What is Higher Ed Workflow Automation? Improve Process and Save Time this Year

The natural busyness of the higher ed admissions cycle contributes to the feeling of a non-stop hamster wheel—spinning to keep up with internal and external demands. Connecting with students, processing incoming applications, and enrolling students in upcoming terms are all tasks that require time, resources, and attention.

While you wouldn’t want to eliminate any of these very important steps, there is a way to positively change the way your institution operates.

Allow us to introduce you to workflow automation for higher education.

With automated workflows solutions, you can eliminate some of the hands-on manual processes that are required for most common tasks. If you need to regain time and save your admissions or administrative team members frustration, automation is for you.

What is Workflow Automation?

Workflow automation is the process of eliminating manual data entry or touch points during daily work rhythms. The goal of an automated workflow is to boost time management and efficiency by handling the behind the scenes details and internal processes on your behalf.

Workflow automation relies on software solutions to recreate or accomplish manual tasks that would otherwise be the responsibility of humans. These solutions range from simple to complex, with some of the more advanced options using artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to complete required steps in the workflow chain.

Typical workflow automation solutions might include elements such as triggers, conditions, automated reminders, and time settings. These adjustments help administrators control each workflow (once it’s been set up) and ensure that workflow steps are appropriate for a corresponding action.

Pro Tip: Don’t miss our How Workflows Work article for a behind-the-scenes peek.

Popular Higher Ed Workflows to Increase Productivity and Improve Student Engagement

As you can imagine, higher education workflows have the potential to save staff and administrators substantial time and stress. This is particularly true as colleges and universities gather more student information, recruit broadly, or focus on other competing initiatives.

Repetitive tasks can become automatically routed to remove the strain on administrative staff. The goal? Reclaim valuable time and resources while continuing to offer an excellent experience throughout the student lifecycle. 

Because Element451 has multiple workflow options already built in, we have a front row seat for observing how higher ed institutions automate workflows to create the best digital experiences. 

Some of the most common use cases include the following automated processes.

Responses for Digital Forms (Information Request Form)

Sending emails to visitors who submit a request for information form is a typical method of providing personal support with workflows. This digital process ensures that everyone who submits an inquiry (on a laptop, mobile device, or tablet) gets accurate and detailed information about their academic search.

Automated Workflows for Email and SMS

Setting up an email and SMS series is possible based on calendar dates, actions prospects take (such as clicking a link), or a combination of both events. Since workflows are triggered by specific actions, administrators can customize a school's unique process based on how an inquiry moves through the workflow.

More Efficiency in the Admissions Process

Applying a label such as “applicant” to a person's profile when someone starts an application can be a helpful time saver when entering data for other departments. Workflows come in handy when you need to keep personal information clean and organized, or when different parties need to make informed decisions based on common paperwork.

Workflow automations eliminate unnecessary bottlenecks and time lags, especially around important dates (like registration windows). This ensures that students receive quick service from university or campus personnel and that they have a positive digital application experience when working within different systems.

Results for Financial Aid Business Processes

Managing financial aid requirements remains one of the most challenging tasks in higher education. With so many compliance regulations, requirements, and deadlines, staff and students alike can easily become overwhelmed, lost in a sea of digital paperwork.

Boosting efficiency through smarter workflows significantly improves the financial aid process. By streamlining communication between staff and students, automatically routing notifications and approval steps, and incorporating secure digital document management, staff can decrease the time it takes to allocate funds while increasing transparency and accuracy. These results reshape the student experience and make one of the most tedious processes for educational institutions much less burdensome.

Benefits of Using Workflow Automation in Higher Ed

In higher education, there are thousands of data points to work with and manage every day. This includes information about current students and prospective students. Without a clear way to manage and organize new data, the sheer volume makes staying afloat difficult.

When disorganization extends beyond internal team members, it can give students a negative impression or hinder their trust in the enrollment experience. That’s why it’s so valuable to take advantage of the benefits that workflow automation provides.

Faster Responses

Automation tools allow colleges to capture contact information instantly and respond in real-time. When a future student requests information on a specific program, that trigger sends follow-up details right away. As a result, schools can better capitalize on when students are most interested based on specific research parameters. 

Speedy responses also make a positive difference for students, even after those students are enrolled. Providing information quickly is one of the key ways to encourage attendees to take specific actions that are required for new enrollment (such as submitting a digital waiver or making a seat deposit payment). 

Consistent Results

Workflow automation software also helps school leaders deliver consistent results (and eliminate human error) across the board, regardless of how many hands are on deck. This is because workflows are set up to follow predefined steps using information that’s already known within the engagement platform or CRM. 

For instance, when a future student submits a new application, what happens next should be standard. Whether that’s an email confirmation or text follow-up from an admissions counselor, delivering consistency is one way to improve expectations.

Detailed Insights for Multiple Departments

Higher education institutions that have several dispersed teams and offices can reduce or eliminate confusion by relying on workflow automations. 

Because automations eliminate many of the direct human actions associated with certain triggers, separate teams aren’t forced to create their own processes to alleviate shared pain points. This makes it easier on everyone involved, since many questions about how to handle a student situation are already answered. 

Reduced Workload for Busy Staff

Higher ed institutions can use automated systems to relieve staff members of repetitive, time consuming tasks. An automated system can easily handle activities like replacing paper forms, sending notifications, generating reports, and updating student records—all without compromising data integrity. 

These perks mean that staff members can free up time, allowing them to focus on more complex and valuable campus activities. With the right tools, automation reduces the likelihood of human error, making workflows more predictable and reliable.

How Does a Student Engagement Platform Improve Workflows?

At Element451, we believe in the intrinsic value of marketing automation that promotes productivity and personalizationat every exchange. With a student engagement platform, you can use workflow automation in higher ed to orchestrate complex messaging or marketing campaigns based on the real student experience. Dial in to the most pressing questions about your school immediately, and improve the student experience with highly impactful changes.

Many Element451 customers rely heavily on drip and nurture campaigns to connect with new students in individualized ways. Fortunately, the options are almost endless. There's nothing workflow automations can't do to streamline your current systems and improve efficiency. 

Element451's exclusive campaign library also makes choosing pre-built automations a breeze. Select and download a workflow that matches your student-focused campaign goals for student retention, and get new campaigns up and running without stress.

Does Your Workflow Automation Need a Digital Transformation? 

When higher ed professionals are overwhelmed with basic tasks, or there’s simply no extra time to launch creative campaigns easily, automated systems save the day. During the busy seasons of higher education admissions, rest assured that you can keep the wheels moving in the direction of campus growth.

Element451 has workflow automation resources that instantly allow you to create, build, and schedule workflows that work for your institution’s goals. Launching your student-centric processes has never been easier or more productive.

>> Schedule an Element451 demo today. <<