The problem of paper-based registrations
Most of us remember what it was like registering for college.
Images of long lines of students (accompanied sometimes by worried parents), shuffling along quietly with files of IDs and certificates in hand, come to mind. These students gradually arrive at a table and take a seat in front of (usually two) unimpressed officials who are visibly frustrated with their job; these officials ask for originals and photocopies, the latter of which most of us who have had this experience usually forget to bring, and so one of our poor parents has to dash to the nearest Xerox shop, that happens to be packed with other parents in a similar plight.
All this while the student waits red-faced at the table, subject to the narrow-eyed stares of the rest of the students and parents.
Reminders of this experience are enough to send shudders down one’s spine, and we might think to ourselves that things have surely improved now. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
The current state of student onboarding in India
Educational institutions in India have traditionally been the slowest to adopt new and efficient methods of administration. This reluctance has left most educational institutions stuck using the same manual and paper-based methods for student registration.
While this way of doing things is frustrating (as mentioned before), takes an inordinately long time for completion and is extremely expensive; educational institutions previously appeared to be chugging along just fine despite these disadvantages.
However, a few months ago, a spanner was thrown in the works in the form of COVID-19. The ensuing sequence of events saw the global educational system forced to adapt to an entirely new landscape quickly – classes began to be conducted on video conferencing apps, students were to submit homework using their computers, and e-learning took off in a way it never had before.
While these measures worked (for the institutions and students who had access to the required resources) as a make-shift solution during the initial months of the pandemic, we are now in that part of the academic year in which students will soon be admitted into college to begin their studies.
With social distancing norms still in place and cases continuing to increase in India, educational institutions now find themselves staring down the barrel.
The registration process described in the previous section cannot be implemented again. Even if it is, it must be subject to the prevailing safety norms, which will ostensibly increase the burden on both educational institutions and students.
Paper-based student onboarding now puts everyone involved at genuine risk and will be even more time-consuming and frustrating than ever before.
Therefore, educational institutions must implement a new student onboarding system that will allow student registration with minimal physical interactions.
Digital student onboarding is the solution
The Indian education sector must follow the example of the financial and insurance sectors in embracing a completely digital form of onboarding.
Digital onboarding has allowed banks, insurance companies, and even securities intermediaries to onboard customers in a way that completely removes physical interactions between officials and customers.
Our Video KYC methods have also allowed businesses to cut costs, reduce paperwork, and complete onboarding processes in minutes.
The data extraction and verification capabilities of modern digital onboarding allow officials to instantly authenticate student IDs and certificates, cutting down the time spent on registration per student. Additionally, our anti-fraud filters and verification mechanisms prevent identity fraud.
In summary, the advantages of digital student onboarding are as follows.
- Zero physical contact
- Onboarding time reduced to minutes
- Instant document verification
- Impervious to fraud and identity theft
- Easy-to-use and convenient for everyone involved
Trusted and award-winning digital onboarding
SignDesk has provided 50+ major banks with digital onboarding and video KYC solutions and allowed them to experience a 20% increase in efficiency and a 99% decrease in onboarding time.
Colleges, universities, and other educational institutions can experience the same benefits with our cost-effective digital onboarding solution, which was also awarded the Global Banking and Finance Review’s Best Digital Onboarding Solution in India for 2020!
Curious to learn more? Book a demo with us now!