5 Best CRM for Student Recruitment

So, you are in the market for a CRM that suits student recruitment.

Ideal, because in this article we have our compilation list for our top picks, and we compare the features and pricing for you. 

If you just want the best choice, we’ve added that right at the top of the article as this was what is most requested by our customers. So, that’ll be the “can’t go wrong” option. 

Otherwise, feel free to explore all the options we’ve reviewed on the market to find something that might fit you a little better.

Enjoy the list!

What CRM would you recommend?

In short, It’s Monday.com CRM

It’s very well rounded, well priced, feature-rich with a large community of support and a very top-notch set of tutorials for every use case. You can’t go wrong with Monday.com. It’s the software we use with our clients at our ad agency.

“🚀Try Monday.com CRM For Free, It’s my favorite webinar software to use and recommend.” -Scott Max

Monday.com is a user-friendly CRM platform that provides advanced solutions with its robust marketing tools. It allows larger companies with complex workflows to perform efficiently and produce nifty results. Monday.com has you covered for your: Service, Sales, CMS, Operations, and Marketing needs.

For more details, read our Monday.com Review.

The best CRM specifically for student recruitment

Educational institutions often organize events or webinars that require student recruitment from other institutions. A CRM that allows you to process applications, provides recruitment capabilities and offers decision management tools will be the perfect fit for this category. Have a look at the products below to choose the best CRM for student recruitment:

1. SugarCRM

Another highlight is SugarCRM, with clients such as IBM, Audi or Zurich, which has a simple user interface and an intuitive personalisation platform, and has two types of CRM adapted to each user: a CRM for SMEs and a business CRM for large companies or multinationals.

Get Started with SugarCRM🔥

SugarCRM Features

SugarCRM is a user-friendly platform built on open-source technologies like JavaScript and PHP to enable mobile computing solutions. It helps businesses build better professional relationships, work more efficiently and integrate with the complete customer lifecycle. SugarCRM has cloud portability, which allows you to switch data between public and private clouds depending on market conditions with minimal disruption.

Here are some unparalleled features offered by SugarCRM:

• Sugar Market: SugarCRM provides an all-in-one marketing automation tool that automatically prioritizes incoming leads based on client engagement. It also recognizes repetitive tasks and avoids them to ensure maximum work is done: in minimal time. 
• Revenue Generation: SugarCRM generates revenue for each marketing campaign to let you know where your funds are being used and whether they are yielding desired results.
• Google Ads integration: Users can access Google Ads management tools within the Sugar Market and create shrewd campaigns to target a new clientele base while maintaining the stronghold over existing customers.
• Ease of Use: SugarCRM is exceedingly easy to customize because of multi-API accessibility. Users can switch from their existing CRM service to SugarCRM by connecting the API’s, which leads to a high adoption rate. It allows users to personalize the menu bar and homepage for quick response to the incoming queries.
• Asset Library: SugarCRM simplifies the process of uploading, managing and storing assets to leverage within the emails, business website and other marketing documentation with the asset library. It supports various file types like images, documents, audios, gifs and CSS. Users can integrate SugarCRM with other content management systems with pre-built templates to get a more robust library.
• Sales Automation: SugarCRM’s sales tool offers accurate predictions on the possibility of closing a deal with its AI-powered tools. You can change your marketing patterns and sales process accordingly to attract more clients. Moreover, SugarCRM also provides automated operations to follow-up on potential customers during off-hours till a sales rep is assigned; to the task. You can use SugarBPM to review price quotations by comparing your services to other businesses and getting a fair evaluation of your product.
• Customer support platform: SugarCRM enables businesses to emphasize customer complaints and rectify the situation quickly. It provides a knowledge-based platform: that can be customized to help clients solve minor problems themselves. SugarCRM’s service platform automatically assigns cases to the most qualified representative by analyzing past work.

SugarCRM Pricing

SugarCRM offers 4 pricing options depending upon the products you pick.

The “Sugar Market” marketing tool is priced at $1000/month and can be accessed; by unlimited users.

The “Sugar Sell” sales automation tool is priced at $80/month/user and offers 60 GB storage along with phone support.

