December 23, 2024 – Case Study

Smile Foreign Education

Smile Foreign Education

Overview

Smile Foreign Education, an organization dedicated to assisting students in pursuing education abroad, encountered challenges in managing finances, billable expenses, and GST compliance as their operations expanded. With the implementation of Zoho applications, the organization improved its financial management, compliance, and operational efficiency.

Key Takeaways

  • Improved management of student and walk-in inquiries.
  • Enhanced financial accuracy and GST compliance.
  • Streamlined tracking of billable expenses and credit card transactions.

Executive Summary

  • Business Name: Smile Foreign Education
  • Location: Ahmedabad
  • Industry: Foreign Education Consultancy
  • Business Overview: Smile Foreign Education helps students achieve their dream of studying abroad by offering expert guidance and services. With growth, they faced operational challenges in managing financial processes, tracking inquiries, and ensuring GST compliance.

Problem Statement and Key Challenges

Smile Foreign Education encountered several challenges that affected their efficiency.

  • ‌Managing Billable Expenses - GST Free (BOS): Handling billable expenses and ensuring timely reimbursement added layers of complexity to their financial operations. Billable expense such as Students Colleges fees, Admission fees, etc., were managed through billable/Non billable functionality in Zoho Books.
  • Integrating Credit Card Transactions: Efficiently managing and integrating credit card transactions into their system was another hurdle, requiring greater transparency and accuracy.
  • ‌Student Inquiries Managed by Phone: Inquiries were difficult to track when handled over the phone, causing inefficiencies. Leading to missed opportunities for follow-ups.
  • No Tracking of Students queries: Queries raised by students not tracked properly, leading to not quick response & difficult to assigned responsible person in team.

Evaluation of the problem

  • SVT Advisors conducted an in-depth assessment of Smile Foreign Education’s operational challenges. The team identified key gaps in financial tracking, GST compliance, and inquiry management, proposing a suite of Zoho solutions tailored to their needs.

Proposed Solutions

  • Zoho CRM for Walk-In Inquiries: Zoho CRM was introduced to manage walk-in customer inquiries, allowing for better tracking, follow-ups, and conversions.
  • Zoho Desk for Student queries: A ticketing system in Zoho Desk was implemented to effectively manage and track student queries, improving response times and follow-ups.
  • ‌Zoho Books - GST Billable (Non Tax-Invoice) Easy Tracking: Zoho Books automated billable expenses, ensured GST compliance, and synced credit card transactions for seamless tracking and improved financial accuracy.

Implementation

  • Process Highlights:
    • Automated financial processes in Zoho Books, including credit card transaction integration and GST compliance.
    • Deployed Zoho Desk for streamlined management of student inquiries.
    • Customized Zoho CRM to track and convert walk-in inquiries efficiently.

Results Achieved

  • Improved GST Compliance: Zoho Books helped ensure that GST regulations were met, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring legal compliance.
  • Efficient Inquiry Management: Zoho Desk improved student queries handling, speeding up responses and follow-ups.
  • Improved Walk-In Inquiry Tracking: Zoho CRM for walk-in inquiries, boosting follow-ups and conversions.