Salesforce Education Cloud in Higher Education: Transforming University Operations and Student Experience

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Ashutosh Anand Patkar

November 14, 2024

Introduction 

For students, the journey through higher education is filled with challenges—balancing academics, adapting to campus life, and navigating complex administrative systems. Between juggling deadlines, maintaining a decent GPA, and trying to remember if you had instant noodles for breakfast or dinner, the last thing anyone needs is to navigate through complex administrative and academic processes that seem to be designed by the same person who invented Monday 8 AM classes. 

Today’s students are also digital natives who expect their university experience to be seamless, personalized, and responsive to their needs. However, the infrastructure supporting this journey isn’t always up to speed. Institutions often struggle to provide a connected experience due to outdated systems and fragmented data, leading to barriers that affect everything from student engagement to alumni relations. 

Universities are now tasked with providing the modern, efficient infrastructure students deserve—one that makes it easier for students to focus on their goals without getting bogged down by administrative complexities. Meeting these expectations requires a solution that not only streamlines internal operations but also delivers an engaging, unified experience across all touchpoints. Enter Salesforce Education Cloud: a platform that enables institutions to centralize their operations, break down silos, and enhance the student experience from enrolment to alumni engagement. As the demands of today’s learners continue to evolve, forward-thinking administrators are turning to Salesforce Education Cloud as the solution to transform both operations and the overall student experience. 

Challenges Faced by Higher Education Institutions

From organizing sprawling class schedules to navigating a maze of student services, universities today face a host of challenges. Coordinating thousands of student needs, managing endless paperwork, and keeping alumni connected—all while adapting to new technology—can feel like an endless balancing act. Higher education institutions are under pressure to support students more effectively, streamline operations, and meet evolving expectations, making their day-to-day operations almost as complex as the courses they teach. 

Let’s explore some of these pressing issues that Salesforce Education Cloud is uniquely positioned to address

  1. Siloed Data and Poor Interdepartmental Communication
    Universities often struggle with data fragmentation, where critical information is spread across different departments and systems. This siloed data environment leads to communication gaps, making it challenging for staff to collaborate effectively. Salesforce Education Cloud can address this by providing a centralized platform where data from various departments—such as admissions, student services, and alumni relations—is integrated, facilitating better communication and decision-making.

  2. Administrative Burdens and Inefficiencies
    Administrative tasks like processing applications, managing student records, and coordinating student support services are often time-consuming and complex. Manual processes and outdated systems can lead to inefficiencies, hampering staff productivity and delaying response times. Salesforce Education Cloud automates routine processes, allowing staff to focus on more impactful tasks, ultimately boosting efficiency.

  3. Challenges in Recruiting, Onboarding, and Retaining Students
    Universities face intense competition to attract and retain students. Effective recruitment, smooth onboarding, and personalized support throughout the student journey are critical factors for student satisfaction and retention. Salesforce Education Cloud streamlines the recruitment and onboarding process, helping institutions better engage prospective students, address their needs, and guide them through the admissions process seamlessly.

  4. The Need for Personalized Student Engagement and Support
    Students today expect a tailored, engaging experience from their university. Generic, one-size-fits-all communications no longer suffice. To improve engagement and support, institutions need to deliver personalized experiences based on each student’s needs and goals. Salesforce Education Cloud provides the tools necessary to track each student’s progress, preferences, and interactions, enabling a truly individualized approach.

  5. Managing Alumni Relations and Fundraising
    Building strong alumni relationships and managing fundraising campaigns are essential for universities to thrive. However, maintaining engagement and fostering meaningful connections with alumni can be challenging. Salesforce Education Cloud enables universities to manage alumni relations effectively, streamline communication, and organize successful fundraising campaigns. 

How Salesforce Education Cloud Transforms University Operations? 

