- Modernized CRM for scalability, efficiency, and deeper integration
- Education
- CRM
- Salesforce
Ivy Tech Community College is the largest singly accredited statewide community college system in the nation, serving more than 200,000 students across 19 campuses in Indiana. The College provides high-quality education and training for individuals seeking postsecondary credentials – including associate degrees, short-term credentials, and industry certifications – aligned to the workforce needs of the state’s employers.
As Ivy Tech advanced its academic operations by implementing Education Cloud to modernize student services, a gap emerged within the Workforce & Careers division. While the academic side embraced a data-driven future, the skills-based workforce arm remained on Salesforce Classic - a legacy system no longer aligned with evolving institutional needs. This divergence presented a clear opportunity: modernize the division’s tools and processes by upgrading to Salesforce Lightning, enabling scalability, efficiency, and deeper integration with the college’s broader digital ecosystem.
The Challenge
Workforce and Careers was the first division at the College to implement Salesforce as its CRM more than two decades ago. Originally this platform, IvyForce, was used to manage the College's employer relationships regionally and statewide, tracking opportunities and solutions for incumbent workforce training. The tool remained largely underutilized until 2019, functioning more as an overpowered database than a fully optimized workforce solution.
The Solution
The first step Ivy Tech’s IT Department, Workforce and Careers division, and Studio Science took was to upgrade the Salesforce instance from Classic to Lightning. Studio Science also updated Apex code for Ivy Tech’s pricing model so it could better manage indirect and direct costs for employer-contracted training and open enrollment offerings to the communities it serves.
The next priority was resolving a major resource drain for Ivy Tech’s program managers. Previously, individuals registering for skills training open enrollment classes were required to complete a PDF form, which program managers then had to process manually - a system that was labor intensive, unsustainable, and full of data integrity risks.
To streamline this process, Studio Science developed a self-service registration portal built on Salesforce’s Experience Cloud, designed to integrate learner registrations directly (via API) into the College’s student information system with high levels of efficacy, minimal errors, and trusted data security. While the initial version faced limitations due to legacy system constraints, the platform is now future-ready and continues to evolve into a scalable, sustainable solution that Ivy Tech can continuously update and improve.
This initiative marks the beginning of a broader strategic roadmap. Ivy Tech plans to integrate IvyForce with its academic Salesforce instance, IvyConnect, creating a unified platform that offers a 360-degree view of students across their entire educational journey. This integration will enhance cross-functional collaboration, effectively bridging the gap between academic programs and workforce training.
The Impact
All these efforts are focused on creating a seamless, learner-centered experience, and enable the College to blur the line between skills training and academic offerings – a practice needed in the State of Indiana as commissioned research indicates that 82,000 Hoosiers will need upskilling or reskilling per year in the state.
Ivy Tech’s goal is to make it easy for students from all backgrounds to explore all available options through a consistent, intuitive interface. This consistency spans campuses, recognizing that the needs of a location near Chicago may differ from those in Evansville.
The impact extends beyond the student experience. Thanks to the self-service portal and other technology enhancements developed with Studio Science, program managers have reclaimed more than 25% of their weekly time previously spent on manual administrative tasks. This not only represents a significant return on investment, but also enables teams to grow business, strengthen partnerships, and focus on continuous innovation.
"Studio Science was clearly the best partner for this work – not just because of their deep expertise in Salesforce and legacy systems, but also because of their willingness to engage in the unique challenges this work brings," said Jess Jagger, Director of Systems and Innovation and IvyForce product owner. "They brought both technical skill and a collaborative spirit that made all the difference."
Ivy Tech is now better positioned to serve both students and employers with greater efficiency, clarity, and impact. The enhancements to their Salesforce instance have not only modernized outdated systems, but also unlocked new opportunities for cross-campus collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and streamlined operations.
“By helping us to transform our tools and workflows, Studio Science helped us lay a scalable foundation for future innovation,” said Jagger. This foundation ensures that Ivy Tech can continue to meet the evolving needs of Indiana’s workforce with agility and confidence.
