From website to business system – the Scholarship Manager

A website doesn't just have to display information. It can actually solve problems in the business.

We've helped one of our customers with their website for several years. But when we took a closer look at how they handled scholarship applications, we found a process that was still very manual.

TL;DR

We replaced a manual scholarship process of emails, attachments and long forms with one digital system. The Scholarship Manager handles applications, additional information, comments, decisions and statistics in one place – meaning less admin and a better overview.

From email threads to one shared process

Applications used to come in through a long form and land in an email inbox. From there they had to be passed on to the board. Questions, requests for more information and comments were handled by email.

And you know how that goes.

Someone replies only to the sender instead of everyone. An attachment ends up in a different email thread. Someone has seen the application, someone else hasn't. And when it's time to make a decision, it's hard to get a clear overview.

So we built the Scholarship Manager.

Instead of just improving the website, we built a system for the entire process.

Everything in one place

Applications are made through a simpler, clearer form and go straight into the platform. There, the board can log in and:

• see all incoming applications • follow the status – from new application to decision • comment directly on each application • request additional information without separate email threads • send confirmations and decisions • get statistics on the number of applications and amounts awarded • compare this year's results with previous years

The result is less admin, a better overview and a much smoother process – both for applicants and for those handling the applications.

When the website becomes a business tool

This is something we believe we'll see a lot more of going forward.

Sometimes the solution to a problem isn't yet another website, yet another form or yet another standard system.

Sometimes the solution is to build the tool the business actually needs.

And today we can do that much faster and more cost-effectively than was possible just a few years ago.