Eduvos Simplifies Student Enrolment from 90 Days to Instant with Dynamics 365

When three teams are negotiating whose numbers are true, growth stalls before it starts. Eduvos rebuilt its entire student lifecycle on Dynamics 365, and cut its enrolment process from 90 days to near-instant. At a glance: a South African higher-education institution serving 12,000 students across multiple campuses unified enrolment, finance, HR and student services onto Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365 and Azure. Enrolment time dropped from 90 days to near-instant at 90% lower cost, while the institution grew enrolment 50% year-on-year for two consecutive years.

The challenge

In 2021, Eduvos took over the operations of a previous owner and had 12 campuses to manage in South Africa, with a 90-day window to move off the departing owner’s systems. Sales, financial and academic data lived apart, so departments could not communicate, and teams spent their time negotiating whose KPIs were correct instead of acting on them. Visibility, or the lack of it, was what pushed Eduvos to begin its digital transformation.

“We were constantly negotiating KPIs and trying to determine the truth. Visibility, or the lack thereof, was the primary motivator to begin our digital transformation.”Dr. Riaan Steenberg, Executive Director, Eduvos

Building one platform for the whole student lifecycle

Eduvos partnered with Braintree to build its operations on Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Azure. Dynamics 365 Marketing and Sales now manage enrolment, Dynamics 365 Customer Service handles student management, Dynamics 365 Finance runs financial processes, and Dynamics 365 Human Resources manages employment matters. The result:

• A single platform managing every stage of the student lifecycle, from first enquiry to course completion.
• Omnichannel engagement with prospective students across WhatsApp, Facebook and other channels, with a full record of every interaction.
• Real-time visibility that replaced weeks of manual KPI reconciliation between departments.
• A move from on-premises IT to Microsoft Azure, backed by a security readiness assessment that lifted Eduvos’ security score by 12%.

The results

Instead of reconciling conflicting numbers, Eduvos now runs data-driven discussions focused on improving its academic offering. Enrolment, once a 90-day process, is now near-instant, at 90% less cost. The institution has grown enrolment 50% year-on-year for two consecutive years, scaling from 5,800 to 12,000 students, with new-student enrolment growing from 1,500 to 7,400. Automation has also freed staff from processing an 80-page application per student by hand, giving them more time for the conversations that matter to a student’s future. Integrated finance systems have improved debt management too: Eduvos now makes R150 million in grants available annually, with 60% already awarded to eligible students.

“Before, student acquisition would take nearly 90 days. Now, it’s almost instantaneous and the cost associated has been reduced by 90 percent.”Dr. Riaan Steenberg, Executive Director, Eduvos

“Dynamics 365 is essential for Eduvos to continue delivering quality education. Every time our system functions correctly, it signifies another individual is being educated. And that is what truly matters to us.”Dr. Riaan Steenberg, Executive Director, Eduvos

Still juggling systems that don’t talk to each other?

Eduvos replaced fragmented reporting and a 90-day enrolment cycle with a single Microsoft platform built by Braintree. If disconnected systems are limiting your organisation’s growth the way they once limited Eduvos, chat to a Braintree consultant about your Dynamics 365 roadmap. Specialists in Business Applications, Modern Workplace and Azure. Let’s grow.