Category: Education & Learning

EdTech Trends in 2025: How Scheduling Tools Power Innovations

Posted on by Valeria Lavrova

“Technology and innovation aren’t going to slow down, and neither should education for the next generation.”

According to Valuates, Corporate EdTech is a $27.5 billion industry that is growing yearly, with companies such as Coursera, Chegg and Zoom becoming mainstays within the modern educational system. The rapid gamification of EdTech has allowed brands like Duolingo, Kahoot, and Apple Smartwatches to utilize adaptive learning algorithms and reach a larger audience, from universities, to corporations, and even government bodies.

In this article, we look at the most exciting innovation, trends and opportunities for businesses in EdTech, and how data-backed, modern scheduling software for education can simplify day-to-day tasks on every organizational level within a company. 

What are the benefits of EdTech?

Whether you are an educator, school administrator, educational technology enthusiast, or simply an avid follower of growth in education, technology within education serves multiple benefits.

EdTech, in industries across the world:

  • Increases the reach and scope of education across the globe
  • Tailors the education for regional needs (ex: language, training)
  • Improves access to education in rural areas
  • Increases the potential of learning through gamification
  • Promotes individual learning with immediate access
  • Equips educators with efficient tools for student management
  • Invites students to examine new areas of interest and growth

Moreover, EdTech allows seamless collaboration between educators and students, allowing them to bypass international borders, with many EdTech platforms and applications simply requiring a stable access to the internet.

But modern Education Technologies have gone beyond just the internet, with many incorporating Artificial Intelligence, machine learning to further develop their products.
Here are the 5 most prevalent trends in technology for 2023, and the bold innovations accompanying them. 

5 Trends shaping EdTech in 2025

Virtual and Augmented Reality

According to a FutureEdTech survey, 85% of students love VR and AR experiences, and 73% believe these technologies increase their understanding of subjects. One of the most common ways of utilizing VR in education is via virtual reality classrooms, or immersive training sessions.

edtech technology trends 2025 innovations

Artificial Intelligence
According to the EdTech Association, 92% of educators recognize the potential of AI in tailoring learning courses for individual students. This allows the student with personalized education material focusing on the individual’s weaknesses and strengths, while it provides the educator with time to appropriately analyze and suggest improvements. 

Gamification for the #win

In a study conducted by the National Technical University, It was found that challenge-based gamification can improve student performance by 89.45% compared to lecture-based education. Take a look at how students move towards the gamified systems of brands like Duolingo, where they learn with virtual partners and view their personalized progress.

Remote Learning

70% of students say online learning is better than traditional classroom learning, and the trend is visible with market development. Estimates suggest that America’s online learning industry will be worth $687 billion by 2030, and businesses are taking notes. Zoom was the most used platform during the COVID19 pandemic for meetings, classes, and even government proceedings. It continues to lead the market. 

Skilling and Mentorship
Online-education companies are expanding and emphasizing their enterprise offerings to meet the demand for upskilling and reskilling, according to McKinsey. For example, corporations such as Microsoft have created an ever-expanding database of products and white papers aimed towards providing clients with reliable skilling solutions.

What are the challenges for EdTech?

As with all technology, scale & size are not the only potential blockers..
With a rapidly evolving target audience, EdTech can both be revolutionizing the industry and playing catch up at a moment’s notice, as critical issues can hinder an EdTech’s growth, such as: 

  • Resistance to change within the market → which leads to slow adoption
  • Slow rate of advancement in technology → that can cause delayed rollout
  • Issues transferring solutions across touchpoints → which can alienate the audience
  • The rise of Artificial Intelligence → that can cause the solutions to seem rushed
  • Lack of User Experience data → which can negatively affect customer personas
how SUMO scheduling software powers educational institutions

And some of the most esteemed educational institutions have faced similar issues trying to modernize their organizational systems. 

In March 2020, the President of Columbia University announced a new policy to shift student learning from in-person to online interactions with tutors and mentors.This unprecedented  change initially faced pushback from students and tutors alike, and threatened to disrupt the entire organizational infrastructure.

The University of Kentucky stated that many students had to make multiple phone calls to schedule an appointment with their coaches. Frequently, students would be unable to contact them across multiple touchpoints (phone, email), leading to lapsed classes, frustration, and disgruntled clients. 


