Kingston University + Acumen
Kingston University London is a university in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, and boasts around 17,000 students. It became a university in 1992, and has thrived, with recent figures showing a turnover of approximately £192 million. The university is made up of four campuses and specialises in the areas of arts, design, fashion, science, engineering, and business. Owing to its size, it's important for the university to be able to offer flexibility and scalability which is why Kingston University reached out to Acumen for support, primarily with their India operation.
Where it all began
Kingston University first heard about Acumen when they were going through a procurement exercise. The university wanted a partner that could offer them the flexibility that they required, however the Kingston University team had strict criteria of what they were looking for in a potential partner. They were searching for someone who could help them with improving their India operation. After hearing about Acumen, an initial call was booked in with the team. When it came to the meeting, almost straight away the university felt that the values held by the Acumen team were closely aligned to their own. In addition to this, the various added value options that Acumen could offer gave the university exactly what they wanted, which placed a big tick in that particular box.
What made Acumen stand out against competitors?
Following on from the instant understanding built during the first meeting, Kingston University trusted Acumen to help them. To address the university's needs, Acumen effortlessly ran various highly effective social media campaigns for them. Throughout the partnership, the university also found the PACE (Prospect, Admit, Convert and Enrol) offering invaluable. The team at the university appreciated working with marketplace experts who were ‘neutral’ when it came to helping them with their India operation.
What were Kingston University's main objectives?
Before meeting the Acumen team, Kingston University was in the process of undertaking a procurement exercise in relation to their operation in India. As part of this, they wanted to ensure they maintained the continuity that they had previously built but on a new and better platform. The university needed to seamlessly move from one platform to another and the Acumen team were able to assist with this and so much more, whilst remaining true to the university's core values, mission and beliefs.
Kingston University were looking for scalability of services and flexibility before anything else. The Acumen team were able to upscale very quickly and were able to offer invaluable market insights. They were able to assist the university with reaching its goals efficiently and with great communication throughout. The university wanted to work with the best and experts in the field which they were pleased to have found in the Acumen team and their offering.
How was project implementation achieved by Acumen?
Once the Acumen team was on board, Kingston University benefited from a wide range of support.
The whole relationship began at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was in a state of ‘lockdown’. However, no matter when the Acumen team were called upon, they were there and ready to listen to the concerns of the team at the university.
The Acumen team are proud of their customer service and relationship with their clients which was evident in the way they responded to the university even during a time of crisis. It was a smooth and easy process from start to finish with support, guidance and advice given, every step of the way.
Kingston University felt supported from the very beginning of their relationship with Acumen. The first ever PACE Enrolment Services meeting was given professionally and courteously. The Acumen team were able to clearly understand the needs of Kingston University including their goals and their values. The PACE team were able to operate like an extension of the Kingston University family and fostered a great working relationship between the two teams.
The measure of success
There has been a lot of great success enjoyed by Kingston University as a result of partnering with Acumen. The PACE project showed demonstrable reach and provided very clear metrics that could be directly attributed to the successful working partnership. For example, before initiating the PACE project, unsuccessful student interviews were at the 10% mark. Through the use of PACE, the university was able to ensure a better quality of applicants which was crucial in reducing this overall percentage. The university was also able to glean valuable information on market intelligence which in turn meant that they could recruit the right profile of student. These insights are of great use, especially in the wake of the pandemic.
Going forward
Due to a long and successful relationship between Kingston University and Acumen, the two teams will continue to work together to strengthen the results for the university. The positive results shown in this work with Kingston University demonstrates how efficient and effective the Acumen team are and how they can continue to collaborate and support the university in achieving their goals.
Working with clients from all around the world and with a range of issues and problems, this case study exemplifies the great work that Acumen can do and will continue to do, strengthening ties across countries and demonstrating the great results that can be achieved through the collaboration of the East and the West.
