Do I Really Need Salesforce for Higher Education?

If we know one thing about the evolution of higher education processes, it’s that education data architecture has gone digital. Colleges and universities of all sizes and specialities must be diligent to protect, organize, and use student data in efficient ways. As a result, many organizations turn to customer relationship management (CRM) solutions like Salesforce.

One of the biggest names in the industry, Salesforce, offers specialized software suites. Salesforce CRM for Education helps campus leaders maintain accurate student data, while connecting multiple parts of the campus community. Thousands of schools around the world leverage Salesforce for its reliability.

But do you really need Salesforce for your school? Is it the only option out there? In this post, we’ll provide an overview of Salesforce for Higher Education and give you a subjective look at Salesforce when compared to Element451.

What is Salesforce CRM for Higher Education?

Salesforce CRM for Education is a CRM experience built onto Salesforce’s main CRM infrastructure. The education package isn’t exclusive to post-secondary education. In fact, Salesforce’s capabilities extend to K-12 districts and other types of educational programs. 

Similar to other types of CRM tools, Salesforce allows staff members and administrators within higher education to see the complete student lifecycle. From recruitment, to admissions, and eventually graduation, a student’s progress and information is carefully tracked through CRM records. Campus-wide transparency helps everyone see exactly what a student needs, what requests they’re making, and what steps to take next.

When looking at a CRM like Salesforce, specific features can be important to the overall value of the tool. These features might include:

• Application processes
• Document management and intake
• Marketing campaign tracking
• Fee and financial management
• Individual communications
• Ticketor or advising requests

Benefits of Using Salesforce Education Cloud

When schools choose to invest in a CRM platform to manage student activity and relationships, leaders and decision-makers want reassurance that the choice is worth it. Salesforce for Higher Ed has several noteworthy benefits and advantages.

Student Management Backed by a Powerful Platform

Salesforce for Higher Education is powered by the Salesforce ecosystem as a whole. This means that it comes ready to go with all of the tools, features, customer support, and capabilities that come standard for Salesforce customers. As a thought leader in the CRM space, Salesforce regularly pioneers new technology and innovative features that make the investment worth it for some administrators and school personnel.

Connected to a Skillful Community

One of the most significant benefits of using Salesforce is the ability to plug in to a global network of other users, often called “Trailblazers” based on the varying levels of training and certification they hold. Community and user groups can help organizations troubleshoot issues or come up with new solutions for how they manage student data. Having access to this worldwide network proves valuable, especially for smaller institutions that have limited resources locally or on their own campus.

Additionally, Salesforce often sponsors events and meet-ups, including the Higher Education Summit and Dreamforce. These events are hosted all over the country and bring some of the leading voices in the industry to speak and share new ideas.

Lifelong Student Relationship Model

Although Salesforce is helpful for student recruitment, admissions, and enrollment, the platform also helps schools stay connected to students through graduation and beyond. 

This approach to lifelong learning means that schools can better maintain historical academic records while keeping in touch with family and community members. It's also particularly helpful for fundraising efforts, event management, and alumni management.

What are Some College CRM Software Alternatives?

Even though Salesforce for Higher Education is one of the most well-recognized names in the industry, it’s not the only CRM solution for colleges and universities. There are other CRM systems available that are either general in nature or specifically geared to serving a higher ed audience. Many of these choices are browser or cloud-based and allow schools to keep pace with growing student numbers over time.

• Element451 – Comprehensive student engagement platform 
• Full Fabric – Specialization in admissions and enrollment processes
• DegreeSight – Specifically focuses on academic advising services and student retention
• Populi – Cloud-based platform for modern colleges and universities

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it goes to show that schools have choices when it comes to CRM platforms. At a given time, a college or university may want to specialize in a specific area (like enrollment or admissions) and select a CRM that’s perfectly suited to solving key pain points in that area alone. 

Choosing an Education CRM to Support Students

When selecting the right engagement CRM (whether that’s Salesforce or something else), asking a few key questions up front can lead you to the right conclusions. It’s important to be realistic about the problems you’re experiencing, the available resources at hand, and how much you’re willing to spend or invest in a new solution. The following questions can help clear the air and help decision makers align on the right choice.

Higher Education CRM Questions to Ask

• What are the biggest frustrations and pain points that we’re currently facing, and what solution can solve them efficiently?
• How much money is the school willing to spend or invest in the purchase and maintenance of a new CRM solution?
• Will we need to migrate any existing data to the new CRM, and if so, how simple is that process going to be?
• Does the school require a “niche” product that focuses on one key area like marketing or admissions, or is there a broader need that the CRM should help solve for the entire student lifecycle?
• What is the customer support or technical help like, should school personnel have questions or need help with issues?

The Benefits of Element451 as a Student CRM Platform

At Element451, we believe in the power of student personalization to get higher education institutions the results that they’re looking for. In fact, personalization takes priority at every step of the journey, from initial interaction through eventual enrollment. 

There are multiple advantages to working with a highly-rated, specialized CRM or student experience platform like Element451. 

Not only will you build better customer relationships, but you can have a direct impact on student success.

Simplified Onboarding and User Experience

When you work with a company or CRM solution that focuses on only one area (such as higher education or student enrollment), it may be easier to find answers and solutions to specific higher education scenarios. 

With a far-reaching solution like Salesforce, you may not necessarily need every single data or CRM feature, which could increase onboarding and training time for staff, or even make new processes more cumbersome. Whenever you adopt a new solution, ensure that you’re ready for all of the parts and pieces, especially when handing over control to your end users.

Specialized Recruitment and Enrollment Features 

One of the most pressing concerns in modern higher education is declining enrollment among undergraduate populations. To solve or counteract these declines, it makes sense to choose a CRM platform that has unique enrollment features. 

Element451 provides personalized marketing campaigns and content to prospective students to encourage new enrollments and provide support to admissions processes. Smart automations make it easier than ever to get students through the pipeline, while providing an exceptional experience that all parties are happy with.  

At Element451, we believe that every prospective student deserves individualized attention. If personalization has been a struggle for your institution in the past, choosing a CRM that closes the gap can be highly beneficial to upcoming enrollment goals. 

In-Depth Marketing Performance and Analytics

To truly understand whether your student CRM platform is fulfilling its purpose, analytics and performance metrics are essential. Element451 takes users and admins beyond the basic demographic data that can be located in any CRM solution.

Predictive analytics and other in-depth performance measurements can help school staff members review, monitor, and evaluate the exact strategies in use at a specific time. These insights are extremely valuable for enhancing staff performance and improving the overall experience for students themselves. 

When you’re relying on a CRM platform, you can’t leave performance to chance. Setting relevant goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) can help your school stand out from other similar or competing institutions. 

Enjoy a Better Student Experience with Element451

Modern student engagement requires modern, up-to-date tools at processes. At Element451, we have a deep understanding of the need to keep pace with innovation and technological progress. That’s why our platform is geared with this generation of students in mind. 

If you want to ensure that your personalization efforts are specifically targeted to the right group of students, we’ve got you covered with the features, automations, marketing messaging, and analytics to get you there. 

Not a customer year? You can secure a demo today to get started with the best higher education CRM system for your enrollment management and student engagement needs.