The “Sugar Serve” customer service tool is priced at $80/month/user and helps you smoothly assist clients.

The “Sugar Enterprise” offers a generalized subscription plan and is priced; at $85/month/user. It offers SQL-based reporting and SugarBPM.

The “Sugar Professional” plan is priced at $52/month/user and offers a CRM solution for small businesses.

2. Netsuite

NetSuite Customer Relationship Management software is a cloud-based CRM that offers a 360-degree view of your customers in real time. NetSuite CRM provides a continuous flow of information across the entire customer lifecycle, from leadership to opportunity, sales order, fulfillment, renewal, up-sell, cross-sell or support.

Get Started with Netsuite🔥

NetSuite Features

NetSuite has developed over the recent years and was one of the first cloud-based ERP+CRM systems. It is a multi-tenant SaaS solution that helps small and medium-sized organizations grow faster with customizable workflows. NetSuite provides unmatchable visibility and control over your entire business with its cloud-based applications that improve organizational productivity.

Here are some fascinating features that make NetSuite unique:

• Enterprise Resource Planning: NetSuite provides businesses with complete control over data and resource planning. From handling financial operations to processing order-related information, you can automate all manual workflows with NetSuite’s ERP. You can increase the productivity of an organization with ERP as it provides a clear vision of each business procedure.
• Global Business Management: NetSuite’s Global business management provides unrivaled visibility into operations in real-time. It allows multi-National businesses to manage complexities due to currency differences, tax policies, and legal conformity. Such organizations need to consolidate in regional areas while adhering to the company’s essence, and GBM makes that happen.
• Sales Force Automation: NetSuite allows users to automate administrative actions and sales operations, reducing the employees’ workload. You can identify potential issues, create financial projections and track employees’ performance to get a better outlook on your business activities.
• OpenAir: NetSuite’s OpenAir optimizes resources and employee allotment according to the skills required for a particular task. OpenAir creates various scenarios for every lead to maximize revenue and improve the chances of securing an opportunity. You can automate customer engagement and let OpenAir choose the right employee for each interaction based on past work and favorable conditions.
• SuiteCommerce: NetSuite helps e-commerce businesses automatically update online orders to the back-end to manage them centrally and reduce the processing time while increasing accuracy. SuiteCommerce allows B2B and B2C websites in unifying the front-end and back-end to remove manual operations and get higher client engagement.
• Timesheet Management: NetSuite assists Project managers to review time-based tasks and recording the working hours of employees. You can view relevant information like “Start Date”, “Work Done”, and “Estimated completion time” to get an overview of performance. Moreover, you can reassign tasks through Timesheet Management to finish projects urgently.
• Project Analysis: NetSuite offers analytical tools that provide concurrent updates for every service rendered by your organization. You can track each lead individually to get a better statistical understanding of the client’s requirements. Moreover, you can share reports with colleagues through NetSuite to ensure everyone is on board with project advancement.

NetSuite Pricing

NetSuite does not offer a general subscription plan, and users have to fill in a form mentioning their requirements, business size, and budget. Once done, you’ll be contacted: by the customer executive regarding the best customizable tools for your organizational needs.

3. Pipedrive 

The Pipedrive CRM tool is intuitive and easy to use, providing a wealth of data of interest and future forecast for your customers and their interactions. It is a tool very focused on the sales area, not so much on marketing, and has a paid subscription. Currently, some of your customers are Amazon, Skyscanner or Vimeo. We have tested it to make an educational video on Youtube and have raised a special offer for readers of Marketing4eCommerce 1 month free trial (usually 14 days) and 25% discount on the first purchase. You can take advantage of it at this link.

Get Started with Pipedrive🔥

Pipedrive Features

Pipedrive makes sales-related tasks easier by fetching leads 24/7 and emphasizes the right opportunity so you can convert it into a deal from the sales pipeline. Pipedrive has a flexible and user-friendly interface that simplifies the transition to the CRM tool for businesses, lessening the workload of the sales team.

