Education Cloud has just been relaunched by Salesforce, and thought leaders from across the industry are buzzing about its new capabilities. Exciting changes are coming to the platform, as it’s been rebuilt from the ground up to comprehensively meet educators’ evolving needs.

However, an underrated aspect of this relaunch is Education Cloud’s incorporation of Omnistudio. Omnistudio is one of Salesforce’s many low-to-no-code offerings that institutions can leverage to unlock creative and flexible solution customization. As a consulting agency with a large Omnistudio talent base, we couldn’t be more excited about Omnistudio’s new role within Education Cloud – or the possibilities that its presence will unlock for educators!

Let’s briefly examine the platform and how institutions can benefit from its use. 

What is Omnistudio, and why should institutions care?

Omnistudio is a low-code suite of drag-and-drop components that enables businesses to quickly create and deliver unique digital experiences across multiple platforms and channels. Essentially, it should be understood as a development engine, a platform that allows users to create new components and tailor their solutions. With Omnistudio, institutions don’t have to wait for Salesforce to develop a solution that meets their unique needs – they can build and apply it themselves.

Notably, Omnistudio doesn’t necessarily require its users to have extensive programming knowledge to use it effectively. Part of Salesforce’s low-to-no-code suite of tools, Omnistudio leverages elements like drag-and-drop functionality, clickable elements, and form fields to increase ease of customization. Additionally, developers can select from a menu of pre-built templates and guided processes to quickly and effectively provide support to critical operations. 

“Once optimized, these multiple points of business processes, IP, and assets geared to the core platform will save effort and time,” stated Jenny Hall, Gerent’s SVP of Education and Nonprofit, in an interview. “Something as simple as naming conventions can save dozens of hours of work, reducing costs.”

The Omnistudio suite consists of four toolsets that institutions can use across operations, including:

• FlexCards — FlexCards make it easier to access contextual data from multiple sources, allowing educators, administrators, and students to access desired information through the channels of their choice.
• OmniScript — OmniScript allows users to design customer interactions by arranging common elements in specific sequences – a valuable function for recruiters looking to craft engaging experiences and administrators looking to provide support throughout student journeys.
• DataRaptors — DataRaptors are commonly used to help Salesforce users submit, change, and save information within the system, as well as integrate data from other sources. This helps administrators, faculty, and staff at all levels to submit relevant information that may be used to provide support throughout the student lifecycle.
• OmniStudio Integration Procedures — This click-based tool allows users to source information from third-party systems quickly and easily. Institutions can leverage server-side execution to minimize client/server calls and accelerate inquiries.

“The integration of Omnistudio within Education Cloud is yet another step in Salesforce’s initiative to advance the customizability of their solutions,” Julia Taylor, Gerent’s Director of Higher Education and Nonprofit Consulting, stated in an interview. “With this component, Salesforce puts unprecedented power in institutions' hands to advance their own digitalization; and in so doing, empowers them to more effectively define and realize their ideal future state.” 

However, while Omnistudio is designed for increased access and incorporates various low-code features, enlisting an Omnistudio professional may help shorten your time-to-value ratio. Using the tools featured in Omnistudio often requires a learning curve, and institutions may find it beneficial to loop in an experienced consultant for support. 

Let us help you build your ideal solution

Gerent has been steadily developing an Omnistudio talent base since the component’s founding, putting us on par with some of the largest Salesforce consulting partners. With 130+ Salesforce Industries certifications, we have the industry knowledge, passion, and expertise to shape Salesforce solutions that can meet unique requirements. Let our team help you break new ground, leveraging Omnistudio to create solutions that meet your unique needs.

If you’re interested in learning more about the relaunch of Education Cloud, the capabilities of Omnistudio, or what a personalized digitalization journey might look like for your organization, give us a call to speak with one of our consultants or check out our Education microsite.