Another educational institution faced time, space, and program constraints, which made it hard for the departments to prepare their schedules and ensure consistent progress, due to an outdated, manual system.

EdTech’s hidden helper: Scheduling Software

When there is a rise in digital technology used to facilitate learning, there is a need for time management. And where there is effective time management, there is scheduling software. 

Modern technological solutions designed for education tend to focus on maximizing time efforts for clients, as seen with Duolingo and Kahoot. Interestingly, market research shows some impressive statistics regarding the use and objective success of scheduling softwares.

  • Using an appointment scheduling software can lead to a 30% to 45% revenue increase, according to Yolantis.
  • Forbes reports that 78% of customers are more likely to buy from a business if they receive customized services, something that scheduling software can deliver.
  • Ultimately, GetApp summarizes that 94% of customers would be more likely to find a new business, especially if it has its own booking schedule website
scheduling software advantages for education

How is SUMO Scheduler unique? 

Our online appointment scheduling software automates record creation and maximizes performance.

With the state-of-the-art interface, and clever integration with AI, SUMO provides a 360-degree view of every appointment booked, which offers visibility into the entire scheduling process of a business.

Moreover, SUMO allows clients to book appointments at their leisure while guaranteeing that the meeting would take place at the correct time with the correct specialist that meets the specific needs of the customer.

Through Appointment Scheduling, organizations can automate tasks such as phone call reminders, email confirmations, SMS notifications, balancing all touchpoints. 

Most importantly, SUMO is a Salesforce native tool, which means it is up-to-date with the latest technology, and can thus offer bespoke solutions to clients across the industry. 

Get Started Today:

The Washington Center has managed to cut out the time-consuming and error-prone process of manual scheduling, improving customer engagement. 

Columbia University has seen a dramatic increase in efficiency with manual tasks being eliminated across all departments.

The University of Kentucky improved appointment flow, and greatly streamlined the student’s (customer) experience.


Book your free demo to learn more about SUMO Scheduler, and take your EdTech scheduling to the next level. 

The Future of Student Engagement: AI & Human Collaboration for a Transformative Experience

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

From Enrollment to Alumni: The AI + Human Formula for Lifelong Student Success

With the ever-changing demands of education, institutions are integrating human expertise and artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize student engagement. The integration of AI-driven technologies with human-led support is shaping a future where students receive seamless, personalized, and proactive assistance. By harnessing the power of Salesforce Agentforce, Education Cloud, and SUMO Scheduler, universities and schools are creating holistic ecosystems that drive student success through data-driven insights, automation, and meaningful personal interactions.

The Role of AI in Modern Student Engagement

AI is revolutionizing student engagement by offering institutions the ability to analyze vast amounts of data, predict student needs, and provide instant support. According to a recent report by Educause, 73% of higher education institutions are actively exploring AI to enhance student services. AI-powered chatbots, predictive analytics, and automated workflows are transforming how universities interact with students.

Real-World Example: AI in Student Advising

Arizona State University has implemented AI-powered advising systems that analyze student performance data to identify at-risk students. These systems alert advisors, who can then proactively reach out to offer personalized support. By integrating AI insights with human intervention, ASU has increased student retention rates by 12% over the past five years.

The Human Element: Why Personal Interaction Still Matters

While AI enhances efficiency, human interaction remains critical in education. Personalized mentorship, emotional support, and complex problem-solving require a human touch. Institutions are blending AI-driven automation with human expertise to ensure a well-rounded student experience.

Case Study: Blending AI and Human Support in Career Services

Georgia State University uses AI-driven career coaching platforms that recommend job opportunities based on students’ skills and interests. However, career advisors play a vital role in refining these recommendations, providing networking opportunities, and offering guidance on job applications. This hybrid model has led to a 20% increase in student job placements.

How Salesforce Agentforce, Education Cloud, and SUMO Scheduler Power the Future

Salesforce Agentforce: Smart Student Engagement

Agentforce enables institutions to route student inquiries to the right advisors or departments using AI-powered case management. By integrating with Education Cloud, it ensures students receive timely, personalized support through multiple channels, including chat, email, and phone.

Salesforce Education Cloud: The Data-Driven Foundation

Education Cloud centralizes student data, providing institutions with a 360-degree view of student engagement. By analyzing trends in academic performance, student interactions, and support requests, Education Cloud helps universities make data-driven decisions that improve retention and success rates.

