Thrive Point High School
Executive Summery
Thrive Point High School, a leader in online education, faced challenges with manual enrollment processes, overwhelming administrative tasks, and an inability to efficiently manage student progress and interactions with their existing systems.
To resolve these pain points, Catalyst Connect architected and implemented a comprehensive solution utilizing Zoho as the backend system and ZPortals as the frontend web portal. This custom-developed ecosystem emerged as the transformative solution Thrive Point High School had been searching for, orchestrating a 300% surge in enrollments, optimizing operations, and augmenting stakeholder engagement for all parties involved.
The Client
Thrive Point High School stands as a fully accredited tuition-free online high school committed to offering a flexible, individualized approach to education.
Emphasizing career and college readiness, ThrivePoint assigns each student a dedicated Coach who guides them through their educational journey. The school’s focus on personalized education plans tailored to unique student needs and goals ensures a
dynamic learning environment. Thrive Point offers flexibility through online, on-campus, and hybrid education options, enabling students to participate in extracurricular activities or work part-time alongside their studies. The school’s commitment to innovation and technology ensures a high-quality education accessible from anywhere at any time.
The Problem or Business Need
While attempting to grow and scale nationally, Thrive Point High School faced the same issue that many organizations who focus on growing do: operational inefficiency. With their popularity growing, Thrive Point needed to solve for an overly manual enrollment process and increasingly overwhelming administrative tasks. Managing the collection of documents and information from students and parents during the enrollment process became tedious and very time-consuming.
Additionally, from the perspective of the students and parents, this process appeared very cumbersome and disorganized. Furthermore, the absence of a structured system to track student progress and manage individual goals hindered effective student-teacher interaction, especially when it came to putting this information in the hands of the students.
Overall, Thrive Point struggled with communication inefficiencies between students, parents, and their teachers, resulting in excessive phone calls and general administrative work. With the end goal for Thrive Point being to efficiently scale their online high school model nationwide, they needed to find a solution that streamlined the enrollment process, allowed for the secure collection and dissemination of sensitive data from/to parents and students and, ultimately, facilitated efficient communication and self-service options for all stakeholders involved.
The Proposed Solution
Catalyst Connect designed and implemented a multifaceted solution, leveraging Zoho as the backend system and ZPortals as the frontend system to thoroughly address the identified challenges. In Thrive Point High School’s new ecosystem, ZPortals serves as a unified portal which seamlessly integrates with Zoho’s suite of applications, catering to Thrive Point’s specific needs and ensuring a user-friendly experience. The proposed solution encompassed various aspects:
- Unified Portal ZPortals: The portal was designed to provide a cohesive platform for easy access to essential information within a single login. It was further customized to adhere to Thrive Point’s brand guidelines and vision for a user-friendly experience, ensuring an intuitive and easy-to-navigate application that resonated with the school’s identity. A secure login process and automated user invitation workflow enhanced the platform’s security and accessibility.
- Different User Profiles: Catalyst Connect established distinct profiles tailored for each respective stakeholder:
- Students: Access to attendance records, current courses, course request options, a resource library, and the ability to monitor and track their own Student Success Plan.
- Parents/Guardians (Pending Enrollment): A limited-access profile dedicated to enrolling their children, managing the enrollment process, completing application forms, and uploading necessary documents.
- Parents/Guardians (Post Enrollment): Expanded access after enrollment, allowing them to track their children’s progress throughout their academic journey.
- Coaches/Teachers: Access to student-specific information and tools for efficient interaction.
- Custom Development in Zoho and Integration with ZPortals: Catalyst Connect integrated various Zoho applications within ZPortals and implemented multiple automated processes to streamline operations:
- Zoho CRM: Enabled stakeholders to manage profiles and access student records, including attendance records and their Student Success Plans.
- Zoho WorkDrive: Managed secure document collection from students/parents, meticulously organizing them into a custom folder structure. Catalyst Connect developed additional custom functionalities to automate document uploads and reduce general admin work for Thrive Point’s staff.
- Zoho Sign: Introduced e-signature capabilities for a streamlined enrollment process, ensuring completion of applications and all enrollment documentation with minimal to zero required follow-up by the Thrive Point staff.
By implementing this custom-tailored solution, Catalyst Connect was able to develop an operational ecosystem which significantly reduced manual processes, enhanced communication between all stakeholders, and provided a multi-purpose, user-friendly web portal that aligned with their overarching objectives of scalability and efficiency.
The Implementation
Implementing the solution posed several challenges, including tight deadlines, budget constraints, the need to address various facets of the enrollment and student management processes, as well as the need to account for the multiple user types that would need to access the web portal. However, Catalyst Connect approached the implementation phase with a strategic focus, a well-tuned and robust project management methodology, and an open-line of communication and constant collaboration with the Client. Ultimately Catalyst’s approach ensured the successful deployment of ZPortals and the integrated Zoho system.
The Results
Following the implementation of ZPortals and the integrated Zoho backend system by Catalyst Connect, Thrive Point High School experienced a substantial transformation in its operations. The streamlined enrollment processes, along with automated backend functionalities, significantly reduced the administrative burden. This led to enhanced efficiency and a notable 300% increase in new student enrollments within the first year.
Additionally, stakeholders, including students, parents, and teachers, expressed high satisfaction levels with the revamped procedures and the user-friendly portals. The automation of previously manual tasks not only reduced the workload for school staff but also ensured higher data accuracy and reduced communication gaps, leading to improved operational efficiency.
Moreover, the introduction of ZPortals empowered students to manage their goals, track progress, and access resources conveniently. This placed greater accountability on students, enhancing their overall engagement. The cohesive system allowed for smoother communication between stakeholders, minimizing back-and-forth interactions and fostering a collaborative learning environment. Ultimately, this new ecosystem brought about tangible benefits, streamlining internal operations, boosting enrollments, improving stakeholder experiences, and laying a strong foundation for future scalability and growth at Thrive Point High School.
ZPortals was instrumental in helping us increase our number of student enrollments IMMEDIATELY as we saw a 300% uptick in our number of enrollments while at the same time eliminating much of our own general admin work and the headaches that came with it! Our students, their parents, and our own staff gave us overwhelmingly positive feedback on the new Portal and their experience with us.
Auston
from Thrive Point High School
Conclusion
In summary, the collaboration between Catalyst Connect and Thrive Point High School led to a remarkable transformation in the school’s operational landscape. The implementation of ZPortals offered a user-friendly interface that revolutionized stakeholder interaction. Moreover, Catalyst Connect’s strategic Zoho backend development automated processes, streamlined data flow, and provided secure transfer of sensitive information. Together, these initiatives not only facilitated a large increase in student enrollments, but also significantly reduced manual administrative work, paving the way for scalability and enhanced operational efficiency. The comprehensive solution solidified Thrive Point’s position at the forefront of online education, ensuring a streamlined, secure, and growth-oriented ecosystem.
Overall, the integration of ZPortals and Zoho backend development epitomized a synergy of technological innovation and strategic implementation, fostering a conducive environment for continued success and expansion at Thrive Point High School.
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