support – means we can focus on recognizing achievements rather than managing technical issues.” This sentiment appears consistently across schools of all sizes.
Accountability
Having a single point of contact eliminates frustrations schools experience with fragmented vendors:
“Before Rocket, when our old display system had problems, we’d call the software company who’d blame the hardware vendor, who’d blame our IT department. Everyone pointed fingers but nobody fixed the problem. With Rocket, we call one number and they own the solution.” Clear accountability accelerates issue resolution.
Professional Results
Schools recognize the difference between DIY technical projects and professionally implemented systems:
“Our first attempt at digital recognition used generic signage software and a TV we mounted ourselves. It looked amateurish and stopped working within six months. Rocket’s professional installation and purpose-built software looks like the quality system our athletic program deserves.” Professional results enhance institutional reputation.
Long-Term Support Confidence
Recognition systems remain operational for years. Schools value knowing support continues throughout system lifetime:
“We’re investing in recognition infrastructure that will serve our school for a decade. Knowing Rocket provides ongoing support, handles hardware issues, and keeps improving the software gives us confidence this investment will deliver value for years.” Long-term partnerships matter more than initial price differences.
Addressing Common Concerns About Full-Service Models
Schools evaluating comprehensive service providers like Rocket sometimes express concerns that fragmented alternatives seem to address. Understanding how Rocket handles these concerns clarifies decision-making:
“Will I be locked into one vendor?”
Rocket’s systems use standard web technologies and open data formats. Your content remains accessible and exportable. However, most schools find Rocket’s comprehensive support so valuable that vendor lock-in concerns become irrelevant – they actively choose to continue partnerships because service quality exceeds alternatives.
“What if Rocket goes out of business?”
Rocket’s financial stability, growing customer base, and proven track record spanning over 1,000 installations demonstrate business viability. Additionally, the company’s systems architecture ensures schools retain access to their content even in unlikely disruption scenarios. Software-only startups with minimal revenue often present higher business continuity risks.
“Is professional installation really necessary?”
Commercial-grade touchscreen displays weigh 50-100+ pounds and require proper mounting to ensure safety and compliance. Professional installation eliminates liability risks from improper mounting, ensures optimal positioning for accessibility and engagement, and verifies complete system functionality before teams depart. Schools attempting DIY installation frequently face stability issues, damage during mounting, and configuration problems that negate any cost savings.
“Can we start small and expand later?”
Absolutely. Rocket accommodates schools starting with single displays and expanding to multiple locations as recognition programs grow. The platform scales smoothly from one touchscreen to campus-wide networks without requiring system replacements or major reconfigurations. Starting with comprehensive support for initial installations establishes successful foundations for future expansion.
“What happens when hardware eventually needs replacement?”
All commercial displays eventually require replacement (typically 5-10 years). When that time comes, Rocket manages the complete upgrade process: recommending replacement hardware, coordinating installation, transferring all content, and ensuring smooth transitions without disruption to your recognition program. Schools don’t research new products, evaluate compatibility, or manage migrations independently.
The True Meaning of “Turnkey” Solutions
Marketing materials frequently use “turnkey” terminology, but Rocket Alumni Solutions demonstrates what comprehensive turnkey service actually means:
Not Turnkey: Providing software platforms while expecting schools to handle hardware selection, purchasing, installation, network configuration, warranty management, repair coordination, and technical troubleshooting independently.
Truly Turnkey: Providing complete recognition systems where schools define who to recognize and provide content, while Rocket handles every technical aspect from hardware specification through ongoing maintenance and support.
This fundamental service philosophy difference determines whether schools experience recognition systems as valuable tools that enhance their programs or technical burdens requiring expertise they don’t possess and shouldn’t need to develop.
Schools seeking to celebrate achievements, strengthen community connections, and preserve institutional history deserve partners who handle technical complexity, ensuring recognition remains the focus rather than technology management.
Making the Right Choice for Your School
When evaluating digital recognition providers, look beyond initial software subscription costs to understand complete service models and long-term value:
Ask These Questions:
- Who provides the hardware? Who installs it? Who supports it when problems occur?
- When displays malfunction, who do I contact? Will they actually resolve issues or refer me elsewhere?
- Does the vendor understand educational institutions specifically, or do they serve generic corporate markets?
- How many schools similar to mine use their systems? Can I speak with reference customers?
- What happens when staff turns over? Will new administrators receive training support?
- How does the vendor handle hardware warranties? Do schools manage warranty claims independently?
- What does their customer success model look like? Do they provide strategic guidance or just technical support?
- Will the system scale as our recognition program grows without requiring complete replacements?
Rocket Alumni Solutions’ comprehensive approach answers these questions with confidence:
Schools receive complete systems with hardware, software, installation, training, and ongoing support from a single partner. When any issue arises, customer success owns the resolution regardless of root cause. Rocket’s specialization in educational recognition means deep understanding of how schools operate. Over 1,000 installations across schools nationwide demonstrate proven reliability. New staff receive training support whenever needed. Rocket manages all warranty processes transparently. Customer success provides both technical support and strategic recognition program guidance. Systems scale smoothly as recognition programs expand.
Beyond Hardware: Rocket’s Complete Recognition Platform
While this article focuses on Rocket’s comprehensive hardware and setup services, the complete value proposition includes purpose-built software capabilities that generic digital signage platforms cannot match:
Athletic Recognition: Sport-specific templates, record boards, season statistics, championship histories, and coach career milestones designed specifically for athletic halls of fame.
Academic Excellence: Honor roll displays, academic achievement recognition, scholarship recipients, National Merit Scholars, and GPA leaderboards celebrating intellectual accomplishments.
Alumni Connections: Where-are-they-now profiles, alumni networking boards, distinguished graduate showcases, and career pathway displays linking current students with successful alumni.
Arts and Activities: Performing arts recognition, club achievements, student leadership histories, and service project showcases celebrating non-athletic excellence.
Donor Recognition: Donor walls for fundraising campaigns, named facility recognition, scholarship fund donor appreciation, and capital campaign contributor acknowledgment.
This comprehensive platform capability, combined with full hardware responsibility and dedicated customer success support, delivers complete recognition solutions that software-only alternatives cannot match.
Ready to Experience True Full-Service Support?
Schools tired of coordinating multiple vendors, managing technical issues independently, or frustrated by software-only providers who leave hardware challenges unsolved find relief in Rocket Alumni Solutions’ comprehensive approach.
Unlike vendors who provide software and wish you luck finding compatible hardware, Rocket delivers complete systems with professional installation and dedicated support as your single point of contact for everything.
Your recognition program deserves reliable technology backed by responsive support from a partner who understands educational institutions and commits to your long-term success.
Book a demo to see how Rocket’s comprehensive hardware and setup services eliminate technical burdens while delivering recognition systems that work reliably for years.
