Your college or university may be ready for a better academic advising system, but there’s one question that often gives administrators pause: How difficult will it be to switch?
It’s a reasonable concern. Your institution has years of student data, established workflows, and faculty and staff who know the current system. Nobody wants a lengthy, expensive transition.
Fortunately, switching academic advising software doesn’t have to be an overwhelming project. Let’s look at some common concerns.
How Long Does Implementation Take?
Implementation time depends on several factors:
- Degree complexity: How complicated are your institution’s degree requirements?
- Existing systems: How easily can student data be accessed and imported?
- Staff availability: How much time can your team devote to configuration, testing, and review?
At FlightPath Academics, most of our clients are up and running within three to four months, although timelines vary depending on the institution’s availability and requirements.
Other advising system implementations sometimes take a year or longer. Setting realistic milestones and assigning clear responsibilities helps keep the project moving.
What Happens to Our Existing Student Data?
Years of advising notes, student records, and academic histories shouldn’t simply disappear when you change systems.
With FlightPath, we write custom import routines to transfer as much historical data as possible from your existing advising software, provided that system allows the information to be accessed or exported.
Because every system stores information differently, we discuss data migration early in the implementation process.
Will the New Software Work With Our SIS?
Replacing your advising software doesn’t mean replacing your Student Information System (SIS).
FlightPath is designed to work alongside existing campus systems, typically importing student information through automated data files or APIs.
This keeps student information current without requiring additional manual work from your staff.
How Much Training Will Our Advisors Need?
Learning an entirely new system sounds intimidating, especially for advisors with demanding schedules.
FlightPath was designed to be intuitive, and many advisors and students start using it with little or no formal training.
For those who need additional guidance, we provide live training sessions, a video library, and documentation. The goal is to help advisors spend more time advising students and less time learning software.
What About Disruption and Unexpected Costs?
Planning your transition around the academic calendar helps minimize disruption, particularly during busy registration periods.
It’s also important to understand what your prospective vendor includes in its pricing. Implementation, data migration, and training sometimes come with additional charges.
FlightPath does not charge a separate implementation fee. Standard implementation assistance, historical data migration, and initial training are included in our affordable annual pricing.
We also handle hosting, maintenance, software updates, and ongoing support, reducing the burden on your IT department.
Learn more about our affordable approach to advising and student success software.
Is Switching Worth It?
Every transition requires some effort. But continuing to use outdated, expensive, or difficult-to-use software carries costs of its own.
If your advisors struggle with cumbersome workflows, limited functionality, or disconnected information, the benefits of switching may outweigh the temporary inconvenience.
With FlightPath, you get more than powerful, easy-to-use academic advising software. You get an affordable enterprise-level solution backed by hands-on implementation assistance and ongoing support.