Best CRM for Higher Education: Meeting Special Needs of Academic Institutions

CRM tools have really become an integral part of higher education institutions in today’s fast-changing world. While this is the approach universities and colleges follow to bring students under a relationship framework, improve recruitment, manage alumni, and make the administrative function much easier, the need of CRM for higher education remains; which of the following best provides a solution to it? In this blog, we will discuss the best CRM for higher education and the need of CRM for Higher Education. 

What is CRM?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategy and technology used by an organisation to manage its interactions with customers, current and potential. It uses tools, systems, and practices to standardise communication, gather customer information, and enhance relationships. The process centralises the customer information in a highly accessible format for businesses, allowing them to monitor what happens around interactions, sales, and service-related activities within one place.

An otherwise useful activity of being able to structure and manage customer data efficiently is proving to improve retention, enhance the sales process, and provide customised services. It can also be used as marketing automation, tracking sales, and even for the management of customer support, with a guaranteed outcome of improved engagement and loyalty. CRM systems are found predominantly in retail, financial, and educational industries and deliver real insights to support data-driven decisions, increase productivity, and, most importantly, deliver customer satisfaction.

Simply put, CRM is a practice that helps build the strongest, longest possible relationships with clients while translating into a long-term success for the business.

The Need of CRM for Higher Education

Student-centric outcomes for higher education institutions, better management of large data volumes to ensure that students get a seamless, personalised experience from recruitment/admission all through graduation and alumni relations, and having a database of all communication with students using a CRM system help colleges maintain details of communication with students. This will give universities an insight into what their students want, what they are interested in, and where they are struggling, thereby allowing universities to strengthen support and enhance engagement.

Effective Recruitment and Admission Process:

Most significant changes occur during the recruitment stage. For most higher education institutions, thousands of applications pour in, involving interactions, queries, and application status, which are impossible to handle manually. Most of the recruitment procedures can be fully automated by using a CRM system, wherein the prospective students do not feel any inconvenience at all. From personalising email campaigns to automatic follow-ups, a CRM system makes sure that no opportunity goes unnoticed.

Stronger Communication:

An institution needs to be in touch with its students, faculty, and alumni to build a relationship instead of just conducting business. CRMs can centralise communication about email, text, or even social media. That way, an institution will only communicate the same consistent message but with added superiority since the circulation is based on the profile of the recipient, thereby increasing the rate of engagement.

Data-Driven Decision:

While such higher education institutions collect so much data, they often cannot make sense of it. CRMs are well-equipped with advanced analytics to help provide insights into student performance, retention rates, and contributions from alumni. Real-time data empowers universities to make informed decisions about bettering their programs or adjusting recruitment strategies to improve services for students.

Alumni Engagement:

The graduates are a critical mass in the development and repute of an institute. Strategy keeps them engaged. A CRM manages alumni affairs; it keeps track of what they give back; keeps the alumni apprised of what’s going on – the happenings around the institution, events, etc.

To Sum Up

The need for CRM in higher education is self-evident. As the complexity around student engagement, recruitment, and alumni relations continues to grow, CRMs have become an integral part of managing data, streamlining processes, and understanding relationships better between institutions and students as well as alumni. 

In addition to the above-mentioned CRM functionalities, Headstart offers a higher education-specific CRM customised to each institution’s needs. Headstart services centre around simplifying the recruitment and student engagement and management of relationships with alumni using advanced automation tools, personal touch features, and data-driven insights to help improve overall business operations and student success. Get in touch with us now to know how Headstart can help you.