Study Reveals Different Approaches to CRM Implementation
Colleges
and universities have two philosophies
to choose from when deciding how to implement customer relationship
management
systems (CRM), each with its own merits.
That
is the conclusion of an analysis recently
undertaken by Campus Management, which
provides CRMs to higher education.
The two different paths are called the domain-based approach and the
lifecycle-based approach.
With
the domain-based approach, different
entities within a larger university organization take on their own CRM
responsibilities that are limited to their unique functions (for
instance,
undergraduate admissions or graduate career services).
The
benefit of this approach is that the smaller
divisions in a larger decentralized university can roll out, adopt and
expand
programs more quickly and with their specific needs in mind. The
adoption of a
new or expanded CRM, in this case, can take place quickly.
The
majority of higher education institutions
take this approach, according to Campus Management officials. The
primary
drawback to doing it this way is that divisions and their processes can
become
siloed from those in other parts of the university and it may not
always be
easy to share data across the entire campus.
With
the lifecycle approach, universities use
CRMs for every facet of constituent engagement (for instance, from the
moment potential
students are recruited straight through until they become college
alumni). This
approach is more likely to create consistency and continuity in how
schools
engage and communicate with students across the campus and throughout
their
educational careers.
The
downside here is that it is likely to take
longer to implement changes due to change management and political
issues.
However, when the lifecycle-based approach operates effectively,
metrics can be
shared throughout the institution and it is possible to take better
advantage
of data-based decision-making.
"CRM
selection and expansion is not a one-size-fits-all
process," said Campus Management Product Marketing Manager Jason
Soffer. "Institutions
should plan selection and expansion based on their dynamics and culture
to
maximize the value of their CRM program."
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.