What’s Inside?
- Development of a specialized recruitment portal for elite creative and scientific disciplines.
- Complete automation of student convocation and application validity checks.
- Integration of secure third-party payment systems for admission fees.
Context
A leading global top-50 research university, supporting a massive community of 4,500 researchers and 17,000 students, required a digital solution to enhance its international image. The project focused on providing a streamlined recruitment tool for its prestigious member institutions, specifically the CNSAD (National Academy of Dramatic Arts), to facilitate high-stakes student intake.
Challenges
The university faced the complex task of managing thousands of applicants while maintaining the high standards of its elite programs. Key challenges included:
- Brand Awareness: Developing a tool that reflected the university’s prestige and facilitated a modern recruitment experience.
- Specialized Requirements: Adapting core technology to the highly specific needs of performing arts auditions and academic screenings.
- High Volume Management: Ensuring the system could reliably support over 20,000 users during peak application cycles.
The Solution
Spoon Consulting implemented a robust digital environment based on Salesforce Sales Cloud and Experience Cloud (formerly Community Cloud). This architecture allowed for the creation of a dedicated candidate portal where students could submit dossiers, track their progress, and interact with the institution. The solution included automated workflows for validating application files and managing the convocation process for auditions.
Our Contribution
Our team provided end-to-end technical and functional expertise to deliver a customized admission platform:
- Custom Portal Development: Built and personalized a candidate community specifically for the university’s artistic requirements.
- Workflow Automation: Designed systems to define juries, schedule audition slots, and send automated notifications to candidates.
- Financial Integration: Integrated the portal with Paybox, a secure payment service provider, to automate the collection of application rights and fees.
- Administrative Interface: Configured a management space for university staff to monitor training sessions and auditoriums.
Benefits
The implementation of the recruitment portal delivered significant value to both university administrators and prospective students:
- 360-Degree Candidate View: Managers gained total visibility over applicant data, audition history, and file status.
- Operational Efficiency: Automated convocations and validity checks reduced manual administrative workload.
- Enhanced Professionalism: Provided a “one-stop-shop” experience for candidates, from initial interest to audition scheduling and payment.
Key Figures & Dates
- Project duration: May 2018 – September 2018
- Workload: 100 Man-days
- Impact: Support for 20,586 users
