Overview 

In today’s competitive academic and professional landscapes, institutions rely heavily on credible recommendations to make informed admission decisions. However, traditional recommendation collection processes are often manual, fragmented, and lacking in transparency, leading to inefficiencies, delays, and poor applicant experiences.

Meritto addresses this challenge with Referral Connect, a dynamic, fully configurable workflow that automates the collection, tracking, and evaluation of recommendations. Built as part of the Application Automation Platform, Referral Connect enables institutions to gather structured, timely feedback from recommenders while offering full visibility to applicants and administrators. The result, faster decisions, less manual effort, and more reliable data for applicant evaluations.

Plan & Permissions

Plan/Package:

• Referral Connect is available as an add-on feature and is functional only when the institution has subscribed to the Application Automation Platform.

Permissions Required:

• Referral Connect: Grants access to create and edit Referral Connect workflows.
• Re-send Communication to Referee: Enables backend users to resend automated messages to recommenders.

Dependencies:

• The feature must be activated in the institution’s plan.
• User roles must have appropriate access levels to manage workflow settings 

Feature Utilization for Problem Solving

Referral Connect solves several pain points in the admissions process:

• Manual inefficiencies: Automates outreach to recommenders through configurable triggers (e.g., application submission, payment confirmation).
• Unstructured feedback: Ensures standardized recommendation formats using custom layouts and field types.
• Lack of visibility: Provides real-time tracking for applicants and a centralized portal for admissions teams.
• Poor response rates: Increase submission rates with multi-channel (Email/SMS/WhatsApp) communication and automated reminders.

Using Meritto’s intuitive workflow builder, institutions can:

• Set timelines for recommendation windows.
• Choose when communications are sent (form submission, payment confirmation, etc.).
• Build different forms for academic and professional references.
• Evaluate and export recommendation data seamlessly within the Application Manager.

Expected Outcomes & Benefits

By implementing Referral Connect, institutions can expect significant improvements across several key performance indicators:

• Time to Decision: Reduces turnaround time for recommendation collection
• Application Completion Rate: Improves as applicants have real-time visibility into recommendation status
• Recommender Engagement: Higher response rates due to multi-channel delivery and user-friendly form
• Operational Efficiency: Less manual follow-up and more structured data handling
• Decision Accuracy: Better insights with standardized, structured feedback

Conclusion

Referral Connect revolutionizes how institutions manage applicant recommendations by digitizing the entire workflow—from request to review. With flexible configurations, real-time status tracking, and centralized data capture, Meritto helps admissions teams move faster, applicants stay informed, and recommenders engage more efficiently.

Incorporating Referral Connect into your admissions ecosystem ensures a smoother, smarter, and more standardized admissions experience for all stakeholders.