SUMO Scheduler: Automating Personalized Student Appointments

SUMO Scheduler streamlines appointment scheduling, enabling students to book advising, tutoring, and career counseling sessions in just a few clicks. Integrated with Salesforce, it ensures that students are matched with the right support services based on their needs and availability.

Expanded Use Cases for SUMO Scheduler

  1. Student Life – Streamline scheduling for student organization meetings, leadership advising, and mentorship programs. Manage event registrations for workshops, career fairs, and extracurricular activities.
  2. Campus Tours and Student Life Events – Enable prospective students and families to self-schedule campus visits directly from the school’s website, text, or emails.
  3. Campus Health – Allow students to book health and wellness appointments, including medical check-ups, counseling, and mental health services, while staying HIPAA compliant.
  4. Student Recruitment – Students can book appointments with admissions counselors, financial advisors, or recruitment teams directly from a website, email, or marketing campaign.

Future Use Cases: Where AI & Human Collaboration is Headed

As AI technology continues to advance, the possibilities for student engagement will expand. Here are a few emerging trends:

  1. AI-Powered Mental Health Support – Universities like UCLA are testing AI-driven mental health chatbots that provide immediate support while flagging students in distress for human intervention.
  2. Voice and Virtual Assistants for Learning – AI-driven voice assistants, integrated with Education Cloud, could provide students with real-time academic reminders, personalized study plans, and deadline notifications.
  3. Smart Scheduling for Campus Resources – SUMO Scheduler could evolve to include AI-powered room bookings, ensuring students find available study spaces or labs based on real-time occupancy data.
  4. Predictive Career Pathing – AI can analyze academic performance, extracurricular activities, and job market trends to suggest career paths, with career advisors providing human insights on final decisions.

Engagement as a Continuous Journey

Engagement doesn’t stop at recruiting. It is a journey that spans from driving enrollment all the way through fostering active and involved alumni. By maintaining a consistent, data-driven approach throughout the student lifecycle, institutions can ensure meaningful connections that extend beyond graduation, leading to lifelong engagement with their alma mater.

Conclusion: The Future is Hybrid

The future of student engagement lies in a hybrid model where AI handles data processing, automation, and predictive insights, while human advisors, faculty, and staff provide mentorship, emotional support, and nuanced decision-making. Institutions that leverage Salesforce Agentforce, Education Cloud, and SUMO Scheduler will be best positioned to offer a seamless, data-driven, and personalized student experience.

By embracing both AI and human collaboration, universities can ensure that students not only succeed academically but also feel supported and empowered throughout their educational journey.

Ready to revolutionize student engagement at your institution?

Explore how Salesforce Education Cloud, Agentforce, and SUMO Scheduler can help you blend AI efficiency with human empathy. Schedule a free demo to design your hybrid strategy today!

How to Combat Higher Education Summer Melt

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

Student or Summer Melt

“The phenomenon of prospective college students’ motivation to attend college melting away during the summer between the end of high school and beginning of college.” (Wikipedia)

Does this sound familiar? Your Admissions department has done the monumental job of organizing campus visits, managing new student applications, and making sure accepted students had all the necessary application paperwork. The student registry is confirmed so now the next stage begins. Problem is on the first day of classes, the number of students that showed up for the start of school is much less than the intake number reported by Admissions. This is known as the summer melt.

As many as 20% of high school students that have been accepted to college do not show up for their classes at the start of the fall term. The reasons why such a dropoff occurs are varied. In the period between acceptance and start of the Fall term is a tenuous time of transition. Students have to sort their way through a small mountain of paperwork for things like financing and housing. Then there’s orientation, and class registrations to complete as well. Often all these activities are done without assistance and can be overwhelming.

A multitude of paperwork alone can cripple an accepted student’s follow-through to actually show up for classes. Then there’s the nerves of a new environment or the new challenge of independence. Assimilation into a new way of life can be daunting. The few months between acceptance and day one is the critical timeframe for propelling a student towards success.

Cooling The Melt

No matter if your institution is a community college, traditional university or business school, the end goal is getting those student to matriculation. Institutions must matriculate students as quickly as possible. However, mired in paper-based processes, all too often Admissions and Registrar offices struggle to keep up with the demand for assistance. Utilizing technology can help to improve the process for both the students and staff managing, student and recruitment.

