Dynamics 365 has become the go-to CRM platform in education, largely due to its flexibility and native integrations with other Microsoft tools that are widely used throughout institutions, such as Office 365 and SharePoint.
Dynamics 365 breaks down silos of data from across the institution to provide a holistic view of each person, through application, enrolment, on course and post-graduation. By integrating with other business critical systems such as a Student Record System, Dynamics 365 provides an enhanced level of insight which can be used to produce more accurate reporting and enable institutions to spot trends in their student journeys.
Solutions that span the student lifecycle
Creating a single source of each student from enquiry to alumni
Our approach to Dynamics 365 in education
Dynamics 365 Build
If you already use Dynamics 365 and are looking to extend this, or are looking for a bespoke approach to the build of your student relationship management platform, our team of consultants and project managers are on hand to design and build a solution that addresses each of your specific requirements.
We have used experience gained from working with over 30% of UK universities to develop Evolve HE: a product based on Dynamics 365 that is specifically tailored to the business processes of a UK university. By using Evolve HE, you can speed up your deployment by up to 66%.
Single view of prospective students
Connect internal teams with a 360 degree view of each prospective student, created upon initial enquiry and retained as a central record throughout their engagement with the institution.
Track all activity with each prospective student against this single record, from emails and calls to interactions on social media.
Campaign Automation
Ensure your institution remains your applicants’ first choice by delivering personalised content up to enrolment.
Personalise communications according to information contained within the central student record, engagement with previous communications and stage of application.
Workflow and reporting
Triage and route enquiries to the appropriate team using workflows in Dynamics 365, reducing admin time and ensuring students always receive the best customer experience.
Surface up to date metrics on applications and offers using interactive reports and dashboards, to track progress against recruitment targets.
Student Application Portals
Help applicants feel part of your community by giving them the access to chat on forums, view FAQs and book places at open days using integrated online portals.
Provide a platform for international students and their agents to submit applications and track correspondence.
Event Management
Manage your campaigns and events from one place and easily report on their success and ROI.
Tailor your invitations and follow ups around open days using information contained in the single record of each student.
Student Record System Integration
Integrate Dynamics 365 into your existing Student Record System to allow easy data transfer, reduce duplication and improve productivity for staff.
We have experience of integrating Dynamics 365 with many leading Student Record Systems, including SITs, Banner, Unit 4 and PeopleSoft.
“Working with Pythagoras helped us broker a unified way of doing things across the university, which was a really tall order. We now have 14 departments working in an effective and consistent way to deliver support to our students, which is a real achievement”
CIO | Northumbria University
Student relationship insights
Proactively identify and support students that are potentially at risk, based on intelligence in their student record.
Identify social posts based on intent and sentiment and automatically create cases in Dynamics 365 for those requiring follow up communications.
Student case management
Address concerns or issues raised by students quickly by creating a case in Dynamics 365 and routing it automatically to the appropriate team for resolution.
Provide proactive updates to students about their case through dedicated student portals.
Secure communication tracking
Assign different Microsoft permissions to users according to what they should see about each student, enabling all staff to work from up to date student data without compromising the privacy of sensitive information.
On-course reporting
View case resolution metrics to see the volume and types of cases being raised, view how long each type of case takes to be resolved and identify bottlenecks and improvements to process.
Appointment booking
Use resource scheduling and self-service portals to allow students to book appointments with student services, providing them quick and easy access to the help they need.
Student Service Automation
Use workflows to automate admin-heavy processes and deliver services quickly and consistently. Reduce administrative time to leave institution staff more time to spend with students.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Education
Discovery Workshop
Our Dynamics 365 Discovery Workshops are designed to give institutions a deeper understanding of how Dynamics 365 can support each element of the student lifecycle.
LinkedIn Integration
Use LinkedIn integration to keep in touch with your alumni to understand their career paths post-graduation and identify success stories for inclusion in new recruitment campaigns.
Alumni Fundraising
Use the rich data in Dynamics 365 to personalise fundraising campaigns to your alumni, encouraging them to support you with campaigns relating to their interests and experiences while at your institution.
Postgraduate study
Use the information in Dynamics 365 to inform your alumni of courses or funding options that might be relevant to them if they are considering further study in future.
Business Development
Provide the tools for institutions to drive additional revenue and build external relations with like-minded organisations and the local community.
Employer Engagement
Build relationships with like-minded local businesses that drive mutually beneficial partnerships for their students and commercial teams for employment or sponsorship.
Research and Enterprise
Provide live summary information to senior management, aiding decision making; provide analysis on performance of the business development team; and conduct marketing communications amongst others.
“Pythagoras provided the university with the detailed technical understanding of what the Microsoft Dynamics platform could achieve, but more importantly acted as a partner in helping us evolve our business processes to best utilise that solution.”
Head of Programme Management Office Information and Library Services
University Of Greenwich
Some of the education institutions we’ve worked with