Salesforce Education Cloud is a comprehensive CRM solution designed specifically for the unique demands of higher education. It integrates various systems, centralizes data, and provides institutions with the tools they need to optimize operations and deliver a seamless experience for students, staff, and alumni. Here are some of the primary ways Salesforce transforms university operations: 

Unified Student Data Platform 
Salesforce Education Cloud serves as a unified platform that consolidates data from multiple sources, creating a single source of truth for each student. By integrating data from departments such as admissions, financial aid, academic records, and student support services, the platform provides a holistic view of each student. This enables faculty and staff to access critical information at any time, leading to better collaboration and data-driven decision-making. 

Admissions and Enrolment Management 
Salesforce streamlines the entire admissions and enrolment process, from recruitment to onboarding. Institutions can track prospective students’ interactions, manage application workflows, and ensure timely follow-ups. By automating these processes, Education Cloud reduces the time and effort required to process applications, making it easier for universities to engage prospective students and improve conversion rates. Additionally, this efficient process sets a positive tone for students as they transition into university life. 

Academic Advising and Student Success 
Academic success is at the heart of student satisfaction and retention. Salesforce Education Cloud provides a comprehensive set of tools for academic advising and student support. Staff can track student progress, identify areas where students might be struggling, and implement early interventions to support them. The platform also allows advisors to create personalized academic plans, set reminders, and monitor performance. By enhancing academic support, Salesforce Education Cloud contributes directly to student success and retention. 

Engagement and Communication 
Effective communication is critical in keeping students informed and engaged. Salesforce enables institutions to send automated, multi-channel communications—such as emails, SMS, and push notifications—for everything from event reminders to academic updates. This ensures that students are kept in the loop and feel connected to campus life, even if they are learning remotely. Salesforce Education Cloud also offers tools to gather student feedback, helping institutions continuously improve their services and adapt to student needs. 

Alumni and Donor Management 
Alumni relations and fundraising are key pillars of a university’s growth and success. Salesforce Education Cloud supports robust alumni management by tracking engagement, communication history, and donation records. This enables universities to nurture relationships with alumni, fostering a lifelong connection to the institution. With Salesforce, universities can also plan and execute fundraising campaigns, segmenting alumni based on interests and donation history to tailor outreach efforts for maximum impact.
Through these functionalities, Salesforce Education Cloud helps universities operate more efficiently, enhancing productivity across departments while ensuring a cohesive, connected experience for all stakeholders.
Through these functionalities, Salesforce Education Cloud helps universities operate more efficiently, enhancing productivity across departments while ensuring a cohesive, connected experience for all stakeholders.

Enhancing Student Experience with Salesforce Education Cloud 

Beyond operational improvements, Salesforce fundamentally enhances the student experience by providing a personalized and engaging journey. Here’s how Salesforce supports students at every stage: 

Personalized Student Journeys 
Salesforce Education Cloud enables institutions to create tailored experiences for each student, from initial contact as a prospective student to graduation and beyond. By leveraging data from multiple sources, universities can gain insights into each student’s goals, preferences, and progress. This allows for customized support that resonates with individual students, fostering a sense of belonging and satisfaction. 

Self-Service Portals and Mobile Access 
In today’s fast-paced world, students expect convenience and accessibility. Salesforce offers student portals where students can access information, complete tasks, and request support independently. These self-service portals enable students to check grades, schedule appointments, and pay fees, all from a single platform. Additionally, Salesforce’s mobile accessibility ensures students can access these services anytime, from any device, making it easier for them to stay on top of their academic responsibilities. 

24/7 Support with Chatbots and AI 
With the integration of AI-powered chatbots, Salesforce provides round-the-clock support for students. These virtual assistants can answer common queries, provide quick solutions, and direct students to relevant resources when needed. By offering 24/7 support, universities can ensure that students receive timely assistance, even outside of regular office hours, which is especially valuable for remote or international students. 

Engagement in Campus Life and Events 
Salesforce also helps institutions promote and manage campus events, fostering a vibrant community. Through event management tools, universities can send targeted invitations, track attendance, and gather feedback post-event. This level of engagement enhances the student experience by helping them stay connected and active in campus life, which is often a key factor in student satisfaction and retention. 
By delivering these personalized, accessible, and engaging experiences, Salesforce Education Cloud enables universities to meet modern students’ high expectations, resulting in higher satisfaction and retention rates. 