A higher education institution may not be able to affect the volume of paperwork that needs to be completed by incoming or returning students, but there are other opportunities to improve summer melt. Providing digital channels for both prospective and enrolled students to communicate with advisors, admissions and the registrar’s office can improve not only attendance but also enrollment.

Multi-Channel Communication

A common complaint amongst administration staff is the difficulty of getting in touch with students. They are not always responsive to phone calls or emails. Millennials generally prefer to talk over text versus a voice conversation. In fact, 75% of Millennials think text is a helpful way to receive an appointment, delivery and payment reminders, as well as surveys an promotions.

Millennials are more interested in texting over other forms of communication because it’s less invasive, more personal, and makes them feel valued. (OpenMarket)

Incorporating text messaging as one of your institution’s communication channels can improve student response rates. Phone calls and emails can be supported by the addition of text messaging.

Self-Scheduling Convenience

Early retention and engagement actually starts from the date of acceptance. Emailing updates, answers to FAQs and links to resources can go a long way to making a good impression for your institution and can improve the probability of admitted students graduating and becoming valued alumni.

A couple of the areas an effective onboarding program will address are:

  • Student retention
  • Integration into the school culture or program
  • Easing adjustment to new surroundings or program

The onboarding process is not limited to a single day of orientation but recognizes that students enroll at different times, at different locations if your institution has more than one campus or even online. Online appointment automation can give campuses the flexibility to educate students at a time and manner that is most efficient as well as effective for both your department and your students.

51% of Millennials receive general appointment reminders via text messaging. (OpenMarket)

An effective online appointment scheduling solution provides the convenience of self-scheduling which is useful for important meetings with advisors, admissions or even the financial aid office. It will also not only offer appointment reminders across the two communication channels most commonly used by schools, email and phone, but also text. The student experience is improved and the reminders help curb no-shows.

Attract and Retain Through Engagement

Reducing the number of forms required to apply or even graduate from a higher education institution would befenit all parties involved. However, it would be a change that would be slow to come so it is best to focus on areas that can immediately be affected for improved student interaction.

Adding text messaging and online scheduling are two ways to help students to connect with your institution without too much effort, leaving them with a positive view of their experience.

Online Appointment Scheduling for Academic Success

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

iLimitedIn Tyton Partners’ first annual survey on academic advising and planning in higher education, the focus was on how U.S. colleges and universities are using advising and planning technologies in pursuit of improved student guidance and retention rates. They reviewed the rate of adoption of these technologies in degree planning, analytics, and reporting and at-risk early alerts by surveying 1,400 administrators, advisors and faculty.

Change is Hard

The report revealed there is a disconnect between intent and action. A majority of institutions have the interest to utilize new technologies in their overall strategic plans however, it seems to be the adoption and execution of technologies is another matter.

Beyond battling with changing budgets and staff to student body ratios, advising departments must also battle for the attention of their student body.

The conclusion from the survey, released in 2016, was that technology would play an even bigger role in the drive for higher education institutions to retain students. Fast forward a few years and the data has changed dramatically. The 2019 survey results support the conclusion that technology would be a turning point for academic advising and planning in higher education.

Technology is Breaking Through

The adoption of technology has increased significantly from the initial survey to the current one. In 2015, the percentage of institutions that believe in the effectiveness of technology in advising efforts was only 32%. Four years later that percentage has almost doubled at 62% of those surveyed.

Student engagement has always stood out as a constant issue for academic advising offices. The 2015 survey reported that an overwhelming 88% of administrators surveyed saw student engagement as a barrier to better outcomes. From 2015 to 2017 the number reduced by over half to 40% and decreased incrementally to 32% in 2019.

Technology’s ability to affect student engagement with higher education staff is undeniable based on these figures. An institution’s ability to effectively support its student body is much better supported by integrating technologies into the process. Change can be hard and budgets can be tight but this data shows the long term payoff is there.

10 Statistics on Why an Omnichannel Strategy Works

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

Customers are shopping online, in-store or both at the same time. Their expectations of brands have become more demanding in terms of the shopping experience they encounter. There is a wealth of touchpoints for a customer to connect with a brand and the customer expects their interactions to transition smoothly from one channel to the next no matter where they begin their journey – online or offline, on an app or with a customer service rep.

