General Questions
What are the system requirements?
Can it run on a mac?
Can I use Excellerate with a wireless network?
Do you have references I can contact?
What size database do I need?
What’s the difference between a member and a pre-member?
What training options do you offer?
What is the multi-user license?
What is the contribution check scanner?
What happens when my church grows and we fill all the slots we purchased?
If I have both the church management software and the check-in system, do upgrades cost more?
What about upgrades to the software?
How often do you come out with a new upgrade?
How do I get the software? Is it download or CD?
If I buy the download only option and my computer crashes, can I re-download the program?
Check-In Specific Questions
If I get the check-in only version, what exactly do I get?
What happens when a visitor comes who isn’t in the system?
Do I set the system up myself, or do you come out to do that?
Can I track volunteers with the system?
How many check-in stations do I need?
Does each child get their own barcode, or is it one per family?
If I do one barcode per family, what happens if only part of the family comes?
How are the barcode keytags made?
If I have a touchscreen, do I need a barcode scanner too?
Can I have a touchscreen and barcode scanner attached to the same computer?
Do I have to check people out as well as in?
How do I check people out when they leave?
What happens if someone forgets to check out?
How does offline mode work?
What are the system requirements?
- Windows 7 or later
- 1GB free disk space, 512MB of RAM
- Screen resolution of 1024 x 768 or better
Can it run on a Mac?
Since Apple dropped support for 32 bit apps, the desktop solution of Excellerate no longer runs on Mac.
You can run our cloud solution – Atom on Mac or almost any device, including tablets and phones.
Do you have references I can contact?
Yes. If you are interested in getting a list of our references, tell us by email info@msdweb.com
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What size database do I need?
The size you need is based on how many records you will use, and how many members you have. It is not based on a rough count of how many people walk through your door. If you want to keep track of 1000 members, you need the 1000 member version.
First time visitors can be tracked in the Pre-Member module which has a limit of four times the member limit. So if the 1000-Member version can hold 1000 members and 4000 Pre-Members. But note that the Pre-Member module only tracks first time visitor information. It does not track everything the Member module tracks.
One often overlooked issue to consider is that visitors who make contributions or join a group need to be in the member module, so you will need to count them toward your total. For more information on why that is, read our answer to “What’s the difference between a member and a pre-member?”
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What’s the difference between a member and a pre-member?
Members are people who are involved in the life of your church in any way. This involvement can include making contributions, joining a small group, etc. People who have not joined your church could still fall under the category of member if they, for instance, got involved by joining a small group or making a contribution to the church. In that case, you would need to put them in the member module so you can record that information. If someone needs to be in the member module, but is not a regular attendee, you can note that by giving them a member type of “visitor,” even though they are in the member module. Some churches use the term “member” as an organizational term, with membership being restricted to believers or adults or perhaps each family counts as one member. Excellerate will let you designate this status in each person’s record. But, for the purpose of calculating the size of your database, you need to count the number of individuals who meet any of the criteria in the paragraph above, rather than the number of people who carry the title of “member.”
Pre-members, on the other hand, are people who aren’t involved in your church, but you would like them to be, so you have their information on file and follow up with them. Since pre-members are, by definition, people who aren’t involved in the church, the pre-member section of the program does not include the ability to track a visitor’s small group attendance or contributions. Since you typically have more visitors than actual members, Excellerate’s Pre-Member module holds four times as many people as the Member module. So the 1000 Member version hold 1000 Members, and 4000 Pre-Members.
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What training options do you offer?
We try to make our programs as intuitive as possible, and all new clients automatically get 3 months of tech support free, allowing them to ask any questions they may have. Most people do fine without any formal training at all.
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What is the multi-user license?
This option is a site license that allows you to install Excellerate on all of the computers in your church office. It also allows you to use Excellerate on a network where multiple people can access the database at the same time. Even if you dont have a network, and you would like to use more than one copy of Excellerate in your church, you need to purchase this option. You only need to purchase one site-license for your entire church. You do not need the multi-user license in order to run multiple check-in stations. You only need it for multiple installations of the Church Management software.
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What is the contribution check scanner?
The contribution check scanner will save you hours of data entry by scanning your contribution checks. This will automatically find the appropriate person in your database, save an image of the check, and print an endorsement on the back! You can load up a batch of checks, then just hit the “Scan Check” button. The check image appears on your screen, and all you have to do is enter the amount.
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What happens when my church grows and we fill all the slots we purchased?
Upgrading the size of your database simply costs the difference between the cost of what you have now and the cost of the size you want. You will not pay the full sticker price of the next size up.
The process for upgrading is that you will go to the order page, and at the top you’ll find an area to log in as an existing customer. Once logged in, you will see the upgrade options. Simply select the upgrade you want, and purchase it. You will get an email from us a few moments later with your new registration code. Go into Excellerate, re-register using your new info, and the items you bought will be unlocked. It’s that simple.
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If I have both the church management software and the check-in system and I want to upgrade, do I have to pay to upgrade both?
The process and cost would be the same as upgrading without the check-in system. The church management software and the check-in system, when combined, become one unified system, so an upgrade to one automatically upgrades the other with no additional cost.
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What about upgrades to the software?
The cheapest way to get them is as part of a support package. Customers with either our Standard or Premium Support packages receive access to the latest upgrades.
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How often do you come out with a new upgrade?
There is no predetermined schedule, but the general goal is to make one major release per year. We also try for 4-5 minor releases per year.
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Can I use Excellerate with a wireless network?
Excellerate can run in some wireless environments. But, we strongly discourage it. Anytime you deal with wireless networking, you have the possibility of bits of information being lost in transit. This puts a lot of wear and tear on your database, increasing the chances of it becoming corrupted.
