Student Relationship Management with Salesforce

By Swatil Binte Mahmud, Blogger, Lava Protocols

Education institutions are now embracing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to communicate better with their students. CRM systems attract and engage students at different points of the student lifecycle. Students want regular, meaningful, and insightful communications from their institutions. To compete in a digital world and to keep the students satisfied, an education institution’s IT department needs to be efficient, fast, and advanced. The easiest and effective way for universities to reach all their stakeholders is by implementing a modern CRM system. 

The CRM will provide valuable insights, important information, and the latest news to the students. It can also help to nurture a stronger and more personal relationship with current, prospective, and alumni students. Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic, most education institutions have shifted their daily classes and activities to online platforms. Now, more than ever, CRM systems can play a vital role for your institution.

One of the premier private education institutions in Malaysia established in the 1960s is a valuable client of Lava Protocols. They have continuously provided excellent services to their students via diverse study options, relevant curriculum and teaching methods, ongoing partnerships with leading universities worldwide, strong industry linkages, up-to-date facilities, and well-equipped campuses. However, they were missing and in need of a CRM system that would help manage their internal counsellors and departments to perform critical decisions with necessary information. The current education landscape within Malaysia is saturated and competitive and Lava Protocols supported their client by setting up an innovative and sophisticated CRM system to keep up with their competition.

Here is why and how Lava Protocols implemented the Sales Cloud (CRM) solution of Salesforce for their client:

1. Lead Management: Potential leads for student enrolment from the website are directly captured into the CRM platform. The leads are automatically routed to related departments and counsellor.
2. Integration: To ensure the enrollment process is seamlessly linked to the payment process and registration within the client’s own Student Management Systems backend, Lava Protocols put in place a real-time bi-directional integration between these two backend systems and the CRM system.
3. Application Stage: All enrollment applications are vetted by a counsellor prior to being deemed sufficiently qualified to be sent to the respective college’s Student Management System for the offer process.
4. Offer Stage: Counsellors can verify if the admission requirements are met and continue to update the status of the application on the system. As predefined business conditions are met within the applicant’s application, the CRM initiates email notifications to be sent out to the applicant. The applicant is provided with an offer letter for the desired course at this stage.
5. Acceptance Stage: Once the student accepts or rejects the offer, an automated email is sent to the counsellor on the offer status. If the offer is accepted, the counsellor directs the applicant to the finance department to make the necessary payment.
6. Commencement: Finally, processing of payment is done by the finance department in the backend Student Management System, which updates the necessary payment details back to the CRM system via the integration. The CRM then sends a confirmation email to both the student and the counsellor on the successful registration and schedule of classes.

In simple words, by implementing the Salesforce.com CRM this education institution has been able to speedily connect to the applicant, get prompted on key actions, and interact with intra and inter-departments a lot faster and with more transparency. This resulted in a seamless, speedy, and accurate end-to-end process for student enrolment. 

Digital technologies evolve and become more fluid making the scope for communication limitless. The next generation of innovators imagine their institutions to be digital trailblazers using technology. They want to access anything and everything of their institutions with a touch of a finger through their phones and tablets. The only way your organization can do this is by implementing the right tools with the right CRM system. 

If you do not have a CRM in place but you know you need one, Lava Protocols and Salesforce are right here with innovative solutions. 

Lava Protocols is an authorized Salesforce Partner. Want to manage your CRM better? Drop us an email to schedule your demo: hello@lavaprotocols.com.