New CRM features designed to streamline educational institution operations

    Start University’s very own CRM has new features that will help facilitate lead management, making higher institution’s jobs just that much easier.


    Start University’s software products are designed with educational institutions in mind: They are designed to streamline lead management processes so that institutions can successfully accompany leads throughout their entire academic lifetime. From prospects to leads and applicants to students and eventually alumni, our software systems will help your business track and manage all operations.   


    Sales agents or academic advisors play an essential role in the lead application process. They are responsible for representing your institution or university, from the occasional direct call to advising prospects and students on what your educational institution has to offer, to the exhaustive follow-up and strategic closing of sales. They have a lot to do!  That's why, to streamline processes, Start University's systems have three important updates that will help agents manage day-to-day operations so they can focus solely on selling.


    Fully online payment


    Once an agent has been able to close a sale with a lead, it is typically their responsibility to then send the lead an email that contains key information about the agreed-upon price as well as acceptable payment methods. As usual, payment methods vary depending on the country where the lead is based. As a result, leads often completed payments independently and many times, have struggled during the process due to unforeseen circumstances or confusion due to the amount of payment options available.


    With the latest Start University CRM update, leads can now make payments completely online with an advisor. Once a sale is completed, a brief meeting is held between the lead and a team composed of the sales agent or academic advisor, and a designated collection agent. All parties introduce themselves and the collection agent will provide the lead with specialized advising, so they are made aware of the possibilities of online payment. In the same meeting, the lead makes the payment with help from the team.


    What is the advantage of a 100% online payment method? 


    There is now an even shorter waiting time for receiving new payments! By offering our leads personalized guidance in real time, we avoid possible drops in the sale that can occur between sales closure and finalized payment.


    Our leads will feel more secure by not having to manage the payment process on their own. Students will be able to reap the benefits of guidance and support even though they are thousands of miles away from your institution, furthering assuring them in the decision they have made to enroll with your school or university.


    Streamlined customer retention


    The second exciting update to our educational CRM is the addition of a feature that allows us to swiftly compose a customer retention report. Retention reports aid in the visualization and in-depth analysis of students who enroll in your educational institution’s courses and choose to continue as students in the next term or cycle by enrolling again. In other words, a retention report allows institutions to track which students it has been able to retain over the course of time.


    In brief, retention reports allow you to track and analyze:

    • The evolution of each generation or cohort of students
    • Total number of students who are continuing in their studies at your institution
    • Newly enrolled students
    • Relevant statistics and analyses related to students who have recently enrolled, ongoing students, and students who have abandoned 

    What is the benefit of customer retention reports?


    All this information is quickly and easily accessed through the SU CRM. You can sort through information based on educational level (e.g. undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or even based on specific programs or dates.


    There is no better way to evaluate student retention than to be able to swiftly generate detailed reports.


    Tags


    Finally, institution’s agents and academic advisors can now add tags to prospects and leads. These tags can be customized and changed to reflect the different needs of your educational institution.


    What is the value of using tags?


    Organization! Using tags to label leads can help academic advisors easily sort through, identify, and group prospects with just a few clicks. Organizing leads through tags means that advisors can also complete manual and automated actions by selecting specific tags. 


    Increased organization allows for swift action and optimized time.


    Our CRM accompanies educational institutions and their students through every step of the student lifetime process. From prospecting and lead generation to retention analysis, Start University’s CRM has the latest features available so that your institution can optimize its operations.

    If you have any questions, please do not hesitate in contacting us.