Enrolling in an education takes time and a lot of paperwork. There’s no getting around either — but students shouldn’t need to slog their way to admission and beyond. 

In this episode of the Ahead of the Curve Podcast, host Chris Henry connects with two industry experts to learn what training firms and higher education institutions gain from mapping their students’ journeys. The episode also provides a few actionable notes on how administrators and program leaders can reimagine their offerings and procedures from a student-centric perspective. 

Conversation Highlights Include: 

02:01 — What student journey mapping is and why it matters

07:17 — Why educators should view journey mapping as an opportunity to think critically about their existing process and student experience

10:22 — What institutions can do to add nuance and context to their student personas

15:09 — How organizations can leverage Salesforce to automate key communications and keep students on-track towards success

Episode Guests:

April Bollwage

Senior Director of Education, Gerent

April Bollwage has spent over 20 years working for education and training organizations. During the time, she developed and redesigned processes to support no fewer than 60 domestic learning centers and 650 colleges and universities. While she keeps her finger on the pulse of the education sector at large, her individual specialty is in strategic operations and enrollment management.

Mike Wittenstein

Founder and Managing Partner, StoryMiners

Mike Wittenstein has three decades of experience in guiding leaders and their teams through periods of transformational change. His story-driven process helps companies distill their brand stories, develop better strategic brands, and cultivate top-tier customer experiences. Wittenstein’s experience is diverse and far-reaching; he has advised business leaders in fields that include but are not limited to technology, healthcare, hospitality, and professional services.