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Advancing Multi-Channel Communications for a Higher Education Institution

Client Overview

  • Industry: Higher Education
  • Organization Size: 550 users
  • Project Scope: CCaas, UCaas
  • Industry: Higher Education
  • Organization Size: 550 users
  • Project Scope: CCaas, UCaas
  • Stakeholders: Chief Information Officer

The Challenge

A higher education institution relied on an aging, premise-based phone system that had reached end of life and could no longer support modern communication expectations or meet current cybersecurity compliance standards. The platform lacked flexibility, limited channel options, and provided minimal support for emerging capabilities such as AI-driven assistance.

Leadership sought a more advanced communications environment—one that would enable call takers and support staff to engage with students and families across voice, chat, text, and email, while improving efficiency and responsiveness.

Norstar’s Advisory Role

Norstar partnered with the CIO to guide a structured evaluation and modernization effort focused on future-ready capabilities and user experience.

Advisory support included:

  • Assessment of current platform limitations, end-of-life risks, and security vulnerabilities
  • Definition of multi-channel engagement requirements aligned to student and family communication preferences
  • Evaluation of modern cloud communications and contact center platforms with built-in AI capabilities
  • Guidance on selecting a solution that balanced functionality, usability, and scalability
  • Support throughout implementation planning to ensure a smooth transition and adoption

The Outcome

  • Deployment of a fully modernized unified communications system for over 500 users and an AI-enabled contact center platform supporting 46 agents
  • Multi-channel engagement enabling staff to communicate via voice, chat, text, and email
  • Introduction of AI-enabled capabilities to improve efficiency and personalization
  • Improved accessibility and responsiveness for students and families
  • A communications environment aligned to the institution’s long-term service and engagement goals
  • Client was able to replace their entire platform for less than they were previously spending

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