Using automation in your Slate instance to create efficiencies in your operations.
It’s easy enough to get into the habit of repeating a complicated process that doesn’t seem like it could ever be done by automation. But does your process have specific cutoffs for what someone needs to meet or do before they move to the next step? Does this change? If you said yes, and then no, you can most likely automate!
Here are our top 10 workflows to automate to help your team be more efficient this year:
- Set scholarship amounts using rules, translation codes and entities.
- If your scholarships are determined by ranges of GPA, test scores, or other values input by your readers, utilize rules based on these values to update your scholarship fields or entities!
- You will encounter less error from your readers, and you can know that your students will be receiving the right scholarships for their merit without human intervention.
- Anything that involves a spreadsheet upload from an outside vendor or third party that doesn’t need any further manipulation by your operations team.
- Many outside vendors and third parties have FTP capabilities and Slate gives you a built-in FTP location where these vendors can send your files.
- Once you have your bridge created, you can set up an automated source format to find the file dropped off by the outside vendor, pull it in, and process it.
- Integrate your SIS with Slate using overnight data feeds through a middleware or your own servers.
- It is essential to automate some or all of the process of entering students into your SIS from Slate. Hand entering student data is time consuming and monotonous, leading your staff to working long hours on one onerous task.
- Having this integration should also allow you some flexibility in getting information back into Slate from your SIS as well. This data can assist your recruitment staff tremendously as it allows them to use this information to send poignant messaging to your students.
- Automate parts of your communication chains with your prospective students.
- Take the time to create a communication chain that pulls in their respective counselors’ information into all of their emails or texts. This way, the student feels connected with, but the recruitment staff isn’t having to constantly update and start and stop communications with students that may not be appropriate for all students in their query.
- Being able to set and forget this communication – using start and stop dates as needed – is a great way to automate and alleviate your recruitment staff’s time.
- Simplify a workflow using batch management tools.
- Create reader dashboards using PDF Editor or a dynamic reader portal
- These allow a counselor to get a first glance at the student record they are about to review. Include test scores, school information, level of study, etc. These are also useful as they create a central dashboard on each application for your operation team to use in their hand-entered processes or checks.
- Automate bin movement in your reader bins. Your applicants expect timely decisions, and removing the human involvement (which is most often a preference, not a requirement) will make the process more timely and efficient.
Automations within a CRM add a newer level of complexity to manage your technology, but offer many opportunities to reduce the manual, labor-intensive components of work within an enrollment management and admissions office. Are you considering automation to improve your team’s performance and your students’ experience? Connect with us for ideas and common automations our clients use to enhance their operation.