Graduway Software

Very good. It's clear that Graduway really seeks to provide value for money and never stops optimization. The migration to the new platform is quite delayed but looks promising. When problems with the previous customer success manager arose, Graduway reacted quickly and provided a new, very supportive and experienced customer success manager. The tries to sell additional tools was quite persistent at some stages, especially given that we're already a client. But overall Graduway does a great job and the strategic input by the CEO was also very helpful. The Global Leaders Summit is a great opportunity of further education, especially for small alumni teams. We've learned a lot about alumni engagement thanks to Graduway!

Pros

It makes it easy for alumni to find each other and reconnect. An alumni newsletter can easily be set up and customized. Statistics are very helpful for benchmarking and ROI checks.

Cons

Customization options are still quite reduced at some tools. If the platform isn't synched to school's database (in our case not possible as the database is tailormade), managing access and updates is quite time consuming.

It's been the best online community we've used so far. It's functionality is very specific to online communities (is not a replacement for a CMS, or an event registration software) However it may be a good choice for many institutions looking for an online community solution, easy to implement and to use.

Pros

The time to go-live with a fully branded community, the usability, the app included and the one-click prebuilt reports.

Cons

Lack of online integration with active directory (or other authentication mechanisms) and CRM software.

Customer Service has been efficient, effective and responsive. We look forward to growing our database and reconnecting with our global alumni.

Pros

This platform is user friendly as an administrator and as a registered member. The functions and pages are visually positive and the APP feature is a valuable feature for connecting with our SHU Luxembourg Alumni around the world.

Cons

The initial set up and format criteria seemed a bit complicated and we relied heavily on the Graduway staff to input initial programs and links correctly.

Pros

We are currently trialing products for our graduation application process and I really like this system. It easy for the student and administration.

Cons

There were a few functions that seems confusing , however we have only had a short trial so far.

Pros

I like the opportunity to have a specific portal for alumni to connect with the school specifically with the opportunity to connect with younger alumni and offer help and mentoring.

Cons

I like the overall product, but would like new fatures and options to be offered quicker.

Pros

Elegant solution to alumni networking needs. Empowers and engages and enables alumni communities to connect themselves artfully, deeply, and globally.

Cons

The program is cost-prohibitive for some educational institutions which are smaller in size or budget and cannot justify the high expense relative to their small size or alumni community size.

A centralized, easily-understandable platform for our institution to engage with our alumni, who are then able to engage with each other.

Pros

The obvious benefit of Graduway is a centralized zone for alumni to meet and connect, especially on their own terms. Any higher education professional can tell you how important an engaged and connected network of alumni is to the current health of the institution. All of our alumni can see any of our networking events, making our outreach much simpler. Creating things like newsletters or event pages is very simple, even for the less tech-savvy members of our staff.

Cons

Customization and functionality leaves a little to be desired... Graduway offers a centralized, "one-stop-shop" platform, but doesn't necessarily outperform other competitors in terms of specialization. Stats on open rates would be ideal.

Pros

I love that we now have the capability to offer our alumni a networking and social media type platform. This has been severely lacking in our fundraising and overall alumni interaction efforts. Graduway now provides an outlet to update alums and keep them connected with the school.

Cons

The design. Hands down. We NEED an outlet on Graduway to put a daily update of class notes that don't need to be deleted or replaced and can provide a history log as well (similar to Facebook). I know Graduway is working on this design, but it's been pushed back and I believe this is hurting our alumni connection efforts.

Pros

The features and functions are very good. It really serves the needs for developing a community among alumni. Our current contact person really changed our experience with Graduway, she is knowledgeable and effective as well as ready to help gladly for any issue we have.

Cons

There are small issues as a user. For example we still cant invite alumni via gmail, this should easily be possible. When you click like for a post you see a number indicating the number of likes. But right next is the unlike command. So at first glance it seems x number of unlikes.

Getting contact details of our lost alumni especially for my job at the Alumni Relations Department at UCT

Pros

The events feature from our alma mater. Now I get the chance to see what events is the University of Cape Town holding since i do miss the emails sometimes.

Cons

The cluttered feel. Sometimes we do get lost in it especially in the Home Page. SO if we can get an option to customize the look and feel of it would be awesome.

Pros

The platform is like a traditional social media software application which makes the learning curve for administrators and end users minimal.

