Post-OPM Strategy: Prioritize Continuity of Service
Preface: The OPM landscape is shifting, and it is not my intention to cast OPMs or the decision to partner with them as good or bad. The purpose of this article is to present neutral information senior-level leaders may want to consider when making decisions regarding their online strategy.
My first article provided an overview of 7 Key Elements to Guide a Post-OPM Strategy. This is the third part in the series where we discuss ensuring a continuity of service during the transition.
When we decided to insource our online program services after ending an OPM partnership, we had one essential goal - ensuring a seamless experience for our students. We knew any disruptions in marketing, admissions, or instructional design quality could potentially slow down our transition and being out of market too long would have compounding negative effects.
As we mapped out the transition process, the first step was to identify which service components were most essential to maintaining continuity from a student experience perspective. After careful evaluation, we focused in on three key areas:
Marketing: Reestablishing our pipeline of quality leads and continuing brand visibility were imperative to stay active in the online marketplace.
Admissions: From inquiry to enrollment, we needed to create a new seamless admissions experience to convert prospects into students. This required creating new standard operating procedures and communication flows focused on the needs of adult students.
Instructional Design: Our commitment to delivering high-quality, engaging online courses required new processes and integrating best practices such as Quality Matters.
Once we had our priorities established, we developed a detailed six-month timeline to insource each function. Staggering the process was crucial, as it allowed us to implement the transition systematically while keeping existing operations running smoothly.
Here's a breakdown of how we sequenced and executed the insourcing process:
Marketing: Our first step was securing a new digital marketing partner (Validated Insights) to align our online student recruitment strategies with our institutional brand. As their onboarding commenced, we paid to keep our former OPM's microsite live to ensure uninterrupted lead generation.
Admissions: Simultaneously, we hired an Assistant Director of Online Admissions to spearhead this transition. They rapidly learned our programs, redesigned our communication flows within the CRM, and collaborated with marketing to seamlessly intake the volume of new leads.
Instructional Design: Our existing in-house instructional designers were already experienced in faculty support. However we needed to shift our priorities and update processes to align with Quality Matters best practices.
Academic Advising: Per our agreement, the OPM continued providing advising services until a new advisor was onboarded. This 9-month overlap prevented any lapse in direct student support functions.
Just as onboarding an OPM vendor requires a university-wide coordinated effort, so does insourcing. We worked closely with marketing, IT, finance, and academic leadership to coordinate system integrations, data flows, and budget alignment. Clear communication with all stakeholders and cross-functional teamwork was vital.
Nothing about the switch was easy, but the upfront effort to map out and execute the transition paid dividends. We successfully onboarded new staff and external partners with minimal disruption to our operational rhythm and continued our online growth momentum. Most importantly, our students experienced a consistent level of high-quality service and support throughout.
If your institution is considering a major operational shift like an OPM transition, there is no substitute for meticulous project planning to preserve continuity of service. Identify your most critical student-facing functions early, develop a detailed transition timeline that systematically insources each component, and remain focused on ensuring a seamless experience through constant communication. A willingness to roll up your sleeves and ideate creative solutions does not hurt either.
So where are you on your OPM-journey? I would love to hear from similar institutions.