Salesforce is a popular technology solution; however, an equally important question to ask is what are the benefits and risks of investing in a customer relationship management (CRM) technology platform for higher education institutions. Let’s first address the risks. If a university does not have an integrated system that shares information across the student journey, the data it does collect won’t be as relevant in an increasingly competitive and globalized market. Universities need to move away from department-driven, siloed, legacy systems to a university-wide CRM system as students, alumni, and donors expect a personalized and seamless experience. If centralization is not pursued, data inaccuracies may persist that are caused by:Delays and errors in data when moving data from one siloed system to another (often manually)Increased friction in the customer experience because they become frustrated when transitions from recruit to student to alumni are not smooth or consistentLost data collected at many touch points along the student life-cycle Now, let’s turn to the benefits. They are many, but only if you invest in the proper change management to ensure adoption of the CRM. The key benefit to any integrated CRM system is delivering a customer-centric approach that is relevant and adds value to them—and then later to your institution with improved enrollment yield, seamless student journey, and personalized alumni engagement opportunities. Additional benefits include:Automation of workflow for data hygiene and personalized communicationsDashboard reporting and data analytics tools for data driven decision makingImproved tracking of stakeholder information and interactions that support end to end engagementSalesforce, or any CRM platform, is more than a technology solution… it is a business transformation opportunity that enables universities to optimize revenue and improve customer satisfaction. To stay ahead of competition, universities need to deliver value at every stage of the student lifecycle. When used properly, a CRM system enables personalized communication and outreach to strengthen and continue relationships with the institution. Still, CRM systems are not a magic bullet. They are only as good as the data collected; so, to be relevant to their students, alumni, and donors, universities need to create a culture that consolidates all touchpoints into a single source of truth to support the student journey and beyond.