Recent economic, technical and cultural changes have had an impact on nearly every sector of business within the UK and the education sector is no exception. The changes have resulted in educational institutions looking for ways to improve their processes and efficiency, while attracting new students and engaging with stakeholders. They are also looking for ways to ensure that existing students stay loyal.
As with many businesses, the key to the success of an educational organisation is data. CRM in education facilitates the delivery of excellent customer service which in turn aids the development of long term relationships with customers and therefore customer loyalty. Customer loyalty is essential to ensure profitability of an organisation; after all it costs more to attract a new client than it does to retain an existing client.
CRM systems can help educational institutions to achieve this, as they improve communication and understanding and enable the institution to deliver a better customer experience. However the term Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is misleading as the strategy, software and processes apply equally to the management of every relationship – not just those with Customers. In essence you could replace the word ‘Customer’ with anything you like whether it is Student, Lecturer or Employer.
However Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions will not only enhance the relationship side of your business. For organisations involved in Employer Engagement strategies such as Train to Gain (the government initiative to encourage businesses to train their staff) CRM can help educational organisations to sell their training. It can also help institutions to reach the Training Quality Standard (TQS).
Concentrix has helped many educational establishments to improve their operations through implementing a CRM system. We supply the best in breed CRM solutions including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage CRM and FrontRange’s GoldMine. Our Customers in the education sector include: Bradford College, Grantham College and Darlington College. We’ve also deployed systems for the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) and SummitSkills – The sector skills council for the Building and Plumbing Industry.
The latest whitepaper released by Concentrix – “Your College in Business: What CRM can do for you” explains what CRM is and discusses the benefits of CRM to educational organisations. To download the whitepaper – please click here.
For more information about CRM and how it can benefit your organisation please contact Concentrix on 01509 410500 or email [email protected]
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