Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has been a buzzword in different businesses. To keep up with the fierce competition, educational institutions are now turning towards deploying the best CRM for higher education on their platform.
According to the latest survey, higher Education CRM Software market is currently estimated at US$ 2110.34 million, and it’s anticipated to reach US$ 5025.54 million in 2032, with a CAGR of 15.56% during the forecast years. This emphasizes the need for a CRM for major institutions.
In this article, we will be exploring the need for CRM in educational institutions and the seven best CRM that are highly popular in this niche. So without any delay, let’s start with the article.
What is CRM for higher education?
Higher education CRM software helps colleges and universities gather, organize, and analyze information about students—whether they’re prospective, current, or alumni. These systems help institutions connect with students at important stages, from when they first apply to the moment they graduate.
Gone are the days when AI chatbot for education was a major trend. It is now time for you to integrate an entire CRM process with your educational institution to make a mark.
A CRM for higher education also makes it easier for staff to communicate, both within departments and with students. Since the data is shared across departments, everyone who interacts with a student can see and add to the information about their overall experience, ensuring everyone stays on the same page.
The need for CRM for higher education
CRM for different businesses is becoming prominent. But what is the role of a CRM software in an education institution? To answer the question, let us quickly understand the roles fulfilled by these education CRM.
Maintain consistent communication
A higher education CRM acts as a central hub for student communications, from financial updates and acceptance letters to personal contact information changes. This consistent messaging is key to enhancing the overall student experience.Â
Break down data barriers
In higher education, departments often operate independently but share the common goal of supporting students throughout their journey. To provide effective guidance and support, it’s crucial that all staff members have access to the same set of data, ensuring seamless collaboration.
Optimize time and resources
Most CRM systems come equipped with automation tools that streamline manual processes. By automating routine tasks, staff can dedicate more time to meaningful interactions and higher-priority responsibilities.
Foster transparency across departments
Real-time and historical data are essential for college departments to make informed decisions that impact the entire institution. A CRM system ensures clarity and fosters a culture of collaboration, enhancing both administrative and business operations in higher education.
7 best CRM for higher education
Now that we know the need for a CRM, let us explore the seven best CRM for higher education. We have listed seven CRM options that have the highest and best reviews from various users.
Kenyt.AI is a student engagement CRM platform designed for higher education admissions and enrollment. This powerful, data-driven platform helps college admissions professionals achieve their enrollment goals quickly, accurately, and with a personal touch.
As student expectations continue to rise, it’s crucial to provide a seamless and personalized digital experience at every stage of the student journey. This is where the CRM from Kenyt plays a key role by simplifying this journey and providing you with the best possible output.
Kenyt.AI offers features like personalized marketing campaigns, AI-powered content creation, and automation tools. These tools empower staff while saving them time and reducing manual work.
Salesforce CRM
Salesforce is one of the most well-known names in technology, especially when it comes to customer relationship management. Their Education Cloud for Higher Ed is designed specifically to help schools improve both student and institutional success.
This CRM is a great fit for educational institutions that are already using Salesforce for managing education data. The Education Cloud helps staff move towards digital transformation, making processes smoother and accessible through a mobile, cloud-based platform. It’s ideal for institutions looking to modernize and streamline their operations.
Hubspot CRM
For schools with tight marketing and software budgets, HubSpot CRM offers a free, all-in-one platform for managing relationships. While there are paid upgrades, the free version still offers strong features like real-time data tracking and reporting.
A key benefit of HubSpot is that it allows unlimited users, stores up to 1 million contacts, and never expires—making it a flexible and long-term solution for schools. This makes this software more suitable for small institutions that are just starting up.
Zendesk CRM
Zendesk for higher education CRM is part of the larger Zendesk platform, which focuses on customer service. Its goal is to help schools adjust to the new challenges of remote learning, budget cuts, and increased demands.
As a CRM, Zendesk for Education makes school operations easier and clearer, allowing schools to keep communication open with students and families. It connects different channels like email, chat, phone, and social media to ensure everyone stays in touch easily.
Maestro SIS
Maestro SIS by BocaVox is a student information system that helps colleges combine different processes into one easy-to-use platform. It’s designed to meet the various needs of on-campus, online, and blended learning environments.
Maestro also makes it easier to collect documents, upload files, and handle payments. These features help lighten the load for both college staff and students, making document management much simpler.
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a widely used system, helping over 250,000 businesses and organizations improve their sales and customer relationships. While it’s not specifically designed for higher education, Zoho allows users to activate an Education Sector feature.
Additionally, this CRM option lets schools customize modules and fields to manage student data more effectively. Hence, you will be able to manage all activities in your institution with ease.
Shape CRM
Shape is a cloud-based software platform that provides customizable CRM solutions for various industries, including small businesses, housing, insurance, and higher education. For higher education, users can create marketing automation tasks to improve outreach, enrollment, and student retention.
Shape can connect with a school’s existing student information systems (SIS) to help manage complex parts of the admissions process, like handling student data from multiple sources. Plus, the platform offers integrated call, text, and email services, making it easier to reach more students.
Conclusion
When you deploy the best CRM for higher education in your institution, you are opening the access to a world of unlimited possibilities. Having the right CRM in place will help you deliver the right push needed for your institution to stay up-to-date with the fast changing surroundings.
What are you waiting for?  Make the right decision and deploy the right higher education CRM for your institution right now!
We at Kenyt.AI master the art of developing CRM that are customizable and typically suited for your business needs. So whether you are looking to scale up your educational setup or just starting fresh, contact our sales team now for the best solution for your requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) for higher education helps institutions manage student data, improve communication, streamline admissions, and enhance student engagement across the student lifecycle.
A CRM helps colleges and universities improve enrollment, track student progress, enhance alumni relations, and streamline communications with students and staff, ultimately leading to better engagement and retention.
Key features to look for include student data management, communication tools, marketing automation, analytics, integration with learning management systems, and support for admissions and alumni outreach.
To choose the best CRM, consider your institution’s specific needs, budget, ease of use, integration with existing tools, scalability, and whether the CRM offers specialized support for higher education processes like admissions and student tracking.
Aaron Jebin is an enthusiastic SAAS technical content writer interested in writing for new and existing technologies, platforms, and tools. With an experience of over 4 years in technical writing, he is keenly focused on developing articles to provide readers with complete solutions to the common problems that arise in the everyday workplace. His writing mostly focused on team building, work ethics, business analysis, project management, automation, AI, customer and employee engagement methodologies. He has an interest in baking cakes and making stained glass art. He is currently honing his drifting skills.
