success story: Transforming operations

distance Minnesota

Distance Minnesota (DMN) is a collaborative initiative among several colleges in Minnesota, dedicated to offering online education and student support services. With partners such as Alexandria Community and Technical College, DMN plays a crucial role in streamlining online course registrations, managing student records, and supporting various academic programs.

The Challenge

Distance Minnesota’s biggest need was to unify their systems so they could better serve a variety of stakeholders—students, high schools, and internal teams, but their existing Oracle-based environment was not only outdated, but also lacked user-friendly functionality:

  • Inefficient Data Management: Keeping data consistent and clean in Oracle was labor-intensive.

  • Limited Chat and Case Functionality: DMN needed advanced tools to manage real-time support, but the old system offered minimal visibility into user login and chat availability.

  • Complex Reporting: Oracle’s structure required a steep learning curve, and building relevant dashboards and reports was cumbersome.

  • Disconnected Processes: Critical programs like Online College in the High Schools (OCHS), lacked streamlined processes for registration, admissions, grade tracking, and portal access.

“Foundation Partners scored the highest of the partners. They did a good job keeping us moving. We met weekly to review work done and allow for questions so we could support it after go-live.”

- Sarah Guderjahn, IT Systems Administrator, Alexandria Technical & Community College and Project Lead

Key Implementation Milestones:

  • Data Migration: Transitioning legacy Oracle data into the Salesforce Education Cloud platform, ensuring clean and consistent records for students, high schools, and partner organizations.

  • Portal and Websites: Building out multiple websites and portals such as one for Online College in the High Schools, leveraging Salesforce’s Experience Cloud and tools like FormTitan.

  • Automation Setups: Crafting workflows for case creation and chat functionality, so staff can manage and report on interactions seamlessly.

  • Knowledge Articles: Configuring Salesforce Knowledge to centralize articles and resources, then training DMN on best practices for ongoing content management.

  • Training & Adoption: Foundation Partners provided one-on-one support, group sessions, and training videos, enabling staff to gradually feel confident in the new system.

"Foundation Partners trained us well and set us up to manage the system on our own. We have a contract, but we haven’t reached out. The team understands that Foundation Partners is there when they need them."

- Sarah Guderjahn, IT Systems Administrator, Alexandria Technical & Community College and Project Lead

The solution

By partnering with Foundation Partners, Distance Minnesota set out to replace Oracle with Salesforce and implement additional tools like FormTitan, Apsona, and Account Engagement. This comprehensive approach aimed to:

  • Automate Key Processes: Especially for OCHS registration, case creation, and chat functionality.

  • Improve Data Visibility: Ensure staff could quickly generate and customize reports and dashboards.

  • Streamline Collaboration: Create cohesive workflows for high schools, coordinators, and the DMN internal team in a single system.

  • Enhance User Experience: Migrate and build user-friendly websites and portals for students, staff, and external partners.

The results

Since transitioning to Salesforce with Foundation Partners, Distance Minnesota has seen notable improvements:

Greater Operational Efficiency

  • Case Management: Automated workflows and improved visibility into day-to-day interactions.

  • Clean Data: “It’s easier to keep data consistent and clean in Salesforce,” Sarah noted, thanks to standardized processes and fields.

Improved Reporting and Dashboards

  • Staff can quickly build list views and dashboards without extensive technical expertise.

Enhanced User Engagement

  • Chat Functionality: While DMN continues to refine how they track chat availability, staff can see who’s currently online and how long they’ve been available.

·       Portals: High school coordinators can log in to manage student grades and track progress, saving time and paper.

Streamlined Collaboration

  • Partnering colleges benefit from consistent data and shared workflows.

Empowered Staff

  • On-the-job learning was woven into every stage of the implementation.

CONCLUSION

By embracing an integrated, Salesforce-based solution, Distance Minnesota has modernized its operations and improved support for students, partners, and staff. The partnership with Foundation Partners enabled DMN to move forward with confidence—efficiently managing enrollment, refining communication channels, and simplifying processes for a wide range of stakeholders.

With a system designed for continued growth and evolving needs, Distance Minnesota is well-positioned to deliver exceptional online education and services across the state for years to come.

“Foundation Partners was showing and training us along the way as well as including us in the doing,” said Sarah. “This helped keep the cost down but also set us up for supporting the platform once the project was complete.”

  • - Sarah Guderjahn, IT Systems Administrator, Alexandria Technical & Community College and Project Lead