Provision of Cloud Based Enquiry Management Software Suite

The University of Birmingham uses Verint Express, a cloud-based enquiry management software suite supplied by Harbers Solutions Ltd to support customer relationship management (CRM) and case note functionality widely across student-facing and administrative teams within Academic Services and beyond. The product is fully integrated with our Student Records System (Ellucian Banner), to synchronise student data and with Core Systems to manage staff access.

Given that one of the aims of our digital strategy is to consolidate the number of CRMs across the organisation a wider set of institutional needs for the future have been identified around providing CRM functionality to areas which do not currently have it available, including student wellbeing case management, and moving areas already using CRMs onto a centralised system, including student communications (as their current technology will be gone in the next 1-3 years).

Verint has been identified as another CRM which can be rolled into this process of consolidation and replaced by a centralised platform. An initial implementation roadmap has been developed by ITS and their preliminary prioritisation has determined that the transition of services from Verint Express is less urgent than a number of other areas.

As a result, we anticipate that 2025-28 will be required to migrate those higher priority areas to the centralised CRM solution, with 2028-29 identified for mobilisation of Verint services to the new platform.

It would not be cost effective to go through a tender and procurement process of this scale for what is expected to be a short-term solution.

Therefore, we are looking to extend the current contract with Harbers Solutions Ltd for a period of up to four years (current contract expires July 2025).