Here are some features offered by Pipedrive:

• Lead Management: Pipedrive offers an unsophisticated sales pipeline with several functionalities that provide a fully visual sales experience to improve efficiency and close deals faster. Users can track opportunities through all stages of the sales funnel and customize the dashboard to move all leads at one place for smoother interaction and prioritization. Moreover, Pipedrive provides users with an AI-powered sales mentor for personalized insights.
• Communication Tracking: Pipedrive allows businesses to manage contacts and group them into “People” and “Organization” so the sales representative knows the clients’ role in the company and approaches them accordingly. Pipedrive provides a visual representation of call history and other modes of communication with the client giving a cutting edge to your business in negotiations. You can also make outbound phone calls within the Pipedrive and auto-link them with the relevant contacts.
• Sales Automation System: Pipedrive allows users to automate every sales process and take their business to the next level. You will be notified: at the earliest about any changes to the lead phases and account settings to prevent misuse of your CRM. Pipedrive’s Automation sends customized notifications to the clients at the right time to increase the chances of getting engagement and successfully closing a deal.
• Insights and Reports: You can create customizable fields for analytical reports regarding deals, leads, revenue, activities and add them to the dashboard for quick access. Pipedrive also offers employee management services to create goals for teams and individuals. It helps in evaluating the performances and assigning the tasks based on merit, which increases the chances of getting a positive outcome for every sales opportunity.
• Privacy and Security: Pipedrive offers a dedicated security dashboard to give users complete control and transparency over user permissions and privacy settings. You can see how many users are logged in to the Pipedrive account and prevent mischievous entities from getting hold of your data. Moreover, you can see how recently the password has been altered, devices using your account and whether there has been any attempt to change the admin settings.

Pipedrive Pricing

Pipedrive has 4 pricing options for users to choose between depending on their requirements.

The “Essential” plan is priced at $15/month, giving users access to pipeline management, customer support, and data importation.

The “Advanced” plan is priced at $29/month, providing all features of “Essential” plus email scheduling, click tracking, and workflow creation.

The “Professional” plan is priced at $59/month, providing all features of “Advanced” plus call tracking, document creation, and revenue forecasting.

The “Enterprise” plan is priced at $119/month and gives access to all features of Pipedrive.

You can get add-ons to get the most out of the Pipedrive CRM subscription.

LeadBooster add-on starts at $32.5/month upon annual billing and helps large businesses to engage with leads more frequently.

Web Visitors add-on starts at $41/month upon annual billing and helps you recognize how your clients found out about services that can improve your marketing strategy.

4. Salesforce

Another tool to highlight is Salesforce, quite similar in the mechanics of employment to Pipedrive, is one of the most popular CRM programs, despite having a paid subscription, recommended for large companies but not so much for entrepreneurs or SMEs. It is a program that adapts perfectly to the size of your company, with a great usability adaptable to any device and with the possibility of using it anywhere you have a network.

Get Started with Salesforce🔥

Salesforce Features

Salesforce is a sales, marketing, and collaboration powerhouse that lets users accomplish business tasks and share ideas smartly. It was launched: in 1999 with the idea of helping organizations build long-lasting relationships with clients and providing a seamless transition to CRM software. Salesforce has since established itself as one of the most sought-after CRM tools due to its constant strive for innovation and philanthropic values.

Here are some features offered by Salesforce that can affect your business experience positively:

• Industry-focused services: Salesforce provides tailor-made CRM services for every business, irrespective of its niche or size. It is a multi-feature platform that allows every industry to benefit from its wide range of tools. Users can select their line of business to get recommendations on services or customize their own CRM plan.
• Salesforce Sustainability Cloud: Salesforce enables the inflow of your entire business data on a single platform, making it easier to accurately analyze your carbon footprint. In today’s age, when environmental awareness is more significant than ever, Salesforce Sustainability cloud lets you conceive a detailed plan to limit carbon emissions and provide a detailed report to the energy regulatory authorities.
• Slack Collaboration: Salesforce recently acquired Slack, and users can now integrate both platforms for secured communication and collaboration purposes. Slack has a unique interface that allows users to create distinct workflows for each task and automated responses to keep clients engaged till you assign a customer representative. Moreover, it brings different subsections of a business together and facilitates sharing of ideas.
• Workplace Command Centre: Salesforce tracks employee health and ensures their well-being during the pandemic; by carefully managing work hours. It builds a strong community where your company’s employees can connect with each other and resolve issues while you can dispatch resources faster.
• Lightning Platform: Salesforce provides an app development platform with the latest technologies like blockchain and AI. Users can handle every aspect of the process and customize a mobile application that empowers the company’s ecosystem. It’s an unequaled innovative experience that streamlines IT-related tasks and lets anyone contribute towards app development.
• AppExchange: Salesforce has an inbuilt marketplace where users can integrate the additional application to get a more customized experience. It amplifies your sales experience and browsing through several applications while using external tools within a unified platform for business purposes.

