The Power of Partnership: How a Simple Tech Fix Is Transforming Student Support

Is it Magical Wizardry or is it DoIT?

It can be both! The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) and the Undergraduate Admissions & Orientation (UGAO) team collaborated to understand a problem and a solution. A solution that improved the experience for both staff and future UMBC Retrievers.

Working in university admissions means answering a constant flow of questions from prospective students. For years, UMBC's Undergraduate Admissions & Orientation team managed this tidal wave of calls and emails using a combination of two different systems: Google Sheets for call logs and a separate Request Tracker (RT) queue for emails. This approach created a fragmented picture of each student's journey, leading to frustration for both staff and students.

Imagine a prospective student calls with a question, and a few days later, emails with a follow-up. In the past, the staff member answering the email wouldn't have had any record of the previous phone call. This forced them to piece together the student's story from multiple sources, slowing down the process and creating a disjointed experience. It was clear there had to be a better way.

This is where a collaborative spirit and a little "magical wizardry" came in. A few members of the DoIT and the UGAO team realized that if they could connect these two systems, they could create a single, comprehensive view of every student interaction. They spent an afternoon figuring out how to connect the systems using an API, proving that the idea was possible. This initial proof of concept was followed by a year of hard work, development, and user testing by a dedicated team.

The result is a new, integrated system that automatically creates a Salesforce Case whenever an email or call comes in. This brings all student interactions—calls, emails, campus visits, application status—into one central location. For the student "Grit Guides" who answer calls, this means they can instantly see a student's full history, providing better, more efficient support.

The new system also gives UGAO a powerful new tool for managing their operations. They can now easily see call and email volumes, allowing them to staff their team more effectively and balance workloads. This shift from two separate systems to a single, unified one is more than just a tech upgrade; it's a commitment to a better user experience for both staff and students. It's a testament to the power of partnership, proving that when DoIT and campus partners work together, they can solve seemingly complex problems and make a real difference.