In 2023, Enrollment Rx was fortunate to work with two universities to switch from Slate to Enrollment Rx, the leading provider of software for recruitment and admissions built on Salesforce. In this blog, we will explore the reasons why these organizations chose to make the change, how they successfully navigated the migration process, who they needed to employ to keep the project successful, when they were able to go live with the deployment, and what other colleges and universities can do to prepare for similar success.
Enrollment Rx: Salesforce for Admissions – WHY?
Why did these two organizations choose to switch from Slate to Enrollment Rx built on Salesforce?
While there are many reasons, the primary drivers would be the following:
Ease of administration – Administration of an enterprise-level software system is often one of the biggest obstacles to success. This includes any necessary modifications to the system that the operational team may require. In this regard, Slate proved difficult for non-technical staff to administer. The operations teams were often hampered by the system’s inability to adapt to their changing needs in a timely and affordable manner.
Alternatively, Enrollment Rx’s clients can administer our system on the operational team level with only one or two power admins who do not need to have a technical background. Enrollment Rx’s products are easily configurable to meet the ever-evolving requirements of admissions in higher education without involving software engineers. We make Salesforce for admissions effortless.
Easy reporting tools – Slate clients are often forced to rely on technical resources to create the necessary reports and data transparency that operational teams require.
Conversely, the Salesforce platform provides industry-leading dashboard and reporting capabilities with easy-to-use, drag-and-drop configuration. With Enrollment Rx’s products, these reports and dashboards are readily configurable to maximize Salesforce for admissions.
System consolidation – While Slate is a popular admissions system, it does not provide the comprehensive capabilities of a CRM platform solution.
Enrollment Rx, combined with Salesforce, delivers the complete solution for enrollment management, including: recruitment, admissions, events, data, communication, and integration.
Said another way, imagine a world where you could easily create a report for the following scenario:
Create a list of all the applicants from California who inquired from our Facebook page, are applying to the business program, have a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher, attended the last open house, clicked on our recent marketing email, like to play tennis, and are ready for review.
If you are not running inquiries, applications, events, and marketing emails in a centralized system, this would be a cumbersome report to create. For Enrollment Rx clients, it is a quick process by using our tools built on Salesforce for admissions.
Enrollment Rx: Salesforce for Admissions – HOW?
How were these colleges able to successfully migrate from Slate to Enrollment Rx built on Salesforce?
One attractive component of Slate is that it was explicitly designed to meet the needs of traditional admissions in higher education. Conversely, the Salesforce platform was designed to meet the generic CRM requirements across all industries but, as such, lacks the out-of-the-box specificity that a point solution like Slate offers in its vertical industry.
In this case, both organizations knew they wanted to migrate to Salesforce for the advantages of the CRM platform. Still, they needed to develop a feasible strategy for the necessary admissions functionality. Initially, both organizations explored solutions to custom design a solution on the Salesforce platform for admissions, but that proved financially unattainable and strategically limiting in the long term.
Fortunately, these organizations were able to connect with the Enrollment Rx team to understand how our software for recruitment, admissions, and decisions (R.A.D.) could meet their immediate enrollment management needs while also delivering the advantages of the Salesforce CRM platform. The Enrollment Rx products transform Salesforce into a manageable system for admissions as well as provide fantastic ongoing support for higher education.
With Enrollment Rx, these institutions were able to determine a clear understanding of the implementation plan, costs, and timeline for the project. They implemented Enrollment Rx’s practical solution that is adaptable and composable to higher ed’s ever-changing needs. Because CRM is enterprise software and is never quite finished, these institutions also benefit from ongoing upgrades and enhancements, designed with backward compatibility so as not to negatively impact existing implementations. Enrollment Rx is constantly improving our products based on client feedback. System administrators at each client institution control the speed and pace of new release adoption, and Enrollment Rx does not force new release upgrades into client environments.
Enrollment Rx: Salesforce for Admissions – WHO?
Who do these institutions need to employ to implement Enrollment Rx built on Salesforce and administer the system after it is live?
Let’s imagine the following scenario: What would happen if a new program was approved that was never offered before at your institution? What if that program required new questions on the application and new unique admissions requirements? How long would it take to add that new program to your existing admissions systems to accommodate its specific needs? How many people would need to be involved in the project, and what skill set would be required?
With traditional software, this project could be immensely impactful to the system and time-consuming to implement. It could take months before the new program is online and available to applicants. Additional data tables might need to be programmed. The user interface of every form or application would likely need to be updated. Reports may need to be rewritten to include the new program. Integration with other systems, such as the student information system, would most assuredly be affected and require updating.
Conversely, with Enrollment Rx, the entire process could be accomplished by one trained administrator who is most likely not a trained software engineer. Enrollment Rx empowers our non-technical client users to control the system. We find it infinitely more efficient if the person who knows the directions to the destination is also the one who can drive the car.
From a practical perspective, most Enrollment Rx projects are administered by at least two power users. One would typically represent the operations team, and the other would most likely work in the IT department to support elements beyond the purview of admissions, such as granting the Enrollment Rx team integration access to the student information system. Notice that Enrollment Rx does not require dedicated database administrators, HTML developers, and other engineering personnel to support the daily usage of the system.
Enrollment Rx: Salesforce for Admissions – WHEN?
Enrollment Rx is often asked how long it takes to complete a full deployment of our solution built on Salesforce for admissions, including recruitment, admissions, events, data, communication, and integration. The general answer is that the project can often be completed in 6 months, although this can vary based on the institution’s priorities and available resources. Nonetheless, Enrollment Rx typically proposes a six-month project to deploy all of the following solutions:
- ERX Core
- Reader Rx
- Events Rx
- Import Rx
- FormBuilder Rx
- Integration Rx
Most importantly, the implementation project is guided by our team of experienced higher education technology professionals who are well-practiced in deploying software solutions for recruitment and admissions at colleges and universities.
Enrollment Rx: Salesforce for Admissions – WHAT?
What should colleges and universities do to prepare for a successful deployment of Enrollment Rx built on Salesforce for their recruitment and admissions CRM solution?
The world offers seemingly limitless possibilities to tackle the implementation of Salesforce for higher education. In Enrollment Rx’s experience, colleges and universities are best served to adopt our products that have been honed over many years for the specific needs of recruitment and admissions. Most importantly, Enrollment Rx’s products have been designed to allow our clients to take advantage of the vast resources available on the Salesforce platform beyond our solutions. We offer the best of all worlds by delivering point functionality for recruitment and admissions while taking advantage of the incredible Salesforce CRM.
Please contact us to learn how Enrollment Rx can help your college or university use Salesforce for admissions.
