GrowthJockey’s Engagement Mastery: The Parent Communication Stack Boosting Cambridge’s Satisfaction Scores

When it comes to their child’s education, parents leave nothing to chance. They spend time researching options, asking detailed questions, and expecting clear communication throughout the journey. Schools must therefore engage not only during admissions but consistently over the years.

Yet many institutions fail in maintaining this connection. Information sits in disconnected systems, updates reach parents late or not at all and staff already struggle with manual tasks.

Cambridge School faced the same challenge. Despite its strong academic reputation, gaps in discoverability and communication led to declining parent satisfaction. Admissions processes dragged on, important updates were missed, and administrators lost hours on repetitive tasks instead of focusing on engagement.

What they needed was to invest in parent communication tools in schools. With GrowthJockey, a venture building leader, they got a unified solution through OttoScholar that brought admissions, parent communication, and faculty management under one system.

In this case study, we’ll break down Cambridge’s challenges, how OttoScholar addressed those, and the lessons other institutions can apply.

The Cambridge challenge: When communication gaps become engagement risks

Cambridge School had built its reputation on strong academics, but its traditional school management software couldn’t keep pace with modern communication needs. With traditional systems handling critical functions, information often became trapped in silos, creating disconnects between parents and the institution.

• Families received no real-time updates on student progress, leaving them uncertain about development.

• Admissions information was delayed, with parents waiting anxiously for decisions.

• Event reminders and school notifications often arrived too late, harming engagement.

• Communication through traditional channels lacked structure, fueling confusion and frustration.

As dissatisfaction grew, some parents even considered alternatives for their children. At the same time, faculty and administrators were stretched thin. They themselves were struggling daily with manual lead processing, repetitive administrative tasks, and delayed decision-making because of fragmented data.

Without efficient parent communication tools in schools, both parents and staff felt the strain of disconnected systems.

GrowthJockey’s OttoScholar solution: The Cambridge bridge to success

To solve its engagement challenges, Cambridge partnered with GrowthJockey venture-scale growth partners and adopted OttoScholar, an AI-powered exam platform. Instead of investing in multiple tools, it served as a Cambridge parent-teacher communication app - unifying all channels, automating updates, and giving every stakeholder clarity.

More than just improving connections, OttoScholar reduced manual workloads, freeing faculty to focus on meaningful engagement. Its two core capabilities made the biggest difference:

1. One unified system: Keeping everyone on the same page

OttoScholar offered Cambridge a centralised platform for all stakeholders - parents, administrators, and counsellors. This unified approach eliminated the information gaps by providing:

• Role-based dashboards for parents, administrators, and counsellors, with each user seeing exactly what mattered to them.

• Complete visibility from first inquiry to final enrollment, offering an integrated admissions CRM within the platform, helping them avoid investing in multiple disconnected tools.

• Synchronised calendars and tasks that kept interview schedules, follow-ups, and document tracking perfectly aligned.

• Multi-device access through web, mobile, and tablet-friendly interfaces, ensuring parents can connect on their terms.

2. Automated engagement journey: Supporting personalised communication at scale

OttoScholar’s built-in communication engine functioned like a parent-teacher communication app, integrating WhatsApp, email, and in-app messaging. This helped bridge engagement gaps and nurture lasting relationships with families through:

• Smart workflow automation delivers stage-appropriate messages across channels, ensuring parents never miss critical updates about their child.

• Parallel communication flows for both parents and students to ensure everyone receives appropriate information.

• Event and deadline triggers that automatically remind families about upcoming form submissions, interviews, and important dates.

• Drop-off recovery systems re-engaged cold leads with targeted messages, bringing back families who might otherwise have been lost.

OttoScholar acted as a one-stop solution for Cambridge, combining features of a communication app, CRM and admission management system within a single platform. This integration bridged trust gaps with parents, boosted satisfaction, and strengthened enrollment results.

The impact: How Cambridge soared with OttoScholar?

With OttoScholar, Cambridge finally achieved what it needed: better communication, a unified system, and faculty empowerment. This didn't just make parents happier and teachers' jobs easier; it strengthened the entire school community.

