Chichester College Group

The Challenge

As new colleges joined the Group, they inherited legacy CRM systems that were not fit for purpose. Staff relied on paper and Excel for transient records, leading to lost or misdirected prospect enquiries and slow, manual administrative processes. This had several negative impacts:

• Customer Experience: Manual processes delayed responses to enquiries, negatively affecting customer experience.
• Scalability: Manual processes hindered scalability, which is crucial for multi-site organisations like CCG. Paper-based trails and spreadsheets were unsustainable for the growing business.
• Workforce Frustration: Inefficiencies frustrated staff, with simple tasks like obtaining contract signatures taking longer than necessary. Staff felt disempowered by these restrictions.
• Reporting: The existing systems lacked sophisticated reporting capabilities.

CCG needed a customisable CRM system compatible with their Microsoft environment that could evolve over time.

The Solution

Following a tender process, Active Informatics was chosen for their feature set and compatibility with CCG’s Microsoft environment. Quick start customisation was key, rather than building from scratch. Paul emphasised the strong working relationship with Active as a critical factor in the project’s success, stating, “We benefit from having a really strong relationship with Active. It’s very much a true partnership.”

A flexible system that evolves with CCG’s growth was essential. Dynamics 365 offers exceptional flexibility, providing a robust platform that adapts to changing business requirements. The system is scalable, accommodating growth without sacrificing performance or functionality. As CCG expands, they can easily add new users, modules, or customisations to meet evolving needs.

Paul highlighted the importance of being a system champion internally and involving staff in developing system requirements. CCG staff are encouraged to suggest tweaks and enhancements, fostering continuous improvement.

Key Integrations

CCG integrated several additional systems, bringing significant benefits:

• Adobe Sign: Accelerated documentation processes.
• Power BI: Provided flexibility and data visualisation, allowing key metrics to be shared widely across the Group. Active designed Power BI dashboards around the team’s objectives.

The Results

CCG initially implemented Dynamics 365 Education for apprenticeships and employer engagement activities, rolling it out to all colleges in the Group. The results have been hugely positive:

• Increased Revenue: Higher levels of responsiveness generated more revenue.
• Improved Processing: Significantly increased turnaround and processing of apprenticeship applications.
• Empowered Staff: Staff feel more in control of their workload with complete oversight of all processes.

Continuing Success

Bespoke functionality developed by Active for CCG includes tools for automatically calculating and recording prior learning of candidates, apprentice interview records, and change of employer records. These have been incorporated into Active’s advanced Apprenticeships solution. Dynamics 365 Education is now used across CCG’s commercial businesses, with Paul noting, “It’s been a very sound investment.”

Paul stresses the importance of the system’s constant evolution for future success, aiming to further develop its capabilities to address market gaps and business challenges swiftly.

By leveraging Dynamics 365 and Active Informatics, CCG has significantly improved operational efficiency and customer experience, demonstrating the transformative power of a flexible, scalable CRM solution.

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