Technology has certainly changed education today, just as it has impacted every other aspect of our lives. Cloud computing enables students to easily collaborate, share information and access resources. For schools and higher learning institutions, leveraging cloud computing leads to reduced costs, greater efficiency, and enhanced security.
At REVA, the directive of the Management is clear, and we are focusing on ensuring that technology usage is effective and available to all. In this context, the leader’s role has also changed, with the shift clearly towards process, automation, less physical intervention, and swifter decision making. Recognising this, we at REVA are rapidly adopting new technology to transform and streamline critical activities such as student onboarding.
Traditionally, onboarding can be a long and rather tedious process for students. With the new generation being digital-first and looking for ‘instant’ness in everything they do, REVA has been quick to adapt to their digital world.
The priority for us was to ensure that multiple physical visits to offices at the campus were eliminated. Also, we wanted to save time on the admissions process by reducing bureaucracy to quickly close admissions and ensure quick service.
Other aspects that are tedious to our students are long queues and lengthy processes to gather application forms, sit for entrance examinations or pay fees. Not to mention the confusion caused by not knowing where to source information from, how to check for updates, and so on. This is where REVA was swift to adapt barrier-free communication and processes, and ensure that the end-to-end onboarding process could be easily and quickly completed through the student portal.
REVA’s student portal, built on Salesforce Education Cloud, provides a seamless experience that covers a student’s complete journey with the University – from onboarding to studying and graduating – on a single platform. The portal will remain useful for the students throughout their time at REVA - they can use it to check the academic calendar, fee payment status, announcements, attendance details, and so much more.
Here are a few ways in which the student portal is helping us meet the demands and rising expectations of our new-gen students.
- Access to standardised student data for better collaboration
The unified, integrated platform ensures that student data at all stages of the journey is accessible to all relevant departments such as admissions, finance, student affairs and so on. These departments can access data in a single place, for an always updated view that reflects the latest steps in the student’s journey. By automating data entry across multiple applications, we have ensured that avoidable human errors such as misspelt names and duplicate entries can be managed easily. The outcome of this has been that it not only reduces student frustration but also enables greater operational productivity for the university.
- Address student queries effectively
The student portal serves as an end-to-end student lifecycle management platform. We have built in automation and AI to enable quick responses to student queries at all stages of their journey. Students can use empowering self-service tools like chatbots and self-help knowledge bases to find answers to common questions. In case of more complex queries, they can use the portal to escalate them to the right team. Templates and scripts available on the portal empower our internal teams to respond to student queries quickly and efficiently.
- Complete routine administrative tasks efficiently
Students do not have to depend on or follow up with, the staff to get login access to the portal, email ID, program or batch details, study manuals and so on. Once a student pays their fee, and the Registrar’s office confirms a provisional admission, the portal immediately sends out emails with all relevant details, ensuring convenience and faster student orientation.
- Boost employee productivity
Digitising the onboarding process enables us to scale programs and batch intakes without the risk of operational inadequacy or system failure. In the case of the Student Portal, significant staff intervention is needed only during master data creation, a one-time exercise at the start of the year. For the rest of the year, only minimal supervision is required. The portal can also create timely, automated reports for administrative purposes, reducing or eliminating manual effort. The easy-to-use portal also requires little training for staff or students, and both can jump on and get started – this has made all processes faster.
- Deliver a stress-free learning process
The portal carries all information a student needs - like the academic calendar, attendance details, fee status, assessments, and performance reports. A student can also use the portal to schedule an interview with a mentor. We decided to make all this available on the platform because we believe every student should be able to focus on learning and not have to struggle owing to an institution’s approach to operations.
By using the automation feature of Salesforce Education Cloud, REVA has enabled SMS alerts, notifications, emails and even chatbots to communicate critical information such as fee delays, last-minute class cancellations, etc., to students. The idea is to provide them with a best-in-class experience while streamlining workflows to allow both learners and trainers more time for collaboration and engagement.”
At REVA, we are happy to mentor any University that wants to digitise its onboarding process or any other key operational process. But first, you must choose a solution that meets your present and future needs. Here is what you need to look for in a solution:
The right solution implemented in a well-thought, thorough manner can bring together your data, systems, and teams to become a truly connected campus; and offer students a smooth and easy learning experience.
