success story: INCREASING ENROLLMENT

St. Cloud Technical & Community College (SCTCC) has long been a cornerstone of its community, offering high-quality education and personalized support to prepare students for academic and career success.

The Challenge

The college had made strides transitioning to Salesforce, but the implementation fell short, leaving the team with fragmented processes, inconsistent data, and inefficiencies. The promise of Salesforce remained just out of reach.

  • Incomplete and Inconsistent Configurations

  • Duplicate Records, Unreliable Reporting, and Disconnected Systems

  • Clunky Manual Processes

St. Cloud Technical & Community College

“other colleges in the Minnesota State system were beginning to adopt Salesforce. Seeing their progress, we realized it was time for us to make a change too.”

- Kate Wallace, Director of Marketing and Communications, SCTCC

The solution

Foundation Partners stepped in with a collaborative, phased approach designed to address SCTCC’s unique challenges while empowering their staff for long-term success:

  • Untangling the incomplete implementation, and consolidating data into Salesforce.

  • Automating Processes: Integrating Signal Vine directly into Salesforce automated text messaging workflows, eliminating reliance on manual spreadsheets.

  • Comprehensive Training: The team learned advanced Salesforce tools including: summaries, ticket management, automation in Account Engagement, and tracking digital campaigns.

“Foundation Partners’ ability to understand our systems and offer practical solutions was invaluable. THey were personable, knowledgeable, and truly made a difference in our operations.”

- Kate Wallace, Director of Marketing and Communications, SCTCC

The results

The impact of these changes was immediate and measurable. Automated workflows eliminated time-consuming manual tasks, allowing recruiting staff to focus on what mattered most: engaging with students. 

SCTCC saw a 40% increase in inquiries year-over-year, a milestone that contributed to significant gains in student applications and enrollments.

“Thank you so much for all you have done for SCTCC and moving us forward!” shared Andrew Pflipsen, Vice President of Student Affairs. “Our improvements within Salesforce are one of many factors that have contributed to this, and we are grateful for our partnership.” 

Enhanced reporting provided actionable insights, helping the team refine their outreach efforts. Recruitment teams can now track inquiries by area, improve communication strategies, and dynamically adjust email content based on student actions.

“Their phased approach allowed us to tackle challenges methodically and successfully,” Erik says. 

With these improvements, SCTCC’s CRM system is now scalable and equipped to grow with the institution’s needs. The college is positioned among the top performing schools in the Minnesota State system for enrollment growth—a testament to the power of a fully optimized Salesforce system. 

“Our improvements within Salesforce are a key factor in our success, and we’re grateful for the partnership that got us here.”

  • - Kate Wallace, Director of Marketing and Communications, SCTCC

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.