Admissions - Building the workflow (configuration using steps)

So you have worked out what the steps are to help support your application process. You can have multiple flows active within the module.

Access to the workflow configuration

You must have access to the configuration menu and have the permission 'Admissions administrator' as part of your user group. Your school must have purchased the admissions module. The module is located in the business & operations tab. 

Build a form

Before we start to build the workflow, you will need a basic placeholder form. Each type of internal/external step needs to have a form. We will use a simple form to confirm the steps. Later, it will be replaced by the correct forms once you are happy with your respective workflows. 

We would suggest the student's first name, last name, and also the year applying for and grade would be appropriate.

Creating a workflow

From the configuration panel, select Add workflow to start building. The first thing to configure is the statuses. A status is applied to each step. When the step is completed, this will update automatically. Automated emails can be associated with the statuses. These will be triggered when manually changed.

1. Create a label - This will be shown to the applicant. Make it clear, and why not add the academic year for which you are currently accepting applicants?

2. Application type - Is it for a new intake or is the workflow for the re-enrolment of existing students?

3. Status - Whilst building the flow, it would be best to select inactive until the test phase. Setting the flow as active with no start/end dates will publish the flow to the My Applications header.

4. Email address - This address will be used for all automated communications sent from the flow.

5. Description - Use this field to outline the process or give details about the application, closing dates, fees, and eligibility.

6. School - Application forms can be used across schools if you have a multi-school system.

7. Class levels - Determine which class levels are applicable for the application. You may wish to have a different workflow for school levels.

8. Open from/to - Set a particular period where the application will be available on the portal. Don't forget to update these when rolling over the system.

9. Accepted submitter - Choose whether it is the student or the legal guardians who are the submitters. When starting an application, either a student or guardian profile will be created on the portal for the submitter.

Working with statuses

The system comes with pre-set options; you can rename them if required or add new ones. Statuses are shown to the applicant for externally shared steps. They are helpful to administrators working with the flow management screen; they can be used to filter candidates who require a decision or need to be enrolled.

Click on add status and a slide-over appears.

1. Internal label - This will show on the workflow when opening a candidate. It will not be shown to the submitter.

2. External label - This will show on the My Applications portal if the step is set to show the submitter.

3. For - Once the workflow has been saved, this field will populate with the workflow label. It will show blank if the workflow has not yet been created.

4. Status index - Determine the ordering to show the status in the list. By default, all statuses are 0.

5. Icon code - Decide which icon should show next to the status.

6. Colour - Choose an appropriate colour for the status.

7. Workflow properties - Determine what the status will be classified as. New would be for the first step. Closed would classify the applicant as declined. Enrolled is linked to the dashboard, and it will allow the various tables to calculate the success rate.

Attach automated emails to the statuses. These will be triggered when a status is manually changed. It is a great way to automate welcome emails for successful candidates. 

Adding the steps

Now we can add the steps to the workflow. Click on the step tab, and add a step. 

Let's configure the step, open the configuration slide over, via the cog icon.

1. Step label - This will be shown to the submitter. It will also show on the application admin management view.

2. Step status - Choose which status should apply to the application once this step is completed. The status will update automatically, whether it is internal/external or a payment step.

3. Description - Outline the requirements of this step to the submitter. It will show in the My Applications page.

4. Step type - External, Internal, Payment, Reference request, & Payment plan selection.

   • External is used to ask for information via a form from the submitter. These steps should be shown to the applicant for them to complete.

   • Internal is used for decision steps or internal admin steps. They would not normally be shown to the applicant.

   • Payment will activate the online payment portal if your school has the tuition management module activated. 

   • Payment plans will allow users to select an activated payment plan and sign an online contract. These steps are configured in your tuition management module configuration page.

5. Show step to applicant - For all external steps, where you require the submitter/applicant to interact with an online form. For internal steps, you may not want to show them these, so it is advisable to set them to no.

6. Form - Each step must have a form attached. That is why it is advisable to have a placeholder form when building your workflow. Once the flow is set up and you confirm that it works as expected, you can design your own branded and formatted forms and attach them to the appropriate step, before final testing.

Automated mails

One of the great time-saving features is the automated messages. You can ensure that the submitter is not left in the dark and is informed after every decision, without having to use announcements or an external tool. 

Inform the submitter that when checked, it will require you to add a subject and a mail body. When the step is completed, this email will be sent to the submitter's primary email. Use replacement tags to personalise the message. Don't forget this is a new member of your community, so use the formatting features to create a unique branded mail.

The admissions team or internal mail is sent to the distribution group selected. It can act as a prompt to the admissions team that an action has been completed, and they may need to action the next step. Create your distribution groups to keep the admissions or finance teams updated accordingly.

The mails are not mandatory, but if an inform submitter or a user group has been entered, the system will not allow you to save the step without having subjects and bodies entered. 

All these communications are logged on the communication tab of the submitter's profile.

Once you are happy with your workflow, you can start to test the steps.