Unisa, FrontRange collaborate on practical CRM education

Unisa, one of the most respected correspondence universities in the world, has partnered with FrontRange Solutions to take the rapidly growing discipline of customer relationship management to its students.

The Unisa Department of Marketing had realised that its students required both the theory currently received in their chosen courses, along with a method of practical implementation that could be used to equip students for the hands-on world of business.

"On registration, students receive a subsidised copy of FrontRange`s GoldMine application as part of their study pack. They will use it to facilitate their studies, complete their assignments, and ultimately walk away from their course with a certificate and the tool required to implement their knowledge," says Prof Johan Strydom, professor of marketing in Unisa`s Department of Management.

The GoldMine CD supplied to the students contains demonstrations of programme implementation, along with a working copy of the software.

"Students learn the value of forming a prospecting database, how to implement, execute and measure the returns on their marketing programme, and in the process they acquire a sound fundamental understanding of how technology can be used practically to reduce the costs and increase the effectiveness of marketing campaigns," Strydom continues.

GoldMine has the added advantage of being easy to use, making it suitable for students with basic computer skills. It will initially be used for Unisa`s three-month Customer Relationship Management Diploma and the six-month Customer Relationship Marketing Diploma, and later possibly as a module in the B Comm Degree programme.

"The course material will be written by Unisa in close collaboration with FrontRange, to ensure the syllabus does justice to the Unisa course and the software," adds Strydom.

Hennie van Schoor, product manager for FrontRange Solutions, notes that market education at all levels is very important to FrontRange, which now has six South African universities using its software.

"The tie-up with Unisa is very significant since it has taken our commitment to tertiary education to a new level, as it is the first time in SA that our software is being used as compulsory courseware. It achieves the objectives of our giving something back to the industry that has enabled us to achieve such rapid growth within South Africa, and demonstrating our thought leadership in the dynamic field of CRM."