Real-World Applications of Salesforce Education cloud in Higher Education 

Salesforce’s adaptability allows educational institutions to tailor their systems to meet unique operational needs and provide a better experience for students. Here are some examples of how institutions are using Salesforce solutions, implemented by Mirketa, to streamline processes, increase engagement, and enhance student success: 

Transforming Enrolment with a 360° Student View 
One education technology client with a network including Fullstack Academy, TutorMe, and Learn@Forbes sought to optimize their enrolment processes and deliver highly personalized student interactions. Mirketa helped this client build a centralized lead management system through Salesforce, leveraging the Education Data Architecture (EDA) to support comprehensive and automated enrolment journeys. 

By implementing EDA, which provides a pre-configured, flexible framework tailored to higher education institutions, Mirketa created an end-to-end automation solution using Salesforce Sales Cloud and Marketing Cloud. The result was a streamlined enrolment process that enabled data-driven decision-making and fostered deeper engagement, making enrolment interactions more meaningful and effective.

Re-engineering Student Application Processing for a Private Nursing College 
In another project, Mirketa partnered with a multi-location nursing college in the U.S. to re-engineer its student application assignment and tracking process. This institution needed a robust solution to manage complex application routing rules across different campuses and systems, including their Student Administration and Financial systems. To meet these needs, Mirketa developed customized Lead and Opportunity assignment algorithms that factored in existing student relationships, streamlining the application journey. This solution also integrated Salesforce with their legacy system, CampusVue, syncing data automatically and reducing manual tasks for the admissions team. Additionally, error-emailing functionality was added for offline error tracking, ensuring the system runs smoothly even when challenges arise. The result was a significant improvement in productivity and a more connected experience for incoming students. 

Revolutionizing Education with Einstein AI: The Next Frontier

In today’s competitive higher education landscape, institutions need more than just digital transformation—they need intelligent solutions that can anticipate and address challenges before they arise.  

As a trusted Salesforce partner, we at Mirketa are excited to introduce you to the latest AI innovations in Education Cloud, powered by the Einstein 1 Platform. These groundbreaking capabilities are transforming how institutions operate and support student success. 

Smart Degree Planning: Clearing the Path to Graduation 

  1. The Challenge: Universities struggle to provide personalized academic guidance at scale, while students often face confusion about their degree requirements and graduation timeline.

  2. The Solution: Intelligent Degree Planning This revolutionary tool creates clear roadmaps to graduation by:

  • Providing real-time progress tracking toward degree completion 
  • Automatically identifying remaining requirements 
  • Suggesting optimal course combinations 
  • Enabling advisors to create customized Pathway Templates based on majors and preferred graduation timelines 

Workforce Readiness: Bridging the Skills Gap 

  1. The Challenge: Faculty and administrators spend countless hours manually mapping course outcomes to workforce skills, while students struggle to understand how their coursework translates to career-ready competencies. 

  2. The Solution: AI-Powered Skills Generator This innovative feature transforms curriculum planning by: 

  • Automatically analysing course content to identify market-relevant skills 
  • Generating comprehensive skills lists for course descriptions 
  • Helping advisors match courses to students’ career goals 
  • Enabling students to build targeted skill sets for their chosen careers 

Mentorship Enhancement: Creating Meaningful Connections 

  1. The Challenge: Managing mentorship programs manually is time-consuming and often results in mismatched mentor-mentee pairs. 

  2. The Solution: Einstein Mentorship Summaries This intelligent matching system: 

  • Analyses mentee needs and goals using AI 
  • Evaluates mentor experiences and expertise 
  • Suggests optimal mentor-mentee matches 
  • Streamlines program management for staff 

Data-Driven Decision Making: Breaking Down Silos 

  1. The Challenge: Institutions struggle to integrate data from multiple systems, making it difficult to gain actionable insights and predict student outcomes. 

