“From 2022 to 2028, the global market for higher education CRM software is projected to grow by 15.56%, reaching USD 5,025.54 million with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.56 percent.”
These numbers highlight the volume of applications that higher education organizations must manage during each admission season. Seemingly, with the advent of digitalization, students now expect a seamless online admission process from every educational organization.
However, managing an ‘online admission system’ for higher education organizations is far more complex than it sounds. This is where purpose-built higher education CRMs come into play.
Despite the myriad of higher education CRM software options available in the market, making an informed decision can be challenging. Many educational organizations end up purchasing generic B2B sales CRMs, which leads to ongoing complications in enrollment management.
Therefore, in this blog, we’ll explore what purpose-built CRM software for higher education entails and discuss key factors to consider when selecting a CRM for your university or college.
What is a Higher Education CRM?
A higher education CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is purpose-built specifically to address the unique needs of colleges and universities. It centralizes and streamlines interactions with prospective and current students, automating applications and various administrative tasks, while also providing in-depth reports to enhance decision-making processes.
Why Must Higher Education Organizations Opt for a Purpose-Built CRM?
In the higher education sector, managing vast volumes of inquiries, tracking student interactions, and ensuring seamless communication across multiple departments are crucial tasks. This complexity necessitates a CRM solution specifically purpose-built for the sector’s unique needs.
Generic B2B Sales CRM:
While generic B2B sales CRMs are designed to handle sales pipelines and customer relationships, they fall short in the context of higher education. These systems often struggle with high volumes of inquiries, as they are primarily built for sales-focused activities rather than managing the intricate admission processes of educational institutions. Their lack of specialized features can lead to inefficiencies, such as:
- Limited Inquiry Management: Generic CRMs may not support the high volume of inquiries typical in higher education settings. They often lack dynamic inquiry forms and real-time source tracking, which are essential for handling applications from diverse channels efficiently.
- Inadequate Student Engagement Tools: Without features tailored for educational engagement, generic CRMs might not effectively nurture prospective students through personalized communication channels like multilingual SMS, WhatsApp, or automated email sequences.
- Poor Integration with Educational Workflows: Generic CRMs cannot often integrate with student portals, document verification systems, and custom enrollment workflows that higher education institutions require.
Purpose-Built Higher Education CRM:
A purpose-built higher education CRM software for higher education, such as Meritto’s Higher Education CRM, is specifically designed to tackle these challenges and more. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools and features that are crucial for managing the unique demands of higher education institutions:
- Lead Centralization and Management: Meritto’s CRM centralizes inquiries from various sources, including online forms, offline events, and digital agencies, into a single platform. This feature eliminates lead duplication and ensures a unified view of each student’s journey, which is vital for handling high volumes of applications efficiently.
- Advanced Student Engagement: With features like omnichannel communication (email, SMS, WhatsApp, calls) and marketing automation (drip marketing, counselor nudges), Meritto’s CRM enhances student engagement through personalized and contextually relevant interactions.
- Customizable Enrollment Workflows: The CRM includes a drag-and-drop workflow builder to create and manage custom enrollment journeys, from application submission to offer letter generation. This flexibility ensures that the system aligns with the specific processes and requirements of each institution.
- Integrated Payment and Document Verification: Meritto’s CRM provides built-in tools for managing payments and verifying documents, streamlining these processes to reduce manual intervention and errors.
In essence, a purpose-built CRM for higher education not only meets the sector’s unique requirements but also offers advanced functionalities that generic B2B CRMs cannot provide. By investing in a specialized CRM like Meritto’s, educational organizations can optimize their enrollment processes, improve operational efficiency, and ultimately enhance student experiences and outcomes.
Things to Look for in a Purpose-Built Higher Education CRM
When selecting CRM software for higher education, consider the following essential features:
Lead Management and Nurturing
Efficient lead management and nurturing capabilities are vital. Look for a CRM that centralizes leads from various sources (online, offline, events) and provides 360-degree nurturing through email, SMS, WhatsApp, calls, and chat. Automated workflows should prioritize and distribute leads based on custom logic, ensuring timely and personalized engagement.
