Transforming the future of higher education with Microsoft technology

When considering the challenge, EY team leveraged its insights into the UK higher-education sector along with the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 — which had been configured to address the needs of a UK university. By using their library of pre-built functionalities for the higher education sector, we were able to deliver a rapid start to the project for UEL, as some functionalities around specific processes, including applications, enrolment and clearing, had already been designed and built.  

The goal was to create a platform which could be used across a wide range of teams — from student recruitment to student services and alumni. This would be the single point of truth for all student information — from initial contact through their time whilst studying and into life post-university. This system would allow for a 360-degree view of every enquirer, learner or alumnus, empowering staff to create relevant, tailored messaging and support at every touch point.  

Working closely with UEL stakeholders, including leaders from marketing, alumni relations and student services, our consultants designed a solution that could be delivered in phases to deliver rapid results to multiple teams. Each phase was designed to replace multiple legacy in-house or third-party platforms to consolidate and cleanse relevant data, in addition to delivering new functionalities that would help UEL to deliver a more personalised learning experience. Adopting this strategy has resulted in a reduction in the long-term costs and risks associated with running multiple systems. It has also increased UEL’s governance and security by minimising the number of places in which data is held.  

In March 2020, just as the project team was beginning the first phase of work, the UK was ordered into a lockdown. With people instructed to work from home whenever possible, the decision was made to continue the project and leverage tools, such as Microsoft Teams, to conduct workshops and meetings. Despite these challenges, the team was able to deliver the first phase of the project on time and to scope — completely remotely.  

Like many organisations, the pandemic brought new challenges to the University. However, the rapid delivery of a new, flexible Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform gave UEL a way to innovate and address these challenges quickly. For example, when leisure facilities were authorised to reopen under strict restrictions, the University’s SportsDock facility — which incorporates the University’s gyms, fitness classes and sports teams — suddenly needed a way to monitor and set limits on attendance across their sporting facilities.  

Rather than purchasing an additional third-party tool, UEL worked with us to deliver this functionality within Dynamics 365. This was delivered in just three weeks and enabled SportsDock to reopen with the confidence that they were meeting legal regulations. Since then, EY has worked with SportsDock to integrate with their membership platform. This enables the team to make use of the enhanced email-marketing tools within Dynamics 365 and bring their communications in line with the consistent digital experience that students now experience across the rest of the campus. 

To date, the EY team and UEL have delivered transformational functionalities across the Marketing and Enquiries, On-Course, Alumni, and External Relations departments. In total, 16 legacy solutions and services have been identified as being able to be removed due to the implementation. By consolidating solutions and removing legacy technology, UEL can reduce the cost, risk and administrative overheads involved in managing multiple environments (each with their own sets of data), as well as reducing the number of system integrations that need to be maintained. UEL teams can also enjoy richer data analysis, by bringing together previously disparate sets of data onto one platform. 

UEL is achieving annual information technology (IT) cost savings of approximately £120,000 as a result of decommissioning multiple systems, in addition to savings relating to temporary staff and training due to the introduction of automation. The University is also able to save approximately 10,000 staff hours per annum, allowing staff to focus on value-added activities and service improvement. Teams now have enhanced analytics capabilities and the ability to create insightful reporting, such as return on investment from marketing campaigns.  

Organisational risk has decreased due to the rationalisation of data silos, improvements in data quality and enhancements to audit tracking. The creation of a single data set within Microsoft Dynamics 365 means a reduction in manual rekeying and moving data between systems, resulting in a more secure and accurate environment. The system also has enhanced integration with other business-critical systems, including UEL’s Student Record System.

UEL is delivering proactive, integrated communications with prospective, current and former students, which has seen increased email-open rates and higher satisfaction ratings amongst alumni. Communication ratings across all recruitment audiences are well above industry benchmarks and growing year over year (YoY). In the second year of using the CRM solution for Prospects and Applicant communications, open rates have increased by 16% and offer holder click-through rates have increased by 10%.