Omnichannel marketing allows traditional consumer companies to more effectively compete with their online-only counterparts. The value and returns created from an omnichannel strategy are greater than the initial investment in building out a seamless experience across multiple channels.

The following statistics deliver a compelling argument for any consumer-facing company, from retail to financial services, to invest in an omnichannel strategy.

Be Everywhere Your Customers Are

Omnichannel customers spend 4% more in-store and 10% more online than single-channel customers. For every additional channel they use, customers spend more money. (Harvard Business Review, 2017)

48% visit brand websites to research products. Younger consumers (37% of teens and 27% of Millennials) use video channels to research. (CMO, 2018)

73 percent of customers shop across multiple channels (Harvard Business Review, 2017)

49% of consumers buy from their favorite omnichannel brands at least once per week (Marketing Land, 2016)

Give Your Customers What They Want

9 out of 10 consumers want an omnichannel experience with seamless service between communication methods. (UC Today, 2019)

71% of consumers want a consistent experience across all channels, but only 29% say they actually get it. (Gladly, 2018)

Nine out of 10 consumers say they expect a seamless transition when moving from one communication method to another. (NICE inContact, 2018)

Omnichannel Investment Pays Off

Personalization at scale can drive between 5 and 15% revenue growth for companies in the retail, travel, entertainment, telecom, and financial services sectors. (McKinsey, 2017)

49% of consumers buy from their favorite omnichannel brands at least once per week (Marketing Land, 2016)

Businesses that adopt omnichannel strategies achieve 91% greater year-over-year customer retention rates compared to businesses that don’t. (Aspect Software, 2014)

Omnichannel shoppers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop using only one channel. (Google, 2014)

It’s Not Too Late

And here’s one more bonus statistic: According to Rakuten, 26% of companies have yet to take any action regarding an omnichannel strategy.

It generally costs a brand more to win a new customer than retain an existing one. With an omnichannel marketing strategy in place, brands can not only have an edge on their competition for new customers, but they can also build long-term loyalty amongst their existing customer base.

Three Technologies to Improve Student Engagement

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

The research has consistently shown that a higher education institution’s student retention rate is directly affected by the quantity and quality of communication from their advising staff and teaching faculty. Admissions and advising offices that engage students early and regularly can have a significant impact on enrollment rates as well as a student’s probability of matriculating.

Admissions and advising offices that are proactive in enrolling and engaging new students are succeeding to do so with the assistance of technology. These are a few technologies that support and facilitate student engagement.

Self-Scheduling

There can be an endless amount of back and forth emails and phone calls for admissions counselors or advisors trying to schedule a meeting with a prospective or existing student. Providing online self-scheduling links on a webpage for key departments, in emails or text messages allows for meetings to be scheduled at a student’s convenience.

Appointments can be scheduled after office hours and booked into a staff member’s calendar based on their specific area of expertise. Advisors and admissions staff save time by not having to do all the work of setting an appointment with traditional tools. Self-scheduling software also employs automated appointment reminders which help with no-shows rates.

Text Messaging

This form of communication is by far the most popular among students and has higher interaction rates versus phone and email. Its effectiveness as a communication channel is simply put with over 90% of text messages being read within three minutes.

Text messaging with prospective students can help to remind them to complete any enrollment paperwork or other tasks they have forgotten to do. Text reminders can keep future students informed and focused, making sure the students are ready for the start of term and reducing student melt. For advisors, text messaging is a strong tool for advisors to build relationships and maintain connections with existing students. Consistent interactions with advisors can improve an institution’s graduation rates.

Video Conferencing

Sometimes a trip to a university campus is not convenient for a prospective student before applying. Providing prospective students with the ability to have a face-to-face meeting with an admissions counselor can be invaluable to a student. Besides getting assistance from a staff member who understands the application process, it can also have a positive effect on the student’s impression of the school.

Video conferencing or chat tools are very useful for virtual advising or coaching. Students get a more personalized advising experience from advisors that offer video chat. Students can have many obligations that occupy their time while attending school. The option of a video meeting can be valuable for students that cannot fit an in-person visit into their busy schedules.

Technology for Academic Success

Engaging and personalizing the student journey throughout the process of applications, course selection and management to the ultimate goal of matriculation can be positively enhanced by technology. Admissions and advisor offices have a multitude of demands to meet usually with a limited amount of resources. The right technologies can help better support their daily work, their students’ personal needs and their institution’s goals.