November 20, 2023
Listen to this articleFor any higher education institution, having streamlined communication is a basic expectation. Whether it’s for students or staff, there’s no way we can underestimate the importance of an efficient communication process. It could be through any method – email, texts, or social media channels, but you need to know what’s working for the institution. And if you’re using an efficient CRM solution, that’s where top Salesforce partners can be of great assistance.
Salesforce came up with the Connected Student Report to understand the expectations of students and staff at higher education institutions, and the results were amazing. Considering the results of the report, there are several ways through which communication can be improved in these institutions.
So, in this blog, let’s talk about different ways that could help in promoting streamlined communication among students, staff, and alumni in higher ed institutions.
Salesforce, being a centralized data hub, can prove to be a significant help for organizations and institutions to maintain data in one place for streamlined and personalized communication. All of this could be achieved while eliminating data silos and ensuring that all the audience have access to updated information on the platform.
For higher ed institutions, Salesforce is an efficient platform to manage records and details of students, staff, and alumni, maintaining their past interactions and information that could be helpful for targeted marketing.
Along with this, Salesforce can be easily integrated with different email applications and calendars that institutions have been using to achieve communication with a more synchronized approach. This would enable the communication channels in use to be all interconnected, maintaining a single source of truth for all stakeholders. Additionally, Salesforce also allows you to measure the effectiveness of the communication strategies being followed through reporting and analytics.
So, as we move forward, we’ll be talking about institutions that are using Salesforce and how they could maximize its usage to improve their internal communication.
According to the results of the Connected Student Report, there are some efficient ways that could be helpful for better communication practices.
Any institution that is not communicating consistently can be a factor of trust issues. This would invoke doubt among people if they are receiving the right message at the right time. This lack of consistent communication can be a big reason to create a trust gap among the different audiences in the institution.
To overcome this issue, planning and effective execution are necessary, along with constant tracking. Thus, it will help to disseminate consistent communication. Moving to Salesforce Marketing Cloud with the help of Salesforce partner companies is another efficient choice for institutions if they need a single platform to personalize and coordinate communications in a better way while improving targeting.
The report says that 42% of students are expecting more personalization in their communication patterns. Proper understanding of the audience is necessary if institutions want to achieve this. Also, marketers need to have the needed information at their fingertips to enable this kind of personalization.
As an example, Arizona State University worked to merge its email systems into Salesforce with the aim of achieving better communication with students, alumni, and parents. This was the shift that actually brought in results. They used Marketing Cloud to easily access information about receipts and crafted personalized emails for better communication.
This factor is necessary in terms of alumni. Networking is essential to secure a good job after graduation, and that’s where students need to have a way to build efficient connections with alumni working in the career segment they are interested in.
Leveraging Salesforce with the top Salesforce partners can help students match their interests with alumni working in a similar field. Institutions can also use Salesforce to build tailored marketing journeys to showcase alumni working in different fields. This would be an easier way for students to locate and build connections with alumni and learn about their experiences.
Alumni these days are smart. They want every information about where their donated money is being used. In the report, 43% of advancement staff mentioned they have enhanced communication related to discussing the ongoing impact of their fundraising programs. This is helping to build trust with donors and achieve the needed transparency.
This is something that could be easily achieved with Marketing Cloud. It helps to manage the database for alumni, making it easier to reach out to them and assign the donor’s gift when they have to.
The report also showed that the majority of students expect that their universities should reach out to them more often with personalized emails, notifications, or reminders. To achieve this level of frequency, institutions need to have a method that’s easier to follow.
The key here is to leave the outdated mailing lists and hire Salesforce developers who will help in data aggregation and processes to deliver personalized experiences.
Whether it is about updating parents about students’ performance or students looking for guidance from alumni for a better career approach, the key to everything is having an efficient communication process. Higher education institutions have different audiences to focus on, and engagement among them is the key to better processes.
Salesforce is the platform that could enable the needed connection with personalization to ensure better results and engagement. However, acquiring the power of Salesforce and utilizing it to its full potential requires assistance. That’s where you need to connect with the best Salesforce partner companies to implement the solution and use it well. Contact us and get experienced professionals to assist you with streamlined operations in your institution.
Which of these Salesforce products can be helpful for higher education institutions for sending consistent personalized emails?
a). Reports and Dashboards
b). Marketing Cloud
c). Field Service Lightning
d). Sales Cloud
Show Answer: d) Sales Cloud
