PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TargetX, the industry leader in customer relationship management software for colleges, announces its TargetX Summer ‘16 Release—the second of three planned product releases in the TargetX “Year of the Experience.” The release includes a portal for schools to quickly and easily create dynamic content that is tailored to a student’s profile and interests; a Study Group Finder for students to connect with classmates through TargetX’s innovative social networking platform Schools App; and major enhancements to the TargetX Events solution. This release offers a more seamless and interactive experience for students, while bolstering admissions offices’ tools to dramatically improve engagement and retention efforts.
“The Summer Release captures TargetX’s theme—the Year of the Experience—on both the student and staff side,” says Sasha Peterson, CEO of TargetX. “We’ve created a new, gorgeous interface for students to identify and register for events. We’ve created an amazing portal where they can get the content they need. And we’ve continued to add new interfaces and features for staff that are designed to deliver the best experience for our direct constituents (our customers) and our indirect constituents (their students).”
The new TargetX Events allows students to find and register for events that are recommended, invited, and nearby based on student location—all on the device of their choosing. Events can be perused on a calendar, list, or mapping view. With over 90 percent of high school juniors reporting that they register for open houses and campus visits on their mobile device according to leading market researcher Ruffalo Noel Levitz, the importance of a user-friendly, attractive mobile interface for students cannot be undervalued.
“I’m so excited about our events interface. It is the most compelling and beautiful events interface—without a doubt—that is on the higher education market today. It makes information easy to find, looks amazing, and is totally mobile responsive,” says Peterson. “It’s absolutely going to push students to learn more and register for campus events.”
Continuing the commitment to student success, TargetX is pleased to announce Study Group Finder and Group Messaging as enhancements to the popular Schools App. Schools App provides a social network platform to connect admitted and current students with each other anywhere, at any time, and based on cohort.
Schools App is enhanced to include the new Study Group Finder that allows students to self-assemble study groups with peers interested in studying for similar courses and content. Schools App also now features student messaging for groups—connected either through the Study Group Finder or separately—to improve student satisfaction and motivation through peer connections.
Peterson says, “One of the most requested enhancements from our clients was to allow students to chat in groups, not just one-on-one. We listened, and upped the ante with the Study Group Finder that leverages group conversations and encourages existing students to also use Schools App—effectively increasing engagement and retention rates.”
The Summer ‘16 Release also offers considerable improvements that empower admissions staff to improve student yield and retention. Staff is now able to personalize student portals with the information that matters most to individual students. For example, students interested in economics will see events and information tailored to economics.
Peterson says, “No one else has these features, all in one place, on the Salesforce platform. We actually received our first spontaneous eruption of applause when we demoed at our 2016 CRM Summit. Our clients are very enthusiastic”.
The TargetX Summer ‘16 Release is the second major release for TargetX in 2016 in the organization’s new product release cadence - a predictable thrice-yearly release of new products and functionality.
About TargetX
TargetX empowers institutions of higher ed to deliver on their promise — provide students with the skills necessary to achieve their life and career aspirations. We achieve this by solving the crisis of student success by creating a connected campus bridging data from enrollment to endowment. The company’s CRM is built on the powerful Salesforce.com platform — the most innovative customer relationship management system in the world. TargetX offers the most compelling and complete set of solutions, including the recent addition to the solution suite of two mobile-designed modules. The leading CRM company in higher ed, TargetX is reimagining the student experience through campuswide solutions that help colleges and universities build lifelong relationships with prospective students, current students and alumni. With its 17-year reputation for innovative technology and industry expertise, TargetX is the most trusted CRM provider in higher ed.