Implementation

As the role of institutions and the students they serve becomes increasingly complex, a one-size-fits-all approach to implementation is obsolete. At Kennedy & Company, we specialize in guiding higher education leaders, toward implementing strategies that “get it right” from the beginning. Our expertise lies in helping institutions adapt their business processes to support a high-touch, personalized strategy without overburdening limited human resources.

YOUR CHALLENGES:

After purchasing a CRM tool, clients are often overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. So, we lead with transparency. During our initial conversations, we help bridge the knowledge gap by breaking down key components of an implementation process from discovery through adoption, so you have the resources and understanding you need to feel confident throughout and beyond the implementation process.

OUR APPROACH:

We begin by assessing your current state of operations, available resources, buy-in, and readiness, and compare them to your institution’s needs and goals. We then work with you to determine a highly customized implementation plan that will set your team up for success. Since a technical implementation often lays the groundwork for future growth in the tool, we build your custom solution with the future in mind. At Kennedy and Company, we are committed to making sure we build you a product you can use. In the final stages of each of our project plans, we prioritize client adoption of the tool by building in additional time for knowledge transfer, documentation, and end-user support.
Products and Vendors We Support 

OUR IMPLEMENTATION SERVICES INCLUDE:

  • Current and Future State Assessment
  • Creation of User Stories
  • Review and Optimization of Business Processes
  • Technical Configuration
  • Role-Based Reporting and Dashboards
  • Case Management/Interactions
  • Forms
  • Telephone campaigns
  • Email/SMS Campaigns
  • Events
  • Online Application
  • Application and student success portals
  • Application Review Processes and Decisions
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CRM Best Practices

Why do so many transformations fail?
Interview with best selling author, John Rossman

In this episode of CRMprov, Mickey is joined by John Rossman to discuss his new book, Big Bet Leadership (www.bigbetleadership.com) which releases February 27, as well as some of the things he learned while serving as a leader at ‪@amazon‬ . This was another really deep and impactful conversation.

John helped roll out what we know as the Amazon Marketplace, which opened the doors for third-party sellers to offer their products at Amazon, dramatically increasing selection.

He is a best selling author, and his new book offers a playbook for leading transformations. We love this book and have already been incorporating pieces of it in our campus and digital transformation efforts.

Watch Full Episode
Why do so many transformations fail? Interview with best selling author, John Rossman

Our Work, Your Success

Technolutions Slate CRM Implementation
University-of-Toronto
Kennedy & Company partnered with the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) at the University of Toronto, a public, research university with 2,000+ users at three campuses, to implement a Technolutions Slate CRM for their online application review processes. To meet the school’s needs, we configured a single, shared online application that accommodates separate deadlines for over 200 programs, contains program-specific customizations within the application, and allows every department to have program-level checklist items. We customized the application review workflow at the department level, resulting in 80+ unique review processes. We also created a custom Reader dashboard that conditionally displays relevant data for administrative and faculty reviewers to see student and application information at a glance.

Kennedy & Company served as the full-time CRM administrator until this position was filled by SGS, at which point we trained the new admin on the system’s customizations. To facilitate a good department administrator experience with service turnaround times and responses, we developed a robust ticketing support system fully contained within Slate allowing Kennedy & Company to be notified of a request, delegate responsibility, and provide continuous feedback and resolution to the department administrators/end users. This service ticket model is currently still in use today.

Relevant Services: Implementation, CRM Support, Coaching & Training

Enrollment Operations Audit and CRM Selection
Kennedy & Company consultants worked with Wilfrid Laurier University, a public institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, to perform an audit of the University’s enrollment operations to increase efficiency. We provided an in-depth assessment of these operations, and developed a series of recommendations which included a review of the institution’s readiness and need for a new CRM system for use in admissions, as well as specifications for the high-level requirements for such a system.

Based on our recommendations, Laurier moved forward with a CRM selection project and brought our team in to assist with requirements gathering and RFP development. We conducted a series of interviews of stakeholders across campus to document business requirements, and delivered a list of over 170 documented requirements, divided into functional categories.

After independently selecting a CRM, the Laurier team re-engaged with Kennedy & Company for additional support and customization throughout the implementation. We led strategic discussions about strategy, process, and change management within the new tool.

Relevant Services: Technology Audit, CRM Selection

Examples of Technology Services Clients

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