Customer Relationship Management
Build closer relationships with your students, tutors and lecturers.
The pressure is growing on educational organisations to perform with the efficiency of businesses. Distinction CRM with Microsoft brings commercial effectiveness to the education sector using modules developed specifically for TAFEs and universities. A customer relationship management (CRM) solution enables you to build closer relationships with your students, tutors and lecturers. It helps you improve your student recruitment and retention rates and, by combining data sets, lower the administrative burden.
The key benefits of Distinction CRM are:
Integration of Data and Delivery of Real-time Reports
- Distinction CRM integrates all data sets into the existing student administration and financial management systems
- Workflow capabilities and real-time monitoring and reporting help institutions manage information and make informed decisions
Consistent and Efficient Customer Service
- Distinction CRM helps organisations to manage complex relationships more efficiently
- It responds to students' needs by automating the routing and queuing of support requests
Increased Marketing Capabilities
- Distinction CRM helps to improve decision-making through reports and activity history
- The reporting processes help to identify opportunities and trends, and raise awareness of problems
Shared Information
- Data is shared across many platforms and systems
- Integrated management systems ensure that data only needs to be entered once
Automated Business Processes
- Templates are able to be customised, while rules define and automate processes
Administrative Efficiency
- Cut administrative costs by increasing productivity and improving procedures and processes
See below for more information about the products that enable the success of a portal solution. Your reseller can help you find out which selection of products will be suitable for your needs.
Case Studies
CRM System helps Vocational Students
Australian Technical College (ATC) Perth provides vocational training for Year 11 and Year 12 apprentices. The college needed a CRM system to help it manage and keep track of student placements, with rotations between the College's campus and job placements. ATC chose Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 for its seamless and easy integration with the existing tools being used by the ATC Student Services Department, which included Microsoft Outlook, Exchange and Word. The College was then able to centralise all placement-related data, enabling it to track individual- and company-level placement performance, analyse apprenticeship outcomes and trends, monitor local industry needs and ensure that students gained apprenticeships which offered the best chance of future prosperity.
We had too many documents, we couldn't do any cross-referencing because it was too messy, and managing the information took up too much time.
Victor John, Business Relationship Coordinator, ATC - Perth South
Business School Enhances Reputation through Improved Constituent Service
Melbourne Business School (MBS) was founded in 1954 through the University of Melbourne and its graduate degrees have been ranked in the Financial Times' list of Top 100 Global MBAs since 2005. The school wanted to strategically align its brand-positioning message, ‘Global. Business. Leaders.' to every facet of its business. It's well intentioned but departmental approach to managing data on students (called ‘constituents') hampered efforts to deliver services and develop relationships to a standard that was commensurate with its brand. In 2007, MBS began a comprehensive process of organisational change. It introduced a customer relationship management (CRM) system based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. By introducing a common platform for data management and taking a life-cycle view of constituents, MBS improved communications with applicants, students, participants and alumni and projected a more professional image.
If you're spending $50,000 to $100,000 on postgraduate education, you naturally expect a very high level of service and you definitely don't expect to be mucked around.
Ric Lamont, CIO, Melbourne Business School
Microsoft Business Solutions CRM
Microsoft helps educational organisations to become more efficient through the use of effective CRM solutions. Follow the links below to learn how Microsoft CRM can bring new efficiencies to your organisation's business processes and customer relationships.
Products Used in This Solution
BizTalk Server 2009
BizTalk Server 2009 provides a solution that allows organisations to more easily connect disparate systems. Including over 25 multi-platform adapters and a robust messaging infrastructure, BizTalk Server provides connectivity between core systems, both inside and outside your organisation. In addition to integration functionality, BizTalk also provides strong durable messaging, a rules engine, EDI connectivity, Business Activity Monitoring (BAM), RFID capabilities and IBM Host/Mainframe connectivity.
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 is the most advanced Windows Server operating system yet, designed to power the next generation of networks, applications and Web services. With Windows Server 2008 you can develop, deliver and manage rich user experiences and applications, provide a highly secure network infrastructure and help increase technological efficiency and value.
Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010
Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010 (TMG) is a comprehensive, web gateway that helps protect employees and students from web-based threats. It also delivers simple, unified perimeter security with integrated firewall, VPN, intrusion prevention, antivirus and URL filtering. With integrated protections against web-based threats, Forefront Threat Management Gateway provides a solution to help protect your users against both malware and malicious sites. Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010 is also the successor to Microsoft ISA Server 2006, enabling you to deploy an integrated security gateway to help protect your perimeter or branch offices from emerging threats.
Ethan Group
Backpack is a state-of-the-art student information system bringing together the latest technology and education needs. It has been designed as a holistic application across the end to end business needs for schools from scheduling classes, recording attendance, to student grades & reports, assessments to a complete managed student/parent portal incorporating a “My Space” style. Backpack is built on an advanced and scalable platform using, Microsoft DynamicsTM CRM which brings high levels of integration to legacy business solutions and tight bi-directional integration with tools such as Microsoft Office and Microsoft Outlook.
