In today's article our partners Intrinsiq  speak to us about the importance of Change Management, especially when changing CRM Software Providers in the field of International Education. Change management is the process through which the tools and techniques used by the school leads to the required business outcome. Needless to say, a smooth transition from CRM to the other is not only important, but necessary in order to ensure that no data is lost, and that the two systems continue to run efficiently in parallel until the complete migration is done from the old system to the new one. Of this, Intrinsiq are experts and come highly recommended by education providers who have already been down this road.

Change Management poses specific challenges in the International Education sector especially due to the increase in online and blended learning, online applications and online assessments. As a result, it is crucial for institutions to keep their back office management up to date, even when they are in the process of migrating from one system to the other. Speaking about this challenge, Sudesh Prasad, Managing Director at Intrinsiq told us that, "Intrinsiq is committed to web based applications, but moving to any new system poses challenges to office staff; with larger organisations this means not only training but change management. Our experience shows that the benefits of bringing your team on board is crucial to the success of any software change. If you plan for the inclusion of your key  staff in the process of specification and roll out, it will allow them to have a say in the design of the workflow, which will naturally bring success and efficiencies".

When it comes to changing from one system to another, it is important for schools to keep the following in mind.

Key Points

1. Ensure your move to a new system will replicate what you have and also give you what you need - it is important for your new CRM provider to understand that you need time to adjust to the new system and while that is going on, you need your old system to continue running in parallel with the new system.
2. Make sure your new system reflects your office workflow and not vice versa - that is why it is important to involve your key members of staff. They run the office and they need to tell the CRM provider how the office is run, so that, in turn, the CRM provider can design a system which replicates the office flow. If you do it the other way round, you will end up losing a lot of time because your members of staff will need to get used to the new CRM system but will also have to re-structure the office workflow, hence resulting in a lot of wasted time and inefficiency.
3. Ensure that your team is involved in each key step - Remember that they are the ones who need to use the CRM on a daily basis. If you involve them in every step of the way they will learn how to use it quicker and will be able to pin point any inefficiencies immediately.
4. Make onsite consultation testing and training a key part of your strategy, and make sure that each stage of the process is delivering the crucial functionality before moving on to the next stage - Despite running and managing an online platform, face to face meetings and interactions with the people developing the new system are still an important part. On top of that, it is important to deliver information to members of staff in maneagable chunks. We often hear people speaking of the fact that "developers and marketers or school owners speak a totally different language." It is only through meetings and frequent interactions that this 'language' gap is bridged and both parties start to understand each other.
5. Work to clear and defined specifications and manage expectations of your staff and the provider - We will never stress it enough. Communication is key in change management.

"Managing change with stakeholder engagement is a proven method to get the best out of a crucial part of any business system upgrade", Sudesh concluded.

If you are already working with another provider, don’t worry. Intrinsiq has a lot of experience with smooth transitions from third party systems to their cloud. You and your staff will have the chance to learn how to work effectively with Intrinsiq before you switch over to it. Intrinsiq will also create a migration plan to ensure no data or bookings are lost during transition.

To top it off, Intrinsiq is offering schools free hosting for 6 months which is worth £2700 GBP.

So what are you waiting for? Take this opportunity to switch to an efficient, solid cloud-based system today! Contact Intrinsiq on [email protected] to find out more about how you can benefit from this exciting offer, and start running your school more efficiently. That way, you and your staff can focus all your resources on what matters the most i.e. giving your students the best learning experience possible!