Blog
June 13, 2014
As I return and reflect on my recent visit to Boise State University for The Business School Roundtable (TBSr) annual event, I was struck by two things:
- Boise is beautiful with the Boise River running through town and the surrounding green belt of outdoor activity.
- Salesforce is making rapid inroads within business schools helping them improve productivity and engagement across the school.
Upon reflection, I realized the first thing I was most impressed with was really a metaphor for the second. As the river beautifully and seamlessly connects the city, Salesforce connects disparate groups at a school who are working with many of the same constituents. Like different functional areas using Salesforce, the river provides multiple points of entry and engagement, from fishing to kayaking, and each group enriches the experience of the other in contributing to the river’s vibrant ecosystem. And, at the risk of stretching this analogy too far, the river is similar to Salesforce’s cloud-based platform – no one in Boise has to worry about setting it up and keeping it running, it just keeps flowing, ready for you to engage however you choose.
It was energizing to hear how these top business schools at TBSr are using Salesforce to improve productivity and engagement. I was struck by a few quotes from the event:
“According to Gartner, any school that does not have an enterprise CRM in place by 2016 will be at a significant disadvantage.”
“We received an immediate ROI from our Salesforce implementation.”
And my personal favorite:
“Nobody understands the use of Salesforce in higher ed like ACF.”
So, as Higher Ed expands its use of CRM and Salesforce, business schools are moving ahead rapidly, representing a microcosm of what is happening all across campus. Whether it be in Recruiting & Admissions, Student Services, Alumni Relations, Executive Education or Career Services, business schools are dipping their toes into the Salesforce river at different points with the goal of getting into the flow and creating a platform with a fully integrated view of their constituents. A truly connected school with Salesforce running through it….
