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Omaha Public Schools research team wins Qualtrics customer-experience award
Summary
Omaha Public Schools' research division received an industry award from Qualtrics and described several district automation projects — including attendance messaging, suicide-ideation screening and a teacher support workflow — that officials said save staff time and improve records.
Omaha Public Schools' research division said it received a Qualtrics award recognizing excellence in customer and staff experience, and officials described district tools they say improve data quality and free staff for direct student work.
At the board's Aug. 18 meeting, a research department staff member told the board the award — presented at Qualtrics' annual summit — recognizes the district's work using the Qualtrics platform to build systems for curriculum adoption feedback, attendance follow-up, suicide‑ideation screening and a new support process for early‑career teachers.
The presenter said the attendance automation, called “Anna,” texts and emails families when an absence lacks explanatory information and follows up to collect a reason; the department estimates the automation has returned roughly 20 workdays per attendance secretary per year by reducing manual follow-up. The research staff member also described a computerized suicide‑ideation intake that replaces multiple paper forms and populates information into the student information system (Infinite Campus), and said the change improves recordkeeping and speeds counselors' access to needed documentation.
A third effort the presenter described was an EX (employee experience) process that sends 30‑, 60‑ and 90‑day surveys and attaches ticketed support so new teachers can be routed to the right department expert. The presenter said three years of district surveying identified unmet expectations for support as a leading cause of early teacher turnover and urged that the ticketed supports help managers connect new staff to resources more quickly.
Board members asked about how projects begin and whether the district will scale them. The research staff member said projects usually start when leadership or school staff identify a persistent “sticky point” and the research team collaborates with school staff and divisions to develop, pilot and refine automations. Vice President Snipes asked about scaling; the presenter said some projects (for example, the EX process) could expand into other staff groupings based on HR priorities, while other systems are more task‑specific.
Superintendent Ray and board members congratulated the research staff. The presenter acknowledged many OPS colleagues by name for collaborating on the projects and said the award reflects districtwide work, not just the research office.
The presentation did not include any formal board action.
