We had a problem.
Sending emails doesn't seem like it should be a complicated process.
We had a great template from our University Communications department that was consistent with the University brand. We had a team of recruiters and other staff members who know messaging and who they want to send to. We had managers who could verify content and timing of sends so students and parents received consistent messages without being overwhelmed.
And yet something was broken in our communication about communications.
There seemed to be a lot of back-and-forth about an email...
Hi, I'd like to send an email. I've done all the legwork. Here's the text. Thanks!
11:01 AM | June 9that's a three-page document. No 17-year old will read that. Could you please cut it to a paragraph and include some information on how to get more info?
11:01 AM | June 9
Okay, I've cut it way down. Thanks!
11:01 AM | June 9Much better. Thank you. Do you have a header image you would like to use?
11:01 AM | June 9sure! Here's one.
11:01 AM | June 9Do you have a headshot we could use in the signature block?
11:01 AM | June 9do we have to? I don't like taking pictures.
11:01 AM | June 9yes. all of our emails come from a person.
11:01 AM | June 9okay, here's a really bad/tiny image
11:01 AM | June 9do you have one that is less blurry/of higher resolution/your face isn't in a shadow/you haven't cut out your ex from?
11:01 AM | June 9sure. Here's a selfie.
11:01 AM | June 9What would you like the subject line to be?
11:01 AM | June 9Come see us at a college fair
11:01 AM | June 9What email address do you want it to come from?
11:01 AM | June 9customer@wsu.edu
11:01 AM | June 9When would you like to send it?
11:01 AM | June 912:53 p.m.
11:01 AM | June 9Sorry. We can't send it in the next hour.
11:01 AM | June 9How about Monday?
11:01 AM | June 9Who would you like it to go to?
11:01 AM | June 9freshmen
11:01 AM | June 9Incoming freshmen for next fall? To the main campus? Domestic students only? Admitted only? Not cancelled? With your academic interest in their top 3?
11:01 AM | June 9yep, perfect!
11:01 AM | June 9okay, here's a test. What do you think?
11:01 AM | June 9umm?
11:01 AM | June 9of course we can change everything.
11:01 AM | June 9
So many details.
After all the back and forth, the email still had to go to a graphics person to work with images, text and logos. Then to a developer who would work his or her magic in building the email out with links and html. And then there was the data person who needed to build the query to find the correct population and create any records to note the send.
Is this your process?
We needed a solution.
We were wasting a lot of valuable time.
The demand for sending beautifully branded emails continued to grow. We were at a crossroads and needed to make a decision.
- We could farm out the work and make departments responsible for their own email, but sacrifice control over quality and professionalism.
- Or we could decline to send some emails because we didn't have the manpower and resources.
Neither option seemed viable, so we started looking at products that might fill the gap in our process and help us design beautifully branded emails.
Our goals were many.
We wanted a product that would:
We looked at many products.
We explored our options and looked at many of the widely available products on the market, but they all fell a bit short of our goals. That's when we explored the concept of building our own solution.
Enter our perfect solution.
Our Enrollment IT team is comprised of talented individuals who could rise up to the challenge. For more about our team, view our "about us" page.
In the end, we created our own solution.
Our perfect solution removes the "headache" from building emails. End users can easily customize messages from pre-approved template elements. We've safeguarded our brand by limiting what can be modified in the template, while at the same time allowing users to edit content they are allowed to edit, but only within parameters that are set for them. Bullet-proof HTML is generated by user-friendly tools, and users cannot break the template or the code it generates.
Watch this video to see how easy it is to build an email with Campaign Builder.
Anyone on campus can now create beautiful customized emails that fit the University brand.
Our solution is powerful, flexible, and simple. Granular permissions mean we can create independent department workflows and libraries that are customized to meet requirements per department. Our solution spreads the load, allowing ANYONE to build an email that meet standards, freeing up valuable resources and staff time.
Watch this video to see an overview of our administrative interface.
Our results were remarkable.
We created a fully functional application that would enable our users to build beautifully branded emails with customized content.
We got what we wanted from our solution (and then some!).
What previously took 2 weeks now takes 2 hours!
Improve your process
We formed a partnership.
Our solution gained national recognition.
We found ourselves in a unique position where we could help other institutions who had the same problem we were faced with.
A partnership was formed.
We worked with our Office of Commercialization and formed a partnership with Education Systems, Inc., to release a version of our solution that is branded as Campaign Pro.
And now you can benefit from our experience.
Learn More
Now you can implement this award winning solution at your institution.
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