Fresno Pacific University uses airSlate for Salesforce to automate adjunct contracting

Managing adjunct faculty can be a serious challenge for university administrators. Adjunct contracts need to be approved and signed by multiple parties, including professors, deans, and HR departments, in a timely manner in order to avoid pay-out delays or monetary losses on either side. 

airSlate has helped Fresno Pacific University streamline the adjunct contract process by integrating its no-code automation tools with its Salesforce system. As a result of using airSlate for Salesforce, the university administration office has managed to achieve faster contract cycles, reduce expenses, and take paperwork-related hassles out of the picture.

Jeffrey Jones, the Senior Technology Executive at CampusWorks, Inc., who was in charge of implementing airSlate automation into Fresno Pacific University’s processes, has shared his experience and feedback after successfully completing the project.

Customer profile

Established in 1944, Fresno Pacific University is the only accredited non-profit Christian university in California’s Central Valley. Offering more than one hundred areas of study, it currently has over 4,000 students enrolled.

Interviewee’s name

The customer

With several campuses across the Valley and a large amount of adjunct faculty, FPU offers full-time courses in business, natural and social sciences, humanities, religion, pedagogics, and more. In addition, the university teaches online programs and personal development studies, reaching about 10,000 students across the entire U.S. Always encouraging its students to achieve more, Fresno Pacific University has the region’s highest four-year graduation rate.

The problem

With a vast number of adjunct faculty, Fresno Pacific University was tasked with processing thousands of employment contracts that needed to be signed by multiple parties and paid on a regular basis. Before switching to airSlate, FPU used to rely on manual, paper-based workflows, which eventually caused multiple issues. 

Despite using the Mail Merge feature in Salesforce (which allowed for automating the process of generating personalized documents), adjunct contracts took hours to process and sign, creating huge overhead. Eventually, the contracts would be sent to employees by physical mail, and as a result, the university administration couldn’t get their hands on signed documents for weeks. Meanwhile, the law in California obliged employers to pay their adjunct staff regardless of if they had signed their contracts or not. Hence, the need for a swift eSignature solution became critical in averting potential financial risks.

“I was super-excited about all the possibilities with the airSlate platform just because of all the different things that could be done with it. Still, the eSignature piece was the most important part for us.”

– Jeffrey Jones, Director of Information Systems at Fresno Pacific University

In addition, Fresno Pacific University was looking for a solution that could seamlessly integrate with Salesforce. Using the CRM to store and process employee records, FPU needed an eSignature platform that would enable automated workflows inside the software ecosystem they were used to. This is where airSlate comes in.

The answer

Dean assistants at Fresno Pacific University who were in charge of generating and processing adjunct contracts grew excited about airSlate and what it had to offer. After checking out the demos of alternative products, they finally decided to go with airSlate because it provided an unparalleled array of automation features and was the best value for the money. Since airSlate doesn’t charge users per envelope as its competitors do, airSlate’s transparent pricing became an ultimate selling point for FPU.

“If you make a mistake, you’re still charged for those [with the competitor’s per-envelope pricing]. And for our Dean assistants, this was such a big deal. Not like they’re making so many mistakes, but, for whatever reason, that really resonated with them.“

Since eSignatures and airSlate automated workflows were integrated with the university’s Salesforce setup, the administrative staff managed to accelerate their adjunct contract turnover and eliminate piles of paperwork — as well as the additional overhead it involved.

“Those who had a lot of hand-done adjunct contracts, they’ve just loved that airSlate works the way it does. They’ve been really excited just because it cuts out so much overhead.“

Implementing airSlate

The IT department at Fresno Pacific University was completely satisfied with the smooth and issue-free implementation of the airSlate platform in Salesforce. One minor problem that the technicians encountered during the setup process was instantly resolved by the airSlate support team.

“During my rollout, I once ran into something I couldn’t describe […], but it got fixed. So overall, I thought the implementation was pretty smooth.“

With no technical background or any workflow automation skills whatsoever, the Dean’s assistants at FPU had no issues mastering airSlate’s no-code tools embedded in their Salesforce accounts. Now, they efficiently use quick workflow Slates and eSignatures to collect digitally signed contracts in hours instead of weeks.

“They generate a contract from the records in Salesforce; then, it goes to the Dean who signs it; then, it goes to the adjunct who signs it; then, it comes back in — the HR is aware — and then the adjuncts get paid.“

Conclusion

Happy with how the airSlate implementation project panned out, the IT specialists at FPU are realizing that they have barely scratched the surface of what airSlate can do to streamline the university’s document processes. Also, moving from Salesforce Classic to Salesforce Lightning, they expect airSlate to help them automate even more workflows. They also hope that it will fill in the gaps where some of the Salesforce functionality they previously used (like Mail Merge) was removed in the new framework.  

What’s more, FPU tech specialists are contemplating the possibility of introducing airSlate forms and other automation solutions to replace third-party products that have no API.

“airSlate is one of those tools that I feel like we’re using a fraction of what it can do. It’s a gigantic toolset, and we’re using just one of all the many things [it has to offer]. But it does really well. It is rock-solid, and it helps  — it’s great!

– Jeffrey Jones, Director of Information Systems at Fresno Pacific University

With less time spent on paperwork, the administrative staff at Fresno Pacific University enjoys higher productivity and can now focus on more strategic tasks. They are currently moving away from a “printing” mindset and are embracing fully automated digital workflows, which help them save both time and money.