Here's what the platform exactly helped them achieve:

1. Quick response time

Cambridge achieved remarkable improvements in parent communication. Query resolution reached an impressive 95% within 24 hours, while response times plummeted from 48 hours to under 6 hours. This ensured parents no longer felt ignored or forgotten.

2. Faculty support

The automation capabilities freed up staff’s time, saving Cambridge faculty over 100 hours per term on assessments and routine communications. Instead of drowning in administrative tasks, faculty could focus on what mattered most: quality teaching and interacting with parents.

3. Student growth

With communication flowing more smoothly, Cambridge addressed learning challenges 28% faster than before. This quick response to learning challenges directly improved student outcomes and demonstrated the school's commitment to each child's success.

4. Increased retention

Perhaps most importantly, Cambridge experienced a 25% decrease in drop-offs. Families who previously might have looked elsewhere now stayed with the school, satisfied with the improved communication and responsive support they received.

Besides that, OttoScholar enabled a 3.2× boost in Cambridge’s admission conversions through behavioural lead scoring.

Lessons for other institutions: The Cambridge playbook

Cambridge's success with OttoScholar offers valuable insights for other institutions facing similar challenges. Here are the key takeaways to consider:

1. Build a unified system

Information must flow freely between departments and tools to eliminate confusion. When everyone accesses the same data through one platform, decisions happen faster and with greater confidence.

2. Create a comprehensive communication stack

Everyone values clear and consistent communication. Building a unified system that integrates email, messaging apps, and portal notifications ensures important information reaches on time and never gets lost across channels.

3. Prioritise consistent engagement

Regular, personalised engagement with parents, students, and staff builds community and trust. Scheduled check-ins, updates, and targeted interactions show care and attention, preventing small concerns from becoming major issues.

4. Focus more on automation

Automation isn't about replacing personal touch, but it's about making more time for it. By automating routine communications and administrative tasks, staff can dedicate their energy to the thoughtful conversations that truly require human judgment and empathy.

Final verdict

The Cambridge school with OttoScholar saw 95% query resolution within 24 hours, 25% lower drop-offs, and over 100 faculty hours saved per term. These operational wins translated directly into higher parent satisfaction and a stronger, more connected school community.

At the heart of this transformation were three key elements working in harmony:

• Unified communication channels that kept families informed without delays.

• Centralised access to information that eliminated confusion and improved decision-making.

• Intelligent automation reduced repetitive work, freeing staff to focus on parent engagement.

In that sense, communication and automation are no longer just an operational need, they’re a growth driver that you need to prioritise.

As full-stack growth architects, GrowthJockey combines strategy, technology, and execution to help institutions like Cambridge scale their impact. By offering a powerful automated operating system that efficiently manages various aspects, from communication to management, it enables institutions to scale with confidence and clarity.

Partner with us to unify your admissions, faculty management and parent communication into one platform, streamlining workflow and driving higher satisfaction.

FAQs on education CRM software

1. What is an education CRM software?

An education CRM software helps institutions manage their relationships with students, faculty, and parents. It brings together various aspects of educational management, from admissions to student engagement and parent communication. For colleges and universities, a higher education CRM offers advanced enrollment workflows, student retention tracking, and alumni engagement features.

2. How does an admissions CRM help schools and colleges?

An admissions CRM simplifies the application and enrollment process by tracking leads, managing documents, and automating follow-ups. It also acts as an admission management system, ensuring no inquiry is missed while improving conversion rates. The tool even integrates with parent portal software to keep families updated during the process.

3. What is the difference between enrollment management software and school management software?

Enrollment management software handles inquiries, applications, and student enrollment. In contrast, school management software supports the ongoing academic journey by managing student records, attendance, grading, timetables, and even parent-teacher communication.

4. Why do schools need a teacher parent communication app?

A teacher parent communication app makes it simple for schools to share updates, progress, and important events with families. It supports regular communication, which builds trust and creates stronger relationships between parents and teachers.