An Academic Common Market leveraged Salesforce to
streamline their application process
and enhance student experience

The Academic Common Market (ACM) office at a regional university system reviews applications submitted by students who wish to attend specialized educational programs not offered within their home state but available in other states. Approved students are charged only the in-state tuition rate by the institution where they enroll.

Before partnering with our services, the application and review process for students applying to this specific ACM presented significant challenges for both applicants and reviewers. The process was heavily manual, creating inefficiencies and opportunities for errors. Students would begin by visiting a website and completing a basic form to express their interest in applying. However, this initial step required unnecessary time and effort from both the applicants and the administrative staff.

After expressing interest, students were sent an Adobe form by the ACM manager to complete their application. However, these forms expired within a week, often leading to a cycle of requesting and resending forms, causing frustration and delays. For those needing to provide additional information or documentation, there was no streamlined process for updating their applications, forcing them to start from scratch. This redundant data collection increased the workload for both applicants and ACM staff.

The ACM manager was responsible for manually reviewing all submitted applications and proof of residency documentation, a time-consuming process prone to errors. Additionally, if more information was needed, there was no efficient mechanism to request and incorporate it seamlessly. Once applications were approved, the ACM manager manually generated acceptance letters using a Word document, which involved tedious mail merging and email correspondence. This process added unnecessary complexity to an already burdensome workflow.

Overall, the manual nature of the application and review process created numerous challenges for both applicants and administrative staff, hindering efficiency and detracting from the overall experience.

To address these challenges, our team implemented a solution leveraging Salesforce Experience Cloud and Cases, tailored to streamline and enhance the entire application lifecycle.

We deployed an Experience Cloud site specifically designed for students to easily submit their applications. Utilizing Salesforce Cases, we customized fields to track application questions and statuses. This included developing a structured Case Status workflow, transitioning applications from ‘In Process’ to ‘Submitted’, ‘Additional Information Needed,’ and ultimately to ‘Closed’ status (whether ‘Accepted,’ ‘Denied,’ or ‘Expired’ if no submission occurred within 30 days of initiation).

The Experience Cloud interface was optimized to accommodate guest users, facilitating application submission, modification, and status tracking without requiring login credentials. Through the implementation of screen flows, applicants were guided step-by-step through the application process, ensuring a smooth and intuitive experience.

Additionally, we introduced functionality to track the specific schools and programs to which students were applying. Automation features were integrated to trigger alerts and notifications at key stages of the application process. For instance, email alerts were configured to inform applicants of any additional information required and to notify them of application status updates such as approval or denial.

Furthermore, our solution broadened communication methods between ACM managers and other relevant stakeholders. Integration between Outlook and Salesforce enabled ACM managers to send one-off emails directly from the Salesforce platform, eliminating the need for manual correspondence.

For enhanced analytics and insights, we leveraged Salesforce Reports and Dashboards to provide the ACM team with visibility into application volumes, processing times, and trends over time. Custom reports were developed to facilitate year-on-year reporting, including metrics such as the number of applications received, approved, denied, reasons for denial, and destination schools outside of the home state. These automated reporting capabilities replaced manual data entry and spreadsheet-based reporting processes, offering valuable real-time insights into operations.

One of the most notable outcomes is the improved experience for students applying to ACM programs. With the deployment of the Experience Cloud site, students can now sign up, initiate their application, and return to complete it at their convenience. They also have the ability to track the status of their application in real-time whenever they log into the community platform. This enhanced visibility and accessibility have streamlined the application process, reducing frustration and improving overall satisfaction among applicants.

For ACM managers, the implementation has consolidated all tasks and communication within a single interface, eliminating the need to navigate multiple systems or resort to manual paper files. This unified platform has significantly improved operational efficiency, allowing managers to handle all aspects of the application and review process and communicate with applicants/students easily.

Additionally, the transition from manual paper files to electronic records has reduced administrative overhead and enhanced data accuracy and accessibility. All application data is now stored electronically, ensuring easy retrieval and eliminating the risks associated with physical document handling.

We also implemented functionality to track the time spent on applications, distinguishing between the time taken by students to complete their applications (from Created Date to Submit Date) and the time taken by the ACM team to process and close applications (from Submit Date to Closed). This data provides valuable insights into application processing times and trends, enabling ACM to better manage staffing needs and allocate resources efficiently, especially during peak application periods.

In summary, the implementation of our solution has resulted in tangible improvements for ACM, enhancing the overall application experience for students while streamlining operations and providing valuable insights for administrative staff.