Constituent Relationship Management | News

Concordia U Deploys CRM To Manage Increasing Enrollment

• By Tim Sohn
• 08/14/13

Portland, OR-based Concordia University has deployed a new cloud-based constituent relationship management (CRM) system to help manage recruitment as it sees enrollment growing. So far, it is using the platform to recruit freshman, transfer, graduate, and online program students.

According to Joe Foster, director of operations in the Office of Admissions, Concordia ultimately selected TargetX's Recruitment CRM for its scalability and flexibility.

Features of the CRM include the ability to:

• Generate announcements, postcards, invitations, and letters;
• Deliver e-mail broadcasts;
• Keep track of schedules, registrations, and invitations;
• Host online chats; and
• Monitor potential students' social media activity.

Other functionality includes real-time reporting and dashboards, online forms, access from any device, travel management, an internal admissions social network, and live help integration with institutional Web sites.

"I wanted a system that can change as we change and can grow as we grow," said Foster in a prepared statement. "I need to be able to add features and functionality as I go, to keep up with all the new programs we are adding and pools of students we are trying to recruit."

He was convinced Concordia should go with TargetX's Recruitment CRM after attending a conference where current constituents spoke to him about their experiences with the platform. Foster said he is also a fan of the Force.com platform, which TargetX is built upon.

"I didn't have to find an email vendor or mail merge solution or data connector or Web form integrator," Foster said. "TargetX has already found a way to combine those and other pieces into a completely integrated system of engagement."

Concordia also plans to use TargetX's Recruitment CRM in the future to recruit law school students.

Concordia University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university that is part of the Concordia University System. The system includes 10 Lutheran Church-affiliated colleges and universities. It has approximately 2,500 enrolled students.

For more information about Concordia University, visit cu-portland.edu. For additional information about TargetX's Recruitment CRM, go to targetx.com.