The experts of MavenEd.Network specialize in higher education. We live and breath the tools and technology that keeps schools running. We’ve witnessed what can be be done when look at how we are using technologies to accomplish strategic visions. Our experience working alongside leaders and doers in admissions, advancement, alumni relations, marketing, information technology, university leadership, faculty, and facilities all results in a goal we can all get behind. Making sure our students succeed. As we help colleges and universities through process improvement, establishing metrics and protocols, efficient systems, and additional resources to provide the best educational experience.
System Selection
The work that goes into selecting even a small system shouldn’t be taken lightly. While the cost is the most obvious impact to an organization, there are many other factors that will determine the success of a system migration, new instances, or complete over haul. The training, project planning, integration points, communication, functional needs, wish list features, and more all need to be identified, captured, and referenced as guides through the entire process. System selections could be large scale from an enterprise resource planning perspective, or a ticket tracking solution for a 2 person department.
System Audit
Having a the right tool to run your institution is a very important. Running the right tool the right way is paramount. There is never a wrong time for a systems audit. Never-have-we-ever seen anyone disappointed by learning more about how to leverage a system to its full potential. However, there are a few key times when a systems audit will yield the maximum results.
Leadership Changes – If a new executive has entered the institution, a systems audit is a great health check for operations.
Employee changes – Losing an experienced employee is rough. Retirements, resignations, and turn-over all create knowledge loss. A systems audit can help sure up gaps and identify targeted training needs to help regain that institutional knowledge.
Constituent Complaints – Take those complaints serious. Perhaps it could be corrected with a simple change, re-activating a feature, getting an add-on, or having that critical piece of information that was missed in training. A systems audit can dig deeper into those complaints with the goal of uncovering multiple potential solutions.
Website Competitive Analysis
Thankfully we live in an age where we can gain thousands of data points about our website. In our experience, what was lacking was finding a way to look at our website through the eyes of visitors in an objective way. What calls to action are victors seeing across all the colleges they are considering? What features are being highlighted as a selling point by your competitors? What’s the sweet spot of navigation elements? With our website and social media analysis we evaluate not just your digital presence but that of your competitors and pull it into an aggregated report. This gives your hundreds of data points to aid in making decisions about your website. “Apply Now” vs “Apply Online” vs “Apply Here” vs “Online Application” knowing what your visitors are seeing from your toughest competition allows you to make informed decisions.