Fragmented data is more than a frustration—it’s a barrier to success. When admissions teams are forced to piece together information from disconnected systems, dashboards, spreadsheets, and platforms, the result is a muddled picture of the applicant journey. The consequence? Slower decision-making, missed enrolment opportunities, and a poor student experience.
If your institution is struggling to make timely, data-driven enrolment decisions, the root cause may not be your team—it’s your tech stack.
Covered in this article
The Hidden Cost of Fragmented Data
Why Unified Data Matters to Enrolment Teams
The Role of CRM in Enabling Unified Data
What Makes HubSpot an Ideal Fit for Higher Education?
Real-World Example: From Data Chaos to Enrolment Clarity
Why Work with Velocity?
FAQs
The Hidden Cost of Fragmented Data
Admissions and marketing teams often work from separate platforms, each collecting and storing different types of student data. CRMs, Student Information Systems (SIS), enrolment management tools, and third-party applications all operate in silos. Without a single source of truth, it becomes nearly impossible to:
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Track where prospective students drop off in the funnel
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Personalise communications at scale
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Measure campaign ROI with accuracy
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Identify and prioritise high-intent applicants
This fragmentation often leads to duplication of work, inconsistent messaging, and a slower time to enrolment. Ultimately, students expect a seamless, personalised experience—and institutions that can’t provide it will lose out to those who can.
Why Unified Data Matters to Enrolment Teams
When data is centralised, admissions teams gain visibility into the entire student journey—from first touchpoint to final decision. Unified data enables institutions to:
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Understand the full applicant profile: Connect marketing engagement with academic interests, demographic data, and application status.
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Score and segment leads more effectively: Prioritise applicants with high intent based on real-time behavioural insights.
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Optimise outreach: Deliver the right message at the right time, using performance data to refine future campaigns.
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Respond faster: Reduce decision time with all information readily available in a single view.
The difference is measurable: institutions that rely on unified, real-time data report faster enrolment cycles and improved student conversion rates.
The Role of CRM in Enabling Unified Data
A modern CRM for higher education is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic necessity. With a robust platform like HubSpot CRM, you gain a central command centre for all interactions, marketing efforts, and admissions workflows.
Unlike traditional CRMs or homegrown systems, HubSpot’s education-specific features integrate seamlessly with your existing SIS and third-party tools. This allows for:
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Unified contact records
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Real-time engagement tracking
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Automated workflows for follow-ups
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Customisable dashboards tailored to admissions goals
Paired with HubSpot’s Breeze AI, admissions teams can unlock predictive insights, automate personalisation at scale, and surface hidden trends in applicant behaviour.
What Makes HubSpot an Ideal Fit for Higher Education?
HubSpot offers more than just a CRM—it’s a connected suite of tools built to drive student acquisition and engagement:
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Marketing Hub: Attract prospective students through inbound campaigns and smart segmentation
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Sales Hub: Manage enquiries and outreach with transparency and ease
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Service Hub: Support applicants with automated helpdesks and real-time messaging
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Operations Hub: Ensure data cleanliness and synchronisation across platforms
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CMS Hub: Deliver personalised website experiences for students based on lifecycle stage
And Breeze AI takes things a step further—leveraging machine learning to optimise enrolment funnels, recommend next best actions, and surface insights that would otherwise be buried in noise.
Real-World Example: From Data Chaos to Enrolment Clarity
A prominent South African university recently partnered with Velocity to transform its admissions operations. Facing challenges with disconnected marketing data, inconsistent applicant records, and slow follow-ups, the institution implemented HubSpot CRM with Breeze AI across its departments.
Within 90 days, the university experienced:
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A 28% increase in qualified leads
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A 40% faster average response time to applicants
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A 15% rise in conversion from enquiry to enrolment
Unified data gave their team clarity, confidence, and agility—leading to a more personalised student experience and stronger enrolment outcomes.
Why Work with Velocity?
As a Diamond HubSpot Partner, Velocity has successfully implemented HubSpot CRM and HubSpot Hubs for top-tier higher education institutions across South Africa and globally. Our expert team understands the nuanced challenges of admissions and marketing in education—and we specialise in crafting tailored solutions that align tech with strategy.
From onboarding to custom development and AI-powered automation, we’ll help your institution move from fragmented to future-ready.
Explore our higher education solutions:
👉 Velocity’s Higher Education Services
FAQs
1. Why is data fragmentation such a common problem in higher education?
Many institutions rely on legacy systems or departmental tools that don’t communicate with each other. Over time, this creates silos that block visibility across the student lifecycle.
2. What are signs that my admissions team is suffering from data fragmentation?
Slow response times, duplicated communications, inconsistent messaging, and unclear lead tracking are all red flags.
3. Can HubSpot integrate with our existing Student Information System?
Yes. HubSpot’s open API and Operations Hub enable seamless data syncs with most SIS and third-party platforms.
4. How does Breeze AI improve enrolment decisions?
Breeze AI surfaces key behavioural patterns, predicts applicant intent, and automates next best actions—empowering your team with data-driven insights.
5. How long does it take to implement a CRM like HubSpot?
With a certified partner like Velocity, most institutions are up and running within 4 to 8 weeks, depending on complexity.
6. What kind of support does Velocity provide post-implementation?
We offer ongoing support, training, and optimisation services to ensure long-term CRM success.
7. Is HubSpot suitable for both large and small institutions?
Absolutely. HubSpot scales to meet the needs of both small colleges and large universities, with flexible tools and pricing tiers.
8. What are the risks of not unifying your data?
You risk lost leads, inconsistent communications, poor decision-making, and decreased enrolment rates.
9. How does unified data enhance the student experience?
It allows for timely, relevant, and consistent communication—building trust and improving satisfaction throughout the application journey.
10. What’s the first step to unifying our admissions data?
Start with a CRM audit and consultation. Velocity offers tailored assessments to help identify gaps and opportunities in your current setup.