Salesforce Pricing

Salesforce has a multifunctional ecosystem where you can add services based on your requirements.

Sales Cloud’s “Essentials” plan is priced: at $25/month/user, “Professional” plan is priced at $75/month/user, “Enterprise” plan costs $150/month/user and “Unlimited” plan is worth $300/month/user.

Small businesses can get a generalized subscription to enjoy Salesforce and choose from the following packages:

The “Essentials” plan is priced: at $25/month/user and can be used; by up to 10 users.

The “Sales Professional” subscription is priced: at $75/month/user.

The “Service Professional” plan is priced: at $75/month/user.

The “Pardot Growth” plan is priced at $1250/month/user and offers automation capabilities for every business.

5. Bitrix24

Bitrix24 is a free CRM full of customer management tools, support and marketing automation features. Available in the cloud and locally, for mobile devices and desktops. Includes all essential tools: sales funnels, channel management, sales reporting, 360 degree customer view, repeat sales support and sales automation.

In addition, it comes with dozens of available integrations, and you can also create your own applications using its REST API.

Get Started with Bitrix24🔥

Bitrix24 Features

In the corporate world, most of the marketing-related work is done collectively, and using different software for each task can be costly as well as inefficient. Bitrix24 offers all necessary tools for businesses within a single platform and makes it easier to collaborate with your team members. Bitrix24 has its virtual ecosystem where you can tackle every task with ease on an interface.

 Here are some exclusive features of Bitrix24:

• Activity stream: It is the most happening place inside the Bitrix24 and is a perfect tool for communicating the project details with your employees. Think of it as a social media platform; where you can post project updates, create polls, follow relevant tags, and comment on posts.
• Virtual workspace: It is a great collaborative tool that helps you connect with the employees through video conferencing. Each call can have up to 48 members, and you can invite participants who don’t use Bitrix24. Moreover, you can track each employee’s work hours and progress through a Virtual workspace.
• Project Management: Bitrix24 offers the ability to create workgroups based on projects and assign tasks in several ways. You can approach each project differently, sort them according to the deadlines, and cumulate reports.
• Bitrix24.Drive: You can use the virtual drive inside the Bitrix24 to keep all your business-related files organized inside the system. Moreover, you can decide who gets access to each file and create new documents.
• CRM Space: It is your one-stop for all sales and marketing-related activities. You can customize the existing process templates or create a new one with the “Smart Process automation” without programming. CRM Space is designed: specifically to help you organize leads and lucidly automate processes.
• Sales Intelligence: Here, you can manage the traffic sources and see the ROI for each platform. It’s a perfect tool to assess your marketing strategy and see which sources generate more traffic. Users can connect their business website and get information on every lead through Sales Intelligence.
• Bitrix24.Sites: Bitrix24 has an inbuilt website creation tool that is easy to access and offers several templates to choose from. You can browse through the layouts according to your business niche or use an empty template to design a website from scratch.
• Marketing Campaigns: Bitrix24 allows you to target a specific audience through social media, Phone and E-mail. CRM marketing tool will identify genuine clients and help you connect with potential customers.

Bitrix24 Pricing

Bitrix24 currently offers 4 pricing options for users interested in getting the most out of CRM services.

The “Free” plan is best for the new users who want to get accustomed to CRM software and costs absolutely nothing.