Cons

At this time there isn't anything that I have found to be a downside. I would recommend this product for any institution looking for additional ways to reach their alum.

Pros

Networking and mentoring functionality is good and will encourage something we have tried before without software backup.

Cons

Visual interface is dated and navigation is not always very intuitive. Will be interesting to see how the Newsfeed gets used but currently doubt it will add much.

Pros

This software is very easy to use and presents an attractive platform for all of our users. The features, from job posts to the directory to the mentoring function, are all very helpful to our community. The news stories can all be hyperlinked to a different website, which makes the platform more dynamic and creates a link back to the College.

Cons

There are certain features that can't be customised to date or just need to be fleshed out more (my understanding is that the next version coming out this year will resolve a number of these issues): the newsletter only allows a feature article and then just pulls data (not news pieces) from the platform; there's no way to see the content of messages that have been sent; the available stats are minimal.

An engaged and re-invigorated former pupil platform that attracts alumni on a global scale and encourages them to interact and respond.

Pros

Our Graduway platform is engaging and sticky and encourages users to interact on the site. They post photos and message each other independently.

Cons

The UK searching fields by location are ridiculous - there are thousands of towns on there listed that I've never heard of - too many to make it of any use...
It would also be useful to have the 'work' filter in the invite and message function too.

Pros

The networking features are simple and straightforward for users and admins alike.
You get the whole package at it's most updated as it is developed, so no need to add Bolt-ons, modules, or worry about which version you are running.
The newsletter function keeps the alumni engaged.

Cons

There are some areas like Groups and Mentoring which still need development and do not have the functionality some specialist competitors can boast. Graduway has a wide-range of features and it is one of the best all-rounders, but some specialist packages outperform it in individual areas (but do you want your users to be juggling multiple log-ins?)

Pros

The platform provides the organisation with a useful place to centralise digital alumni engagement and helps to provide up to date and accurate data for the alumni community that sign up to the site. Furthermore, the portal allows individual graduates to shape their own experience (by posting events and job opportunities) and contact others directly.

Cons

It is somewhat difficult to encourage repeat engagement/visits to the site. I expect that this will become much easier once a critical mass of graduates is reached but I am uncertain of what that number will need to be. We have a relatively small graduate community when compared to larger HEI's which has both opportunities and challenges.

I am looking forward to seeing the rollout of Graduway's product road map as I suspect this will keep the platform ahead of the curve in terms of functionality.

Pros

I like the simplicity of the software and it's ease of use for both admin and users which is important for Alumni relations departments where technological knowledge may be limited.

Cons

I least like the overall look of the software as it is now a little dated and doesn't necessarily lend itself to promoting the most important functions and features of the platforms.

A location for alumni, to visually track our growing network.

Pros

Statistics, photographs, links to current universities/companies, job posts. The fact that users themselves can create their own groups, etc.

Cons

Guiding videos of the different uses could be integrated into the platform, on the admin side.
There should be regular reminders for alumni members to update their email addresses.
Jobs section should include the possibility of internship/other opportunities since our graduates are from a high school and not a university.

Pros

The ease of use and the simplicity to produce things like events and newsletters. I find databases can be difficult to get used to but this was very straight forward. The monthly statistics as well are good for reporting to the board about our impact and can help to see where we need to work more to get the database even bigger or used more.

Cons

The pictures seem to always have to be cropped to be used on the site so this sometimes can cut out things I want on there.

It was actually a pretty significant step down in terms of functionality from IntroMaps, which was our product of choice before its purchase by Graduway.

Pros

Ease of identifying and contacting potential mentors and volunteers.
Easy to sign up and create a profile.
The search function (not the filters) in the Directory is surprisingly flexible.

Cons

Everyone gets every thing, so folks in Boston get notices about events in Los Angeles.
Directory is based on city name rather than zip code or radius, which is incredibly inconvenient.
Map and nearby are only available on mobile.
The reporting is beyond bare bones - we don't even get open rates on newsletters.
Every time we talk to customer service, we get a "no we can't do that" or "I'll have to talk to IT"...and then we never hear back.
Support staff are in too-distant time zones, so we have to wait too long for a response.
When something we want or need is available, it's usually a significant extra cost - so we get nickel and dimed for everything.