Overview

In many academic institutions and professional programs, recommendations from credible sources such as academic professors or former employers play a key role in evaluating an applicant’s eligibility for a particular course. Traditionally, this process is manual, prone to delays, and lacks standardization.

By leveraging Referral Connect, Institutions can automate the recommendation request and collection process during the application workflow.

Plan & Permissions

This feature is introduced as an add-on and will be functional only when users have opted for the Application Automation Platform.

Referral Connect Permissions:

• Referral Connect: Grants users the ability to create and edit Referral Connect workflow.
  
• Re-send Communication to Referee: Allows backend users to re-send communication to the referee.

Dependencies:

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

Capabilities 

• Configure the recommendation flow your way: Set the start and end timelines, decide when recommendation requests go out on form submission, payment approval, or any other stage. You can even resend reminders anytime, ensuring no lead is lost in follow-ups.
• Customize recommendation forms by type: Academic vs. professional? No problem. Tailor your forms with custom fields using the advanced layout builder so you get exactly the inputs you need to assess an applicant’s fit.
• Give applicants real-time status visibility: No more support tickets asking, “Has my recommender filled the form?” Applicants can track the status of each recommendation directly from their student portal under the Referral Connect tab.
• Evaluate recommendations seamlessly inside the platform: Once submitted, recommendations become part of the application manager, where you can add recommendation fields as columns, you can create filter views, or even download the data just like any other field and make informed decisions without toggling between tools

Workflow:

• Applicant Submission: While filling out the application form, the applicant provides the contact details (email or mobile) of the recommender.
• Automated Trigger: Based on predefined triggers (e.g., application submission, payment confirmation), Referral Connect automatically sends a communication—via Email, SMS, or WhatsApp to the recommender.
• Recommender Engagement: The communication contains a secure link redirecting the recommender to a customized referral form.
• Scoring & Feedback: The referral form includes rating parameters defined by the institution (e.g., academic potential, leadership qualities, communication skills). The recommender fills in their evaluation, which is directly mapped to the applicant's profile.
• Centralized Review: Submitted recommendations are collected centrally within the system, allowing the admissions team to easily review and score applicants based on standardized feedback.

Benefits of the functionalities

For Applicant

• Simplified Recommendation Process: Applicants no longer need to manually follow up with recommenders. The system handles communication automatically.
• Time-Saving: Reduces delays in the application process as referral requests are triggered instantly based on workflow events.
• Multi-Channel Support: Applicants can choose how their recommenders receive the communication (Email, SMS, or WhatsApp), improving chances of timely response.

For Recommenders

• Ease of Access: A direct, secure link to the referral form makes it simple to submit feedback without logging into any portal.
• Structured Form: Clear fields and scoring criteria make it easier and faster to provide recommendations.

For Institution Admins/Admissions Teams

• Centralized Data Collection: All referrals are captured and stored in one place, reducing the risk of lost or incomplete feedback.
• Standardized Evaluations: Ensures all applicants are evaluated against the same parameters, improving fairness and decision quality.
• Improved Evaluation Efficiency: Referrals are mapped to the applicant profile and ready for review without manual processing.

Conclusion

Referral Connect revolutionizes the way institutions handle applicant recommendations by replacing outdated, manual processes with a seamless, automated workflow. With customizable configurations, real-time status tracking, and centralized data collection, this feature ensures a more efficient, transparent, and standardized approach to evaluating applicants. Whether you're an applicant, recommender, or admissions team member, Referral Connect streamlines the recommendation process for everyone involved—enhancing the overall application experience and enabling better-informed admission decisions.