 The “Basic” plan is priced at €49/month and offers customer support service along with some simple collaboration tools. 

The “Standard” plan offers advanced collaboration tools and an increase in user capacity. It is priced: at €99/month.

The “Professional” plan is worth €199/month and unlocks all features of Bitrix24. You can add unlimited users, which makes it suitable for established businesses.

Benefits of Using a CRM in Higher Education

In today’s competitive educational environment, adopting Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems is transformative for higher education institutions. The benefits go beyond convenience, fundamentally enhancing how colleges and universities engage with students, handle data, and streamline operations.

Enhanced Communication and Engagement:

CRMs enable personalized interactions with prospective and current students. By utilizing data insights, institutions can customize their messaging and segment leads effectively, which improves engagement and retention.

Centralized Data Management:

A CRM provides a unified platform for student data, addressing the data silo issue. This centralized approach facilitates better collaboration among departments, ensuring informed support for students.

Streamlined Admissions Processes:

Designed to simplify admissions, CRMs automate tasks such as application tracking and document management, saving time and resources while enhancing recruitment strategies through data analysis.

Improved Collaboration Across Departments:

CRMs foster cooperation among various departments by offering a comprehensive view of student interactions, ensuring cohesive and coordinated support services.

Actionable Insights through Analytics:

With robust analytics, CRMs allow institutions to track student engagement and monitor trends, providing insights that guide immediate actions and long-term strategic planning.

Key Features of Educational CRMs

Educational CRMs are specifically designed for the unique needs of higher education institutions. They streamline processes, enhance communication, and improve student experiences from recruitment to graduation. Key features include:

Recruitment and Enrollment Management:

CRMs automate tracking of prospective students and manage applications, optimizing outreach efforts to boost enrollment rates.

Contact Management:

Centralized databases simplify access to up-to-date student information, enabling personalized communication and stronger relationships.

Personalized Engagement:

Automated campaigns allow for tailored messaging based on audience segments, fostering student relationships.

Course Management:

CRMs help organize course offerings and monitor enrollment, aligning academic offerings with student and institutional needs.

Analytics and Reporting:

Robust analytics enable institutions to assess performance and make data-driven decisions for continual improvement.

Why use a CRM at all?

As a business, you have to provide; your sales and marketing teams with relevant tools. So they can perform efficiently and deliver results constantly. Customer data is essential to analyze clientele behaviour. So you can devise strategies and interact with clients effectively.

Using spreadsheets to manage customer data negatively affects your business and slows down your growth. CRM provides an optimized database to handle the client information and uses it; to empower your sales and marketing teams through valuable insights. It is crucial to maintain operational efficiency; within your organization and provide the best possible customer service to your clients.

Why should you use a CRM for student recruitment?

As a university, you have to keep up with the latest technologies and adopt the latest methods to expedite your student recruitment campaigns.

From offer-holder conversion emails, newsletters, webinar invites, audition announcements, and deadline remembers, CRM allows you to manage everything related; to your student recruitment campaigns within a single platform.

CRM allows you to add filters within the database. So you can get a list of students you have to target. You can draw information from several integrated sources and find the best-qualified students for event management and webinars within your educational institution.

You can create personalized templates and use SMS broadcasting to efficiently engage with the selected students and send them the relevant details about the event.

Moreover, CRM generates instant reports to help you analyze the student applications and approach the most suitable candidates. You can then provide the selected students with brochures or PDFs containing details about the event so they can prepare accordingly.

You can easily verify documentation and segment the student profiles according to; the set parameters, making it easier to interact and collaborate with relevant students.

CRM is crucial to optimize your student recruitment campaigns and empower your HR teams with the necessary tools to choose the best applicants.

CRM for student recruitment, A Summary

By using CRM for student recruitment, you ensure that no application slips through the cracks. You can easily assess the applicants based on set performance metrics. It makes the interaction much simpler and less time consuming, helping you stay on top of every inquiry.

Sugar CRM is an open-source cloud-based platform that provides several tools to make effective decisions. It is our suggested pick for a CRM that suits student recruitment. Visit the website to get started.