CRM in Higher Education

Jan. 24, 2024
Alana Talkington
graphic of cloud labeled CRM connecting to comms needs

Higher education, much like so many organizations and institutions, is experiencing changes as the needs of those who are being served continues to change and elevate. As our audiences’ needs in how they receive communications evolve, we must be adaptable and proactive in how we administer messages to ensure that students, parents, alumni, employees, and staff members are receiving their desired information within the formats that best fit their way of information consumption. 

This recognition of communication adaptability and a customized experience is exactly where the University’s technology enablement program, Trellis, comes into play. Trellis is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, designed to support strategic communications, services, and engagements with the constituents we aim to reach and keep in the know across the University. There are a six core solution that Trellis offers within its digital suite to support the needs of teams and their customers. 

  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Communications Management
  • Early Progress Reports
  • Events Management
  • Service Management
  • Social Media Management

Meredith Aronson, Director of CRM and Digital Experience Services, has seen the need and growth of Trellis and has worked closely with the implementation and continued success of the project.

“Over the last decade, our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms have taken hold in higher education, with Salesforce proving to be the market leader.  In 2019, with a new University Strategic Plan, Trellis was launched to be a technology enabler of many of the strategic goals of the plan for students, employees, external partners and alumni.”

Offering a high-engagement experience to customers is of top importance, and Trellis has been strategically formed and executed with that in mind, heightening the experience for users. “Since 2019 Trellis has delivered features supporting engagement at the university— including scheduling, case management, marketing communications, just to name a few. Additionally, we have delivered CatCloud, a hub for active students to have personalized, timely information about their academic and student life needs, and will be launching an expansion of CatCloud for employees in 2024,” stated Aronson. 

As the need for CRM for the University continues to grow, stay up to date on the latest happenings, offerings, and product releases by visiting the Trellis website at trellis.arizona.edu. 

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