Simplifying student applications
We were proud to learn StudyLink Connect has been named a finalist for the PIEoneer Awards in the Digital Innovation – technology category. Win or lose when the announcement’s made in early October, we’re constantly looking for ways to make the user experience even better for our 15,000 agents and other recruitment channels and more than half of Australia’s leading institutions.
This need has become even more important this year, with COVID-19 impacting every aspect of international education. With travel and communication disrupted and budgets and other resources stretched thin, we know how important it is to have seamless connections between institutions, their agents and other recruitment partners.
That’s why our primary focus has been to make submitting and managing applications via our Partner Portal as easy as possible. We have spent time this year:
- Collecting user feedback via training webinars, surveys – and more video and phone meetings
- Monitoring user interaction with Hotjar analytics software that tracks behavioural patterns and mouse movements
- Reviewing issues raised via the Portal’s dedicated support desk
- Measuring our Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is currently a healthy 69.
Through a mix of feedback and data collection, we can focus our energy on making the improvements that count. After all, our business is driven by the belief that all decisions should be educated ones.
These include:
- Releasing a new email platform with full message history to simplify and improve communication
- Improved commissions management tools to build greater trust and clarity for all parties
- A more efficient experience following a Hotjar audit targeting unnecessary clicks
- Establishing a dedicated service desk staffed by specialists with deep knowledge and understanding of the Portal, as well as a knowledge base for quick self-guided assistance
- Free access to comprehensive course data that covers more than 4,000 institutions around the world, providing a single trusted source of accurate information for counsellors to share with prospective students.
Expanded APIs allow integration with agents’ CRMs
We’re also focusing on enhanced API integration. Our current APIs enable a seamless connection between our Admissions Portal (used by admissions teams) and their student management or other third-party systems.
We know there’s still work to do on this front to extend this benefit to users of our Partner Portal. By connecting the Partner Portal with our agent users’ CRM systems we can save them time re-keying information – and help them streamline business processes even further. This will also enable institutions to work with all their agents through one single interface – StudyLink.
This is StudyLink’s next step to provide the whole international education sector with the kind of processing efficiencies that other sectors like banking and travel have enjoyed for many years.
Quicker turn arounds mean more business
One of our agent partners, Mahesh Singh, recently told us how StudyLink helps his team at Oceania Education and Visa Services (OEVS) work with institutions to achieve quick turn-around times. Turnaround time is a top priority – and from Mahesh’s perspective, a quick offer can result in his clients referring as many as 10 people to his business.
“Being able to access information for multiple applications on one platform saves time,” Mahesh says. “I can update clients from wherever I am because all the information I need is there at my fingertips. I just want more institutions to start using it!”
One way we are helping more education providers do just that is with a new release of our Capture solution. Capture offers institutions of all sizes simple and quick access to StudyLink’s core capabilities: a digital, streamlined application portal for institutions and all the benefits of the Partner Portal for their recruitment channels. All this, without any complex integration requirements.
Learn how StudyLink Connect can convert more quality applications to your institution, submit an enquiry to talk to our Sales team.
