CRM Solutions for the Education Sector
The above graphic represents a classic student journey at most UK Education establishments. But typically how many systems are used to track this crucial relationship attrition path? More than one? The chances are there are many, but a Pythagoras solution employing QlikView Business Intelligence and Microsoft CRM would provide a single point of reference for the whole student lifecycle – the true cradle-to-grave approach to contact management for the Education market.
What are the benefits of an integrated Pythagoras holistic solution? Targeted communications, avoiding duplication, avoiding data loss, full integration with the Microsoft Office suite. This includes the extended Outlook integration functionality, immediacy of data retrieval, streamlining business processes, strategically driving the organisation, analysing data using external data sources (UCAS, Experian, LEAs etc), planning more successful events, attracting more top students, engaging with more alumni, generating more income through major donor fundraising, maximising the effect of eMarketing, increasing website traffic and building a branded social network online.
As the relationship between student and academic establishment has evolved to resemble a customer/provider dynamic, a true three hundred and sixty degree approach to relationship management will equip organisations with all the tools they need to provide the highest level of service to their ‘clients’, whilst in parallel allowing all relevant data to be interrogated and reported upon in order to drive strategic decision-making for the future.
Pythagoras also offers CRM and analysis solutions that are re-writing the rules on how data can drive success for Education establishments.
New Line Learning Academy in Kent chose Pythagoras to implement a tracking and analysis system that uses SAT scores, attendance, national and regional averages, health and wellbeing statistics and Experian family profiling data to measure student performance, but also to alert the teaching staff if a student is struggling or beginning to struggle academically or outside of the classroom before they experience major difficulties. From this point a serious of procedures can be assigned automatically to the student, teacher, year head and mentor to assist the student and improve their situation.
Alan Enfield, Vice Principal at New Line Learning Academy, “We chose Pythagoras because they listened to what we wanted and they set up a working model with our data...the fact that they have a dedicated educational business unit showed us that they were serious about what they do and not just after adapting a standard sales model to get a quick financial return. They were interested in our approach to the problem and we felt that they wanted to produce a good working solution almost as much as we did.”
This model has also been adapted for use in Universities and other Further Education establishments and a free trial workshop day using your data to illustrate the benefits of the solution is available on request.
Business Unit
Pythagoras has established a dedicated Business Unit to the Education Sector, managed by a sector professional with nine years business experience including:
- Implementation consultant on projects for 180 Education clients
- Business Solutions Manager for enterprise Higher Education projects including Oxford & Cambridge Universities
The solutions designed and deployed have been derived from a series of process management instances based on a ‘Lego-brick’ approach to design and configuration. This guarantees the solution has the optimum blend of best practice business process and custom business requirements. Pythagoras employs a fully collaborative project approach with Subject Matter Experts within each organisation, with the Pythagoras consultants providing sector-specific knowledge as well as providing best practice approach from external sectors where relevant. Pythagoras has implementation expertise and support Microsoft CRM and Sage solutions to over 20 business verticals in the UK.
Our vision of your CRM success can be illustrated by carrying out an ‘Education Sector Audit’. This is done by our Business Unit Manager and our Pre-Sales technical resources and will provide the initial assessment to allow a thorough investigation into the current setup of the data structure and a high level SWOT analysis of any potential CRM project.
Professional Services
The open interface to other ODBC and SQL systems allowing easy connectivity from MS CRM to Accounting software, key external data repositories (SITS/SIMS/Banner, HR/Payroll, UCAS statistics, Feeder Schools, Timetabling etc) makes the solution not only the primary choice based on ease of connection and full data availability, but also in terms of future-proofing. As new versions of MS CRM are released in the future, as well as the feeder systems themselves, the connections to these external systems can be updated and refreshed simply and easily. The alternative approach, the out of the box coded databases that are locked down from open-level access, is a major risk as future versions may require complete overhauls of the connection between itself and all other business systems.
Third party partner links developed by Pythagoras to key business processes for the sector also means that best-of-breed-solutions can be offered rather than under featured ‘cobbled together’ procedures. Examples of this are our solutions for Short Messaging Service (SMS) integrations and Gift Aid declaration and claim management solutions.
Our major differentiator for Professional Services in the sector is the expertise standard of our Consultants. Pythagoras does not employ a Database Administrator for hire approach like so many other suppliers in the space. Rather than providing clients with former users that have product, but not solution or sector knowledge, we only supply certified consultants specialising in cross-sector CRM, Business Intelligence tools, thereby delivering expertise for best business process practices across this and 23 other CRM business verticals.
Software Investment Benefits
The Microsoft software license agreement for the education sector provides pricing incentives that academic establishments can benefit from enormously – approximately 75% of list pricing for all schools, colleges, academies, higher and further education establishments.
Pythagoras has also worked with Microsoft to offer a "Software as a Service" (SaaS) to the sector. This is an Academic vertical-only offering based on a discounted monthly pricing model, meaning that there is not an upfront software purchase fee, and subscriptions are paid on a per user per month model to fit in with your existing contractual purchases (Student Record database, Content Management System and Website and Support and Maintenance agreements).
Download a copy of our brochure "Microsoft CRM for Education".
For more information and a free, no obligation audit of your CRM requirements, please contact us now at 0845 850 1550, or email us at sales@pythagoras.co.uk.