Prior to 2020, “disruption” was a Silicon Valley buzzword synonymous with innovation. If you were disruptive, it meant you shook things up. You were willing to go where other organizations couldn’t. It meant you took risks, could quickly pivot your actions to adapt to unforeseen change. It ensured you were strong enough to flex new muscles and to persist.
Enter a global pandemic, a world in which people are fearful to leave their homes, paired with the largest economic downturn in nearly a century. Suddenly, the idea of “disruption” doesn’t seem so cool. And nowhere is that more evident than in education.
Although many would argue that education has been going through a transformative phase for years, Covid-19 has been an accelerant for massive disruption and innovation. As a catalyst, the pandemic has sent an historically slow-moving industry scrambling to adjust to this new world. As schools rethink all the ways they operate, how can ServiceNow partner with educational leaders to help them transform and innovate?
We align to these three concepts:
- The Connected Campus is now mission-critical
- Investments in Student Experience yield great returns
- Seamless transitions propel students forward
The Connected Campus
Disconnected silos in education are legendary. The very fact that the departments are often spread across different building, sometimes miles apart, is not lost on those spending their time running between them to complete a simple task.
The solution, for many institutions, has been to ease students’ efforts by adding more administrative staff to take on these tasks. This is how some schools address an improved student experience. It’s a short-sighted, expensive way to remove friction for students as it only shits the work elsewhere. And, this approach doesn’t fundamentally change the student experience.
As schools have had to incorporate digital services into their operations, they have seen the need for the silos to come down and for integration across departments and systems. The only way to serve students effectively is to have access to a holistic view of their experience. Now, more than ever, digital spaces must be connected environments with simplified workflows and transparency into what’s working and what needs improvement. Having accessible, comprehensive and accurate student information allows institutional leaders to make informed, data-driven decisions in ways they couldn’t before.
Student Experience
Every college and university lists improvements in Student Experience as a strategic initiative. Why does it matter so much? Beyond the mission-centric goals of the institution, meeting student needs is directly tied to retention. And, retention is directly tied to the financial health of any educational institution. Students who don’t continue, don’t bring in revenue. As it is for any business, the cost of net-new acquisition is high so there are huge economic benefits to retaining the students they have rather than spending money recruiting new ones. But how?
The simplified, connected workflows we create are essential to a modern student experience. Students expect personalized, predictive interactions with their chosen brands. The more they invest (and we know that higher education can be a huge investment), the more they expect their experiences to be seamless and supportive. Schools that have done this right understand that these experiences begin before a prospective student even enrolls and continues well past graduation. They know that simplifying and automating menial tasks creates more space for meaningful interactions elsewhere. And they know that this process can be fully iterative, getting smarter all the time instead of the historical brittle fixes that remain static until they break at scale.
Seamless Transitions
The student journey is full of transitions- from prospect to applicant, applicant to enrolled, enrolled to matriculating, matriculating to graduate. Add to that changes in housing, majors, student needs, academic success, and completion of courses. It’s four years of constant change. Every transition requires a clean handoff of information and ownership, so seamless that the student isn’t even aware. Data must securely change hands and the right information must be accessible to the right people, who are often looking at it for different information than the previous owner. Connecting it all on one platform allows for seamless transitions and visibility.
Much has been required of educational institutions this year. Many have proven themselves eager to rise to the occasion. We have seen innovative leadership driving transformative change in the education sector. Understanding the nuances of sustainability and resiliency in the context of serving students and communities is more important than ever in building strong partnerships.
