The Geneva Graduate Institute, a world-renowned academic institution in Switzerland, is celebrated for its excellence in international affairs, development studies, and global governance. With roots tracing back to 1927, the institute not only fosters critical thinking and interdisciplinary research but also shapes innovative solutions to global challenges, preparing future leaders in diplomacy, policy-making, and sustainable development.
Project Objectives
The institute envisioned a digital space to unite its diverse alumni community—an environment where former students could reconnect, share insights, collaborate on initiatives, and access exclusive resources. The primary objective was to create an all-encompassing alumni portal that would serve as a vibrant hub for:
- Networking: A dynamic member directory to facilitate seamless connections.
- Events: A robust event management system to promote and track both upcoming and past activities.
- News & Updates: A centralized news feed to keep alumni informed about the latest developments.
- Groups & Collaboration: Specialized features for creating and managing groups, ensuring that alumni can engage with peers sharing similar interests or professional backgrounds.
Our Approach & Solution
Advanced Communities delivered a tailor-made solution by developing an intuitive alumni portal from scratch on Salesforce Experience Cloud. Key components of our solution include:
- Seamless Integration with AC MemberSmart: We incorporated the AC MemberSmart app to provide essential functionalities such as a comprehensive member directory, event management, group functionalities, and news updates.
- Customized UI/UX Enhancements: By designing a custom theme with personalized header and footer components, we ensured that the portal not only reflects the institute’s prestigious image but also offers a smooth, aesthetically pleasing user experience.
- Advanced Event Management: Alumni now have full control over their event participation—creating, editing, or canceling events with ease. The “My Event Transactions” feature centralizes event ticket management, simplifying the entire process.
- Enhanced Group Engagement: Our solution features an innovative custom list view, presenting groups as visually appealing tiles. With custom search and sorting capabilities, alumni can effortlessly find and join groups that match their interests. Automated group membership, based on criteria such as nationality or employer country, further personalizes the experience.
- Robust Member Directory: A centralized directory enables seamless profile management. With two-way synchronization with Salesforce, alumni can update personal and professional details, while an efficient case submission process streamlines updates for workplace-related information. The “Close Account” feature is also available for users who choose to leave the portal.
- Real-Time News & Communication: The News page acts as a dynamic hub for real-time updates, ensuring alumni are always in the loop. Enhanced by the integration of Salesforce’s Chatter functionality, communication between alumni and internal teams is both direct and efficient.
- Custom Filters for Peer Search: Our tailored search filters allow users to refine their searches based on graduation years, degree types, and more, making it easier than ever to reconnect with peers who share similar academic or professional trajectories.
Benefits & Results
The new alumni portal has transformed how the Geneva Graduate Institute engages with its alumni community:
- User-Centric Design: The intuitive design and enhanced UI/UX have made navigation and resource discovery effortless, ensuring alumni can quickly access everything from news to event details.
- Empowered Networking: With a feature-rich member directory and advanced search functionalities, alumni can forge meaningful connections and explore new opportunities for collaboration and professional growth.
- Streamlined Event Management: The comprehensive events directory and management tools have given alumni more control over their engagements, significantly enhancing their event experience.
- Optimized Communication: The integrated news hub and Chatter functionalities ensure that real-time updates and seamless communication are at the forefront, fostering a more connected alumni network.
- Operational Efficiency: Automation in group membership and profile synchronization with Salesforce has not only improved efficiency but also provided a more personalized and tailored experience for all users.
And here’s what Geneva Graduate Institute said about our performance:
“When we started collaborating with the Advanced Communities team, we were strongly impressed by the level of preparation, strong motivation and extreme willingness to provide a very rich solution well adapted to our needs. During the implementation phase, the Advanced Communities resources were highly efficient, reliable, dedicated and always found the most effective solutions to meet our requirements. Despite deadline and budget constraints, the go-live date was respected to the satisfaction of the Geneva Graduate Institute. We strongly recommend this company, this solution and the great team behind it.”
Marcello Finocchiaro – Deputy Head of Information Systems
Carine Leu – Head of Alumni relations
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