Having a CRM is like having a garden.
You start by preparing the soil—laying the groundwork with careful planning, selecting the right tools, and planting the seeds of success. But a garden doesn’t thrive on its own. Without consistent watering, weeding, and pruning, even the best-planned garden can become overgrown and unproductive.
Your CRM is no different. Yet, one of the biggest missteps institutions make is assuming that once a CRM is implemented, it can be left alone to flourish.
The Work Doesn’t Stop After Planting
Imagine throwing a few seeds in the ground and then walking away until harvest time. What are the chances you’ll return to a bountiful yield? The same concept applies to your CRM. Implementation is just the first step—nurturing and maintaining it is what drives growth and long-term success.
A well-maintained CRM requires regular cultivation. Your workflows, communication campaigns, and data points need careful tending to stay aligned with your institution’s needs and goals.
On top of that, CRM platforms like Slate roll out updates and improvements regularly. Ignoring these updates is like refusing to fertilize your plants while expecting a bumper crop.
New features are designed to improve efficiency, streamline processes, and help you reach more students. But just as a neglected garden becomes choked with weeds and produces a meager harvest, an untouched CRM leads to disorganization and missed opportunities.
Are You Feeding or Starving Your Enrollment Garden?
A healthy garden demands regular investment, and maintaining your CRM should be a priority at the highest levels. Will leadership provide the modern tools and resources needed to nurture genuine student engagement? Or will they leave their enrollment team relying on outdated methods and dry soil?
It’s a conversation worth having—because just like gardening, tending to a CRM requires ongoing investment in people, tools, and strategies, and your yield is only as good as the care you put in.
Time for a garden check-up—have you been tending your to CRM, or are the weeds starting to take over? If it’s been a while since your last maintenance session, now is the perfect time to log into your CRM, start weeding, and give it the nourishment it needs. Need a helping hand? Our Waybetter team is always ready to roll up our sleeves and dig in. Reach out, and let’s grow something great together.