Transforming Operations: How Custom CRM & Automation Boosted Efficiency by 40% and Donations by 30%

At Potenza Global Solutions, we thrive on creating tailored solutions that not only meet our clients' needs but also exceed their expectations. In one of our projects, we teamed up with a U.S.-based educational organization looking to modernize their operations and streamline a variety of processes.

Their goal? To build a comprehensive CRM system that could efficiently manage student data, track attendance, handle donations and simplify financial operations. Here's how we helped them achieve that.

Client Overview

The client is an educational institution dedicated to providing quality learning experiences. They were looking for a CRM system that could manage multiple aspects of their operations, including tracking student attendance, processing paychecks and overseeing donations and expenses.

The Challenges We Tackled

The client came to us with several key business needs:

1. Student Attendance Management: Fetching real-time attendance data from an external platform and storing it within the CRM.
2. Paycheck Automation: Generating paychecks for students and staff based on attendance hours.
3. Donations & Expense Management: Simplifying the process of managing donations and expenses, including generating PDF receipts.
4. Advanced Reporting: Creating insightful and customized reports for donors, staff, and expenses.
5. Phone System Integration: A robust communication system allowing for SMS chats, bulk SMS, and phone calls directly through the browser to engage with parents.

But these needs came with a set of unique challenges that we were ready to tackle:

• Custom PDF Templates: The client needed a dynamic PDF template builder to allow full customization of paychecks and donation receipts.

• Jewish Calendar Integration: The CRM had to accommodate a specific calendar system to manage different months and years.
• Phone System Functionalities: The challenge was building a system that could make direct phone calls from the browser and handle SMS and MMS communications.
• Managing Donations: Both one-time and recurring donations had to be processed easily, with an intuitive system for donors.

Our Solution

We crafted a custom solution that addressed every challenge head-on:

• Custom PDF Template Builder: We developed a flexible tool allowing for the creation of dynamic paychecks and donation receipts. This feature enabled the addition of text, images and merged PDFs for bulk downloads.

• Jewish Calendar Functions: Our team created specialized date functions to manage the unique calendar system of the organization, ensuring all schedules were accurate.
• Phone System Integration: Using Twilio's PHP SDK, we integrated an SMS chat feature, MMS and a direct browser-to-phone calling system for seamless communication with parents.
• Stripe Payment Integration: For efficient payment processing, we integrated Stripe, enabling both one-time and recurring donations.

• Case Management & Alerts: We built a system to notify staff when a case was assigned to them, ensuring better task management and communication.

Major Functionalities Delivered

Here’s a breakdown of the standout features of the system we built:

• Custom PDF Template Builder: Designed for flexibility and customization, it allowed easy creation of paychecks and donation receipts with dynamic content.

• Stripe Payments: Simple, secure payment processing for one-time and recurring donations.
• SMS & MMS Communication: A powerful chat module that allowed for SMS exchanges, MMS sharing, and direct calls from the browser.
• Case Management & Notifications: Automated staff notifications for task assignments, improving overall workflow.

Tools & Technologies Used

• PHP (Laravel Framework)
• Twilio PHP SDK
• JQuery
• MySQL
• Stripe Payment Gateway
• Fabric.js
• Git

Results: Tangible Impact

The solution we implemented didn’t just meet expectations but it exceeded them! Here's how our work translated into real, measurable benefits for the organization:

• Increased Efficiency: Administrative time was reduced by 40% thanks to automated tasks like attendance fetching, paycheck generation, and notifications.
• Donation Growth: Donation collections saw a 30% increase, driven by the introduction of recurring payments and an easy-to-use payment system.
• Parent Engagement: Parent communication was taken to the next level, boosting engagement by 25% with the new phone system that enabled SMS chats, bulk SMS, and direct phone calls.
• Cost Savings: The organization saved approximately $15,000 annually by consolidating multiple third-party services into a single integrated solution.
• Staff Satisfaction: Paycheck management became more transparent and accurate, resulting in a 35% boost in staff satisfaction.

Why It Worked

Our client’s business processes are now more streamlined, efficient and scalable. By automating tasks, improving communication, and simplifying payment and reporting functions, we've enabled them to focus on what really matters: delivering quality education and engaging with their community.

If you’re facing similar challenges or want to explore how Potenza Global Solutions can help transform your operations, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re eager to collaborate on making your vision a reality.