How Oklahoma City Community College Streamlined Admissions

Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC), which offers approximately 70 arts and science associate degrees as well as dozens of certificates and micro-credential programs to more than 22,000 enrolled students, needed to replace its complex CRM system.

Facing challenges including inefficiency, manual data entry, and poor integration with its student information system (SIS), OCCC turned to Liaison’s Outcomes CRM for a more intuitive, user-friendly solution. The successful implementation has empowered the college’s admissions staff to manage and tailor the CRM to their specific needs, improving efficiency and control over the admissions process.

Overcoming Complexity

Before implementing Outcomes, OCCC faced several roadblocks with its previous CRM. Updating the admissions application required lengthy service calls, which caused significant delays. The old CRM also failed to integrate with OCCC’s student information system, leading to time-consuming manual data entry. The system was overly complex for OCCC’s open-access admissions model as well, leaving staff struggling with features they didn’t need. These challenges prompted the college to seek a new CRM that would simplify processes and improve overall efficiency.

Choosing the Perfect Fit With Outcomes

With its user-friendly design and flexibility, Outcomes allows staff without technical expertise to easily edit applications and streamline data. As a result, the admissions team gained more control over the system, enabling quick edits and updates to the application form without relying on external support. Because Outcomes integrates seamlessly with OCCC’s SIS, staff can now automate the transfer of data and eliminate manual processes as well.

According to OCCC’s admissions team, these improvements were game changers in their daily operations.

Generating Great Results

OCCC’s admissions team quickly adapted to the new system. They reported back with overwhelmingly positive feedback:

• Ease of use | Admissions staff reported that Outcomes is significantly easier to use than their previous CRM, which has increased productivity.
• User-friendliness | “The admissions team echoed how much better it is, how much easier it is to use,” noted Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services and Registrar Williams-Mize.
• Efficiency | Outcomes has streamlined workflows, allowing staff to focus on more strategic tasks rather than troubleshooting system issues.

While it’s still early in the process, OCCC has already noticed promising trends. The college has observed a steady increase in application numbers, which the team attributes to the system’s usability and simplicity. Outcomes has also made it easier for students to complete and submit applications, further contributing to the increased application numbers.

Succeeding With Community Colleges

For OCCC, Outcomes fits perfectly into the unique needs of a community college. Unlike four-year institutions that require advanced marketing and recruitment tools, OCCC primarily uses Outcomes for application processing and basic communication, such as decision letters, ad hoc emails, and daily texts. With its open admissions model, the college also benefits from the system’s simplicity, allowing it to focus on removing barriers to enrollment rather than engaging in complex marketing campaigns.

Managing a Smooth Implementation With Outstanding Support

From the outset, the college worked closely with Liaison’s team to ensure a smooth and timely implementation of Outcomes. Weekly meetings kept the process on track, and Liaison provided excellent support throughout. Highlights of the experience included:

• Seamless data transfer | Liaison’s team transferred OCCC’s historical application data into Outcomes and built out the new admissions system.
• Ongoing support | After the implementation, Liaison continued to assist OCCC with system adjustments and helped answer questions about best practices.
• SFTP connection to the system | Liaison established a secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) connection to automate the data flow between Outcomes and its Colleague platform.

Looking forward, OCCC plans to refine its processes, improve response times from customer support, and continue leveraging Outcomes to optimize admissions.

In short, Williams-Mize explained, “If you’re looking for a system that’s easy to use and easy to update, Outcomes is definitely the one that can do that.

Since 1972, Oklahoma City Community College has been committed to empowering students and elevating the community. It values integrity, accountability, and diversity, creating a welcoming and safe environment for all students and staff.

• Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and recognized for education benefits for veterans.
• Embraces a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, with support services like counseling, disability resources, and academic tools.
• Prioritizes student achievement with initiatives like Complete College, offering expanded programs and online courses.
• Supports workforce readiness through a dedicated Workforce Development Center aligned with current employer needs.