Top 5 Advantages of Mobile CRM in Admissions

As per a recent report from Business Research, the global mobile CRM software market size has grown from $23.48 billion in 2022 to $26.64 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5% and is expected to grow to $43.57 billion in 2027.

The increase in the market size of mobile-enabled CRM solutions has been driven by industries that prioritise customer engagement, personalised experiences, and real-time access to data. The education industry is the significant holder of these market compatibilities when it comes to the usage of mobile CRM. It would be correct to say that the education industry is immensely savouring the taste of automation.

A few significant factors responsible for this change in dynamics are:

As per Statista, the number of smartphone users worldwide is forecasted to exceed 1.5 billion in 2040. With the proliferation of mobile usage, there is a growing need for a solution that can be easily accessed via mobile devices.

As per DemandSage, 92.1% of internet users use mobile phones to browse the internet.
This creates an urgency to provide more accessible, personalised and engaging experiences to students over the internet.

In this article, we are going to explore the concept of mobile CRM in more detail, along with its benefits in the field of education.

What a Mobile CRM can provide you with?

An education-focused mobile CRM is a software system designed for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets to help educational institutions manage their interactions with current and prospective students, along with easy updates and synchronization of information. 

Some features available in a mobile CRM that can ease out your admissions process may include:

Lead management: Mobile CRM allows the admissions team to track, add, & manage leads or prospective students throughout the enrolment process from the mobile device itself. When we say lead management it comes with, the integration of lead sources, lead journey tracking and automated lead assignment. 

Communication channels: The mobile CRM provides a range of communication channels such as Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Chatbot, and drip campaigns to connect with leads. This includes automated, personalised, and bulk messaging.

Analytics and Reporting: The CRM provides analytics and reporting to generate real-time reports such as counselor performance reports, publisher panel performance reports, Ad channel reports, and lead-to-walk-in reports for better visibility into the operations. This helps the admission team to make data-driven decisions about admissions, retention, and other aspects of the student journey.

Integration with other systems: Mobile CRM can be integrated with other systems such as the institution’s website, marketing automation tools, and social media channels to provide a seamless experience to the students and prospects. 

Student Information System: CRM, if integrated with the institution’s student information system (SIS) can provide a 360-degree view of the student’s academic performance, extracurricular activities, attendance, and more.

Task Management: The mobile CRM provides task management tools to help staff members stay organised and on top of important tasks such as follow-ups, deadlines, and meetings.

Overall, a mobile CRM helps educational institutions manage their relationships with students, as well as prospective students more effectively and efficiently, leading to better outcomes. 

5 Advantages of Mobile CRM in Admissions

Every institute, college, and university today needs robust lead management software to manage the massive amount of data that includes student data, partner data, franchisor data, and so on. One of the most effective tools that educational institutes can use to manage the relationship and interaction between the students and the organisation is a mobile CRM.

It is a great tool to bring several advantages and boost productivity for educational institutions. Universities today need to adopt a robust mobile-first approach to capture students’ attention and ensure that everything they need to know is accessible in just a few taps. For the admissions process, in particular, mobile CRM platforms are very beneficial. 

A few major advantages are listed below-

1. Seamless Tracking of Field Operations

Mobile CRM software comes with an amazing feature of a field tracker or Field Sales Tracker that proves to be a boon to both counselors and the admissions head. The field tracker assists the counselors to work more efficiently by scheduling their entire day, and simultaneously it provides the admissions head with a 360-degree insight into every single movement of the individual counselors.

How mobile CRM can help with seamless field operations tracking?

• A field tracker provides real-time information to counselors about their location, schedule, and appointments for the day. This information can be used to plan their day and optimise their travel routes, which can save time and increase productivity.
• With a field tracker counselors can work more efficiently by accessing the CRM data and resources from anywhere, at any time. This helps them stay organised and on-task, even when they’re away from their desk or office.
  
• Whenever a new prospect enquires about your institution near the counselor’s location, the tracker notifies the counselor about the same and ensures no meetings or follow-ups are missed.
• A field tracker helps counselors provide a more personalised experience to prospective students by allowing them to track their location and activities. This helps them tailor their outreach efforts to meet the needs and preferences of individual students, which can improve the overall quality of their interactions.
• The admissions head can track the counselor’s movement, meetings completed, lead status and deals closed, every metric in real-time. This provides complete visibility into field operations.
  

2. Easy Information Access and Document uploading 

Mobile CRM system helps admissions counselors with easy access to information and streamlined document uploading. The system allows counselors to send out or upload all the necessary documents, such as college brochures, semester plans, admission fee structures or any other important college doc directly from the CRM via email.

How a Mobile CRM can provide easy access to information and document uploading?

