Business Context
When two or more universities merge, it is absolutely critical for the merged entity to unify their individual systems for comprehensive, seamless and efficient systems. Such an approach will ensure holistic and harmonized students’ journeys and effective personalization to improve enrolment, engagement and retention across the merged entities.
The Client
Our client is a leading US-based educational institution for more than 75 years, offering programs in 12 countries and 21 cities around the world. With a goal to develop students academically, professionally, and culturally to become our next generation of thoughtful, thriving leaders, this institution focuses on academic and experiential learning excellence with a blended slate of co-curricular and field-based activities, and committed faculty development and engagement.
The Situation
Following the merger with another leading institution of higher education, our client underwent significant organizational changes, including a leadership transition. While it had its own Salesforce systems and keenly adopted new Salesforce to enhance its operations, it needed to rapidly integrate and align the other entity’s disparate Salesforce systems for post-merger efficiency.
Specific challenges included:
- Complexity in consolidation of separate and parallel Salesforce instances with distinct processes.
- Need for integration of multiple disparate and standalone systems with Salesforce.
- Inadequate alignment of different business processes across both organizations.
- Imperative for a rapid and efficient go-to-market implementation to minimize disruption and maximize impact.
- Constraints of cost efficiency in integration while ensuring future scalability.
Mastek was chosen as the transformation partner given our long-standing strategic partnership with the client.
The Solution
With its depth of expertise and successful experience in Salesforce implementations, Mastek implemented the following
- A collaborative review of both organizations’ workflows to define an optimized and unified business process.
- Designing and execution of a strategic Salesforce integration plan, leveraging its Education Cloud features.
- Replacement of its legacy lead management systems with Salesforce Education Cloud’s robust lead and opportunity tracking to improve applicant conversion visibility and streamline student enrollment.
- Automation of billing and pricing management through Integration of Microsoft Dynamics 365 with Salesforce to reduce manual effort and improve invoicing accuracy.
- Implementation of an API-driven architecture to streamline integrations with existing platforms — such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 for accounting, SharePoint for document management, StarRez for housing, and Canvas for course management.
- Alignment with the education industry’s best practices using Salesforce Education Cloud’s standardized data model to reduce customization efforts and expedite the implementation.
- Mapping of data structures, elimination of duplicates, and preservation of historical records to ensure seamless data migration.
- Integration of standalone systems with the unified Salesforce instance for a single source of truth for business operations.
The Results
Mastek’s solution delivered the following impactful outcomes:
- Unified CRM system – The single, integrated Salesforce platform provided a 360-degree view of students, partners, and operational workflows.
- Improved operational efficiency – Automation and optimized workflows reduced manual effort and improved turnaround times.
- Enhanced decision-making – Real-time reporting and analytics enabled leadership to make data-driven decisions.
- Accelerated time-to-market – A seamless transition ensured quick adoption with minimal disruption.
- Industry alignment on best practices – Salesforce’s Education Cloud’s updated data model enabled the client to meet the unique needs of the study abroad sector without extensive customization.
- Cost-effective implementation – Leveraging of existing Salesforce capabilities minimized additional costs while maximizing value.