Application Automation
An advanced application management system is crucial. Features like a student portal, real-time status visibility, multiple form management, and an advanced query management system streamline the application process and enhance the applicant experience.
Payment and Financing
A comprehensive payment and financing module is essential. The CRM should integrate payment collection, manage fees, offer financing options, and provide real-time tracking and reconciliation.
Document Verification and Authentication
Automated document verification and online authentication streamline the enrollment process. Look for features like pre-verified documents, real-time status notifications, and the ability to approve or reject documents with ease.
Enrollment Journey Workflows
Customizable enrollment journey workflows are critical for managing various stages of the student lifecycle. Ensure the CRM offers tools for merit list generation, interview scheduling, offer letter generation, and other essential processes.
Communication Tools
Effective communication tools are a must. A CRM should enable omnichannel communication, including email, SMS, WhatsApp, calls, and push notifications, all managed from a unified platform.
Robust Reporting and Analytics
In-depth reporting and analytics provide visibility into admissions performance. Look for features like centralized reports, real-time tracking, customizable dashboards, and advanced metrics to make data-driven decisions.
Mobile CRM
A mobile CRM ensures that your team can manage admissions on the go. Features like lead access, call logging, geo-tracking, and communication tools should be accessible via a mobile app.
Security and Privacy
Data security and privacy are paramount. Ensure the CRM uses highly secure servers, offers data encryption, and includes features like user-specific permissions, IP-based logins, and detailed activity logs.
What a Purpose-Built Higher Education CRM Looks Like
Meritto’s Higher Education CRM exemplifies what a purpose-built CRM should be. Here are its standout features:
- Lead Centralisation and Nurturing: Centralize leads from all sources and nurture them through email, SMS, WhatsApp, calls, and chat.
- Application Automation: Manage applications with a student portal, real-time status visibility, and query management.
- Payment & Financing (Collexo): Integrated platform for fee collection and management, with financing options.
- Document Verification & Online Authentication: Pre-verified documents, real-time status updates, and approval workflows.
- Enrollment Journey Workflows: Customizable workflows for merit lists, interviews, and offer letters.
- Communication Tools: Omnichannel communication through email, SMS, WhatsApp, calls, and push notifications.
- Robust Reporting Engine: Centralized, real-time reports and analytics.
- Mobile CRM: Mobile app for managing admissions on the go.
- Security and Privacy: Hosted on secure AWS servers with data encryption and comprehensive privacy controls.
What are the Benefits of a Purpose-Built CRM for Higher Education Organizations?
A purpose-built higher education CRM offers numerous benefits, including:
- Enhanced Efficiency: Streamlined processes reduce manual work and improve team productivity.
- Improved Student Engagement: Personalized communication enhances the student experience and increases engagement.
- Data-Driven Decisions: In-depth analytics provide insights for better decision-making.
- Scalable Solutions: Flexible and customizable workflows adapt to the institution’s needs.
- Seamless Integration: Centralized platform integrates various functions, eliminating silos.
Why Meritto is the Best CRM Software for Higher Education
Meritto stands out as the best CRM software for higher education due to its comprehensive features and proven track record:
- Wide Adoption: Trusted by over 1000 educational organizations.
- Scalability: Manages 5 million applications and processes 100 million inquiries annually.
- Robust Functionality: Offers advanced features like lead centralization, application automation, payment and financing, and more.
- Security: Ensures data privacy and security with top-notch encryption and controls.
- User-Friendly: Intuitive interface and mobile app support make it easy to use.
Final words
Choosing the right CRM software for higher education is crucial for optimizing your enrollment processes and enhancing student experiences. Meritto’s higher education CRM offers a comprehensive, scalable, and secure solution tailored to meet the unique needs of colleges and universities. Equip your educational organization with Meritto and empower your teams to attract, engage, and grow your enrollments efficiently.
Are you ready to make your enrollment process seamless? Schedule a call today and our experts will get back to you.