• A robust mobile CRM system provides cloud-based storage that allows admissions counselors to access information and documents from anywhere, using any device. This means that counselors can work on the go and don’t need to be tied to a specific computer or location.
• The mobile CRM system has document management tools that allow counselors to upload, view, and share documents with ease. For example, the system allows counselors to upload transcripts, test scores, and other application materials directly from their mobile devices.
• The CRM system has a notification system that alerts counselors when new information or documents are added to a student’s file. This ensures that counselors are always up to date and can respond to changes in a timely manner.
• Mobile CRM system has strong security features that ensure that information and documents are only accessible to authorised users/counselors. This includes password protection, encryption, and other security measures that help keep sensitive information safe.
• The CRM system provides valuable tracking and analytics capabilities that can be accessed on mobile devices. Counselors can track the progress of applications, identify any bottlenecks or delays in the process, and generate reports on key metrics such as application volume, acceptance rates, and yield rates, all at their fingertips.
  

3. Increased Prospective Students Engagement

One of the biggest advantages of mobile CRM is increased prospect engagement. By using a mobile CRM solution, admission counselors can interact with prospects through personalised communication, which improves their engagement and help them to achieve better conversions. The CRM solutions include features such as Bulk SMS, real-time chat, and notifications, allowing counselors and students to communicate more effectively and efficiently.

How mobile CRM can increase prospective students/student engagement? 

• Through mobile CRM, counselors can provide easy access to information about programs, courses, and services. This can include providing links to websites, brochures, or videos.
• Communication history between counselors and prospects can be tracked within the CRM, allowing counselors to analyse communication patterns and make informed decisions about how to improve their communication strategies.
• Mobile CRM is also used to deliver notifications and alerts to counsellors, keeping them informed and up-to-date on important deadlines, events, and other information.
• With mobile CRM, counselors can send personalised messages to students/prospective students through their mobile devices. This includes personalised emails, SMS, or push notifications.
• With mobile CRM, admissions counselors can access student information on the go, allowing them to respond quickly to student inquiries and provide timely information. 

4. Increased Counselors  Efficiency and Productivity

Statistics from Forester have shown that 50% of teams improved their productivity using a mobile CRM. 

The software helps counselors to work more efficiently and productively, by automating tasks, streamlining communication, and providing real-time access to data. By improving the efficiency and productivity of your team, institutions like yours can save time and resources, and focus on what they do best: teaching and expanding. 

How can mobile CRM improve efficiency and productivity? 

• With mobile CRM, counselors and admissions teams can access prospects’ data and communication history anytime and anywhere, allowing them to respond quickly to inquiries and avoid missing out on leads.
• The CRM enables real-time updates on prospect communication, and application status. This allows counselors and admissions teams to provide timely support and ensure prospective students are progressing well through the application process.
• Mobile CRM allows counselors and admissions teams to collaborate more effectively by sharing data and updates in real time among all the counselors. This ensures that all team members are on the same page and can provide consistent support to students.
• Automation of routine tasks such as sending follow-up emails, scheduling appointments, and updating communication records can be seamlessly done through a mobile CRM. This frees up counselors to focus on higher-value activities such as building new strategies to attract more students and quick closures.
  

5. Informed Decision Making

Mobile CRM software provides real-time access to prospective students’ data anytime anywhere through an inbuilt reporting dashboard. This enables the admission team to make more informed decisions about marketing, engagement strategies, and other aspects of the admissions process. This also helps counselors identify at-risk prospective students and nurture them enough to enrol.

How mobile CRM can help in making informed decisions? 

• A mobile CRM provides counselor performance dashboard that tracks relevant metrics such as their average call duration, number of follow-ups, and conversion rate. This provides an insight into your admissions team and their productivity.
• Ad channel performance reports are provided to track the ROI from paid channels such as Google Ads, Linkedin Ads, and sponsored Ads from anywhere, through few clicks.
• ROI conversion reports as per the lead sources and demographics are provided so that you can identify and replicate successful strategies and tactics used in high-performing campaigns.
• A robust mobile CRM also provides admin access, so that the admission head has a keen observation of individual counselor performance and helps in setting benchmarks for the team.
• With the lead status funnel report provided within the CRM, it becomes easy to track the entire lead journey and nurture the lead accordingly. Hence avoid missing out on your prospects due to low lead engagement. 

To Conclude

In the above piece, we have focused on the what and hows of a mobile CRM, but we skipped the why part! The reason behind this is that “why is often an extraction of what and how.

Offering mobile CRM access does not just increase the use of the software but also the productivity of the workforce. Leveraging it allows your institution to be more connected among different departments and makes your sales team more effective in managing resources. While there are dozens of mobile CRM software solutions available in the market, finding the one that best suits your specific needs can be a challenging task.

ExtraaEdge offers robust Mobile CRM software, specifically built for the education industry. An all-in-one solution, that allows you to integrate, qualify, communicate & convert your prospects in a seamless fashion.

Ps: The features and capabilities discussed in this article are all available in the ExtraaEdge Mobile CRM solution. Witness the power of automation by booking a 30-minute free demo with our admissions expert.