  2. The Solution: Data Cloud for Education This powerful platform: 

  • Unifies data from diverse sources into a single view 
  • Powers predictive analytics for enrollment and retention 
  • Generates AI-driven insights about student engagement 
  • Enables proactive intervention strategies 

Smart Recruitment: Enhancing Prospective Student Engagement 

  1. The Challenge: Admissions teams face increasing pressure to provide immediate, accurate responses to prospective student inquiries while maintaining personalization. 

  2. The Solution: Einstein Copilot Recruitment & Admissions Actions This AI-powered assistant: 

  • Provides instant, contextual responses to prospective student questions 
  • Generates personalized course and program summaries 
  • Identifies opportunities for additional support 
  • Maintains consistency in recruitment communications 

Personalized Student Support: Streamlining Student Services 

  1. The Challenge: Creating effective intake processes for various student services requires significant manual effort and often misses crucial student needs.
     
  2. The Solution: Intelligent Question Generator for Student Intake This sophisticated tool:

  • Creates personalized questionnaires for different student services 
  • Incorporates historical knowledge for better assessment 
  • Improves program matching accuracy 
  • Streamlines the intake process across departments 
At Mirketa, we understand that implementing these AI capabilities requires more than just technical expertise—it demands a deep understanding of higher education processes and challenges. Our team of specialists works closely with institutions to: 
  • Assess current processes and pain points 
  • Develop customized AI implementation strategies 
  • Ensure seamless integration with existing systems 
  • Train staff on effective use of AI tools 
  • Monitor and optimize AI performance 
By leveraging these cutting-edge AI capabilities, institutions can not only improve operational efficiency but also deliver the personalized, responsive experience that today’s students expect. The future of higher education is here, and it’s powered by intelligent automation and AI-driven insights. 

Key Considerations for Implementing Salesforce Education Cloud in Higher Education

For higher education institutions planning to adopt Salesforce, several considerations can maximize the platform’s effectiveness and ensure a smooth implementation. 

Identify Institutional Goals and Challenges 

Define specific goals, such as improving student retention, boosting alumni engagement, or enhancing operational efficiency. Clear goals ensure that the Salesforce implementation aligns with the institution’s unique needs. 

Ensure Cross-Departmental Collaboration 

Successful implementation requires collaboration among admissions, student services, IT, and alumni relations. Involving all relevant departments ensures comprehensive data integration and maximizes the platform’s potential. 

Plan for Data Migration and Integration 

Moving data from legacy systems to Salesforce is often intricate and requires careful management. Proper planning and a thorough data-cleaning process are essential to ensure seamless integration and data accuracy. 

Invest in Staff Training and Support 

Equipping staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to use Salesforce effectively is essential for successful adoption. Ongoing training and support also help institutions adapt to updates and new features over time. 

Partner with Experienced Consultants 

Working with experienced Salesforce consultants like Mirketa can make a significant difference in implementation success. A trusted partner can provide expert guidance, handle technical challenges, and ensure the solution is customized to the institution’s needs.

Conclusion 

In an era where students expect personalized and seamless experiences, Salesforce offers universities a powerful tool to stay competitive and foster a culture of excellence. By addressing the unique challenges faced by higher education institutions—such as data fragmentation, administrative inefficiencies, and the need for personalized engagement—Salesforce helps universities not only meet modern expectations but also exceed them. 

Mirketa, with its expertise in Salesforce Education Cloud implementation, is committed to helping educational institutions harness the full potential of this platform. With Salesforce as a strategic partner, universities are well-equipped to navigate the evolving educational landscape, ensuring a brighter future for students and the institution. If your institution is ready to take this transformative step, reach out to us and we shall begin the journey. 

Pranshu Goyal, Director of Products at Mirekta, states: “We envision DSM to be used by every small to a medium-sized organization dealing with bad data and want to get rid of duplicates easily with no cost. We have faced issues dealing with duplicates in our organization. That inspired us to make a solution that is not only simple to use but can be used widely to make the organization’s data clean to make them more efficient and productive. We want DSM to be a solution for every organization looking for duplicate management capability better than the Salesforce out-of-the-box solution with no additional cost.”

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