Coastal Carolina University (CCU), which serves over 10,000 students, prides itself on providing a student-centered experience. By 2023, however, CCU’s Orientation, Transition, and Family Programs team recognized that manual processes—handwriting name badges, juggling spreadsheets, and using multiple standalone platforms—had become unsustainable. Determined to modernize orientation, they chose VZO as an all-in-one onboarding solution.
Ty Hollowell (Director) explains how VZO eliminated tedious manual tasks, offering CCU an immediate “aha!” moment.
Piloting with a Soft Launch
Rather than introducing VZO to thousands of new students at once, CCU opted to pilot the platform during a smaller spring orientation. This approach allowed them to test data flows, address potential IT issues, and provide staff with hands-on practice before the larger summer sessions.
Ty discusses why CCU pursued a “soft launch,” enabling the team to “fail together” safely instead of risking a chaotic full-scale rollout.
Natasha Golden (Assistant Director) underscores how limiting the cohort size revealed critical insights early on, refining CCU’s approach.
Jonathan Moss (Associate Director) highlights the immediate advantages of piloting VZO with fewer students, boosting staff confidence for summer.
Biggest Adjustments & Early Challenges
Implementing a unified orientation platform required collaboration across campus. From IT integration with Ellucian Colleague to ensuring advisors received accurate data in real time, CCU discovered that a phased approach minimized headaches.
Jonathan details the largest pre-launch hurdles—coordinating with numerous campus partners and migrating modules into VZO.
During the pilot, they uncovered a crucial data-sync hiccup between VZO and Colleague, demonstrating the value of starting small.
Marisa Canarick (Coordinator) explains how CCU discovered—and resolved—key integration issues before the hectic summer season.
The “Wow Factor” & Staff Training
With early challenges addressed, CCU staff started noticing VZO’s orientation-focused features—such as automated reminders and streamlined name-badge creation—creating enthusiasm and buy-in.
Ty describes the “wow factor” that VZO’s intuitive capabilities brought to the CCU team.
Another crucial element was training. Since orientation staff often juggle multiple responsibilities, 24/7 support from VZO boosted their confidence in adopting new processes.
Marisa shares how near-round-the-clock assistance made orientation rollout “incredibly easy,” easing staff adoption.
Measuring Engagement & Time Savings
Student engagement is essential for any orientation program. CCU leveraged VZO’s task lists to track which steps students completed, sending targeted reminders to reduce no-shows.
Natasha explains how CCU monitors student progress and adjusts communication to improve attendance.
The benefits extended to staff as well: CCU employees reported saving up to five hours a week by consolidating rosters, registrations, and emails into one platform.
Jonathan quantifies weekly time savings after VZO replaced manual tasks and multiple systems.
Key Results & Outcomes
By summer, CCU found itself weeks ahead of where it stood in previous years. Eliminating manual processes and guesswork bolstered staff morale, and orientation prep no longer required late-night scrambling.
Marisa illustrates how VZO enabled the team to be far ahead of schedule compared to past summers—eliminating frantic last-minute name badge creation.
Perhaps the strongest endorsement came from Ty, who praised multi-step checkpoints (covering check-in, advising, and surveys) as truly transformative—calling VZO a “game changer.”
Ty discusses how combining multiple orientation touchpoints in one system proved revolutionary, declaring VZO a “game changer. Period.”
One-Stop Orientation Access
Beyond saving staff hours, CCU wanted to offer students a single, streamlined portal for orientation tasks, cutting confusion and improving the overall experience.
Natasha underscores why consolidating everything in one platform was “huge,” eliminating multi-site registration hassles.
Final Takeaways & Next Steps
Coastal Carolina University went beyond simple digitization by reshaping its orientation. Through a soft launch, early IT testing, and robust staff training, CCU saved hours of weekly work and provided students with a clear, single-access orientation.
- Pilot First: Start small to minimize risk and catch integration issues promptly.
- Unify Data: Replace scattered spreadsheets with a one-stop orientation system.
- Support Staff: Provide user-friendly tools and real-time help.
- Measure Engagement: Use task lists and accurate data to improve outcomes.
