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Education is one of the most rapidly evolving fields in this day and age. With the ongoing spread of technologies in recent years, we’ve become witnesses to both the shift from in-class to distance learning and the emergence of more and more private schools, colleges, universities, online courses, etc. Those two factors have transformed the education sector into a highly competitive business in which students are customers who are provided with something different from tangible products or services – knowledge.
Even though education as a product or service differs from other businesses, its success is just as tightly bound to customer satisfaction. Thus, maintaining strong relationships with the “customers” of an educational institution is a key for the enhancement of performance and efficiency, as well as for the improvement of the quality of the education. Consequently, to gain a competitive advantage over the rivals, streamline the organization of the learning process, and increase the number of students, more and more educational institutions are implementing CRM software. Let’s delve deeper into the benefits of using CRM systems for education.
A CRM system is a powerful database that allows both students, teaching and administrative staff to have quick and seamless access to needed data. Be it a course schedule, studying materials, a consultations calendar, or payment details – everything is stored in one secure place. Having such a handy repository of data at your fingertips is useful not only for maintaining relationships with your graduates and building new ones with potential students, but also for communication improvement between the educational enterprise and various investors, philanthropists and other stakeholders.
Another great advantage of CRM software is the enhancement of internal (between departments) and external (between an institution and its students) communication, which in turn ensures the efficacy of the educational process on all levels. It facilitates information exchange and promotes cooperation by syncing data from all the communication channels you use. The system stores the extensive history of phone calls, emails, attendance at consultations, private & group lessons, etc. It provides staff with the ability to get in touch with any student easily and quickly when the need arises, helps to eliminate misunderstandings, and allows to organize the work of the educational institution more efficiently. Moreover, CRM software allows you to receive meaningful feedback from your students by maximizing communication opportunities.
The other big plus is that a CRM system offers perfect tools for data analysis and reporting. The software is really helpful in collecting and analyzing information about your employees’ and students’ work. With just a few mouse clicks, the teaching staff will be able to see the analytics that is essential not only for the evaluation of educational trends but also for defining the strengths and weaknesses of every department.
Education is always associated with a huge amount of papers, documents, etc. CRM software can eliminate the amount of paperwork and automate a lot of routine administrative operations. Storing documents, payment receipts, student applications, and course materials digitally within one platform ensures accessibility, security, and flexibility for both staff and students. It reduces the risk of paper misplacement, document loss, and improves communication within departments as there will be no need for your employees to chase down several departments in order to get the paper they need.
In addition, having all the information about potential and current students stored within a single system simplifies the process of monitoring the students’ activity throughout the course of their studies, and provides the ability for the educational institution to personalize the approach to every student without the time and money associated with hiring additional staff. The data captured by the software can help in determining the courses that are more popular among the students and even the teaching methods that proved to be more efficient for a particular student. If leveraged properly, these insights can help to establish personalized communication and adapt teaching approaches to provide the best student experience.
Over the past years, knowledge has become one of the most important products of our society, converting education into a profitable, though rather competitive business. The constant competition for new students motivates every educational institution to seek new ways of attracting and maintaining students, improving efficacy and communication between departments, and finding ways to secure funding. The best partner for all the necessary endeavors is a quality and fully functional CRM system.
Interested in making your business more efficient? Let’s do it together with EspoCRM!