Instead of wireless networking, we recommend a hard-wired network. If that is not possible, we recommend that you make frequent backups of your database, to avoid losing data to corruption. You should also be very mindful of how far the data travels to a hub. The farther it has to fly through the air, the greater the odds of losing information.
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How do I get the software? Is it download or CD?
You decide. When you order, we will send you an email with a link to download the software, as well as your registration information. With that, you can get started. If you pay for shipping of any kind or order hardware, you will get a CD and user manual a few days later.
If all you buy is software and you want to save money, there is also a download only shipping method. Obviously, that’s free. You can get a pdf of our user manual online from the downloads section of our website, and if you ever lose the program we will send you a link to reinstall the last version you had. The download only option doesn’t include a CD or a print copy of the manual.
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If I buy the download only option and my computer crashes, can I re-download the program?
Yes. When you buy the software, it’s yours. If you can’t find your installation CD or never got one, you can contact us and we’ll give a link to re-download the program. You can either get a link to the last version you had (which may be out of date, but there’s no charge), or you can purchase a support plan and upgrade to the newest version of Excellerate and have access to all the new features.
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If I get the check-in only version, what exactly do I get?
The check-in only version of Excellerate includes the check-in station software which you install on all of your check-in computers, plus you get a trimmed-down version of the church management database program that stores all of the people for check-in. This version of the church management program includes everything in full version except contributions, small groups, or web-integration.
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Do I set the system up myself, or do you come out to do that?
You will do it. Installation is very easy. The software comes on a CD and you just insert it and the installation wizard runs. It’s no different than installing any other program. Installing the hardware is also easy. Both the touchscreen and the barcode scanner plug in with a USB connection. Additionally, we include a quick start guide in our child check-in manual to help you.
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Can I track volunteers with the system?
Yes. They can check in the same as a child would. The system will track their attendance. The difference is that adults who check in don’t get a security receipt. Whether or not they get a nametag is up to you.
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I’m going to use multiple check-in stations. Do I need a multi-user license?
Not necessarily. You need a multi-user license only if you will have the database itself stored on more than one computer. Having multiple check-in stations does not require the license.
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How many check-in stations do I need?
The exact number depends upon the layout of your church, how fast your entry method is (having one barcode per child is, for example, much faster than using attendent mode), and also it depends upon whether a lot of people arrive early or if most try to get in at the last minute.
When we surveyed our current clients, most reported using one station for every 50-80 children.
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Does each child get their own barcode, or is it one perfamily?
That’s up to you. Both are an option.
If you do the barcodes individually, when you scan the barcode the child will automatically be entered and the receipt will print. If you do it by family, a list of all the family members comes up and you select who to check in.
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If I do one barcode per family, what happens if only part of the family comes?
When you do the barcodes by family, scanning only pulls us a list of the family members. Then, the children present are selected and checked in. If a child doesn’t come, you simply don’t select them.
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How are the barcode keytags made?
The barcodes we sell come with the barcode already printed on them. Then, all you do is go to the check-in station and look up the child or children to be represented by that tag, select them, then click the “assign” button and scan the barcode. From that point on, the barcode will represent those children and will either return a list of everyone represented, or if there is only one child represented that child will be checked in once you scan the tag.
If you want keytags with your own design printed on them, you can contact a print shop. If you have the shop print barcodes onto each tag, we suggest you make all your barcodes represent a number that is higher than one million (this way the code will be long enough to be read by the system. Most print shops take several weeks to complete the printing, which is another reason why we offer our tags. Even if you will be printing your own, you can use ours while you wait for yours to print. If you need information on the print shop we recommend, email us at info@excellerate.com
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If I have a touchscreen, do I need a barcode scanner, too?
Not if you don’t want one. You can use either the barcode scanner or the touchscreen, or both. You select the combination you want to use.
Some churches favor using both, especially when they print one barcode per family. The barcode can pull up the family, the touchscreen makes it easy to select which family members to check in.
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Can I have a touchscreen and barcode scanner attached to the same computer?
Yes, but it doesn’t let you check in two families at the same time, it just offers an option to the family checking in.
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What happens when a visitor comes who isn’t in the system?
The check-in interface has a button labeled “visitor.” When someone selects that option, a form will appear asking for the person’s name and other information. With this information, the person can be automatically entered into the system. If you are running low on space and do not wish to automatically create records for visitors, that is an option as well. You will also have the ability to program what information is requested on the visitor form, so you can get enough information without asking for so much that the visitor is uncomfortable or the line backs up.
If you create a record for the visitors, you will be able to generate a list of what visitors were present that Sunday. If you do not create records for visitors, you will only be able to see the number of visitors who came.
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Do I have to check people out as well as in?
No. The program allows you to select whether or not you will track check out. Tracking check out can be helpful for security purposes, since it lets you know who already left for the day and who is supposed to be present but has gone missing, but it is not required.
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How do I check people out when they leave?
Simply go through the same process as if you were checking them in. Since Excellerate knows they are already in class, it will know that the second time you enter their information must be them leaving, not arriving.
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What happens if someone forgets to check out one Sunday?
If someone is still checked in at the end of the day, Excellerate will assume they have checked out. It will not record a check out time, since it doesn’t know that, but it will know that the person has left and will act accordingly.
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How does offline mode work?
Each check-in station that runs offline will need a removable storage device. Typically, that is a USB flash drive since they’re cheap to buy and very easy to use. During service, you’ll have the USB drive in the check-in station and the station will record all events on that drive. After service, you will sync your drives with the main database. The database will automatically calculate which event refers to what action, so, even if someone enters at one station and leaves by another, the computer will reconcile the two and know that the first time the person shows up was the check-in and the second time was check-out.
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