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Modern Campus Involve Reviews
Pros
This system is helping us do a better job and we 're excited to see how this will improve in the future.
I love how easy it is to generate content that looks professional, is functional for students, and will help to generate student interest in opportunities.
I have been very satisfied with Presence. It has helped us gain a better understanding of student engagement on our campus, which means it has helped our department tell our story better than before.
I love the interface, and one of the things I love the most is the analytics piece. It has helped us gather and interpret engagement data so much better than before.
Cons
Sometimes its so long that the actual connection times out. This is literally the worst SaaS software I've ever used.
Software sometimes has errors and does not load correctly.
The main frustration that our campus has had with Presence is at times the software can be glitchy or slow.
We have also had some technical difficulties with the card swipers, but I think that was more on our end than Presence's.
Showing Most Helpful
Showing 13 of 13 reviews
"Choosing Presence was the best decision we could have made"
Overall: We began exploring organization management platforms in 2016, and we quickly learned that Presence offered the most comprehensive platform that met our needs. As a combination of an organization management system and student engagement platform, Presence has allowed us to revolutionize the way our student clubs run themselves, how we track and understand student engagement, and how we boost engagement and attendance on campus.
Pros: The customer support experience offered by Presence definitely stands out. Having a personal Happiness Expert who truly understands your institution and its needs helps us get the most out of the platform. From day one of exploring Presence to now, after having been a partner for 3 years, I have always felt personally invested in by their team.
Cons: If I could change one thing about this software, it would be to further develop the app to make it as robust (or more) as the web portal.
"Helping connect students, resources, and activities"
Overall: We wanted to connect students to organizations and activities on campus more seamlessly, allowing them a web presence so that they could find these opportunities more easily. We also wanted to keep better track of which students were getting and staying involved (and importantly, which were not). This system is helping us do a better job and we 're excited to see how this will improve in the future.
Pros: I love how easy it is to generate content that looks professional, is functional for students, and will help to generate student interest in opportunities. The process can be incredibly simple for students to learn and use, definitely increasing their likelihood to engage.
Cons: There's a bit of a learning curve on getting some forms set up (dependent upon the complexity of the form / conditional logic set up).
"Awful"
Overall: Students hate it. It's so slow. Faculty hate it. It's so slow. Snails hate it. It's so slow.
Pros: It integrates with our student system. But that's about all I like.
Cons: Go to Google and search "Presence.io." Click ANY university's link. Wait while it "Warms Up". With this software, you will honestly WAIT for everything you do. And it's not a short wait. Sometimes its so long that the actual connection times out. This is literally the worst SaaS software I've ever used.
"Presence has simplified our processes"
Overall: We have needed to transition from paper records to digital for many years, and Presence was the answer for us. We did not need a complicated platform that was going to overwhelm students and staff. Presence has been straightforward. Also, the staff at Presence genuinely cares about its customers, and higher education advancement in general. They are generous with resources and speak our language.
Pros: The ease of creating custom content (ie forms and events)
Cons: Software sometimes has errors and does not load correctly
Vendor Response
"Highly Recommend!"
Overall: I have been very satisfied with Presence. It has helped us gain a better understanding of student engagement on our campus, which means it has helped our department tell our story better than before. I also appreciate that they are encouraging us to use their software in different ways that will continue to benefit our students, our department, and our university. I can tell they truly care about our success and it is great to feel that support.
Pros: From the start, Presence has continuously impressed me with their customer service. Their staff is so easy to work with, they respond quickly, and it seems like Presence as a company has created a great work environment for their employees. I love the interface, and one of the things I love the most is the analytics piece. It has helped us gather and interpret engagement data so much better than before. We're still learning some of the best practices, and implementing some components of the software, but so far it's been a very positive experience.
Cons: Overall, I appreciate how nimble and current Presence is. They are constantly updating their product and making changes to keep it relevant and productive for our needs. The few concerns we have had are around some aspects that Presence aren't capable of that we were used to with our old software, but the Presence staff has always been willing to explain why it is the way it is. We have also had some technical difficulties with the card swipers, but I think that was more on our end than Presence's.
Vendor Response
"The most robust student engagement platform! "
Overall: Presence has given us a tremendous upgrade to our processes and helped us to be more efficient for student engagement. The data that we can collect and easily display is instrumental in helping keep our budget in tact and even get more funds for the next year since we can show increases in student involvement. The resources that Presence also provides to student affairs professionals is second to none, one stop on their blog is like going to a conference and getting some great insight on current trends in higher education.
Pros: Presence offers multitude of features that we use every day. The form approval process, which lets the flow of app rovers get something pushed through very quickly has given us greater efficiency. Creating and editing a form is very simple and easy for anyone to understand. Another aspect that is a benefit is the amazing customer service. There is always someone available to help you via chat or just a phone call away. We also use all the data and analytics that Presence provides to speak into our goals.
Cons: One thing that could be a benefit to this software is a room reservation piece. With events happening every day on campus, it could be very useful for Presence to have its own room reservation piece. However, we work with a third-party company that helps us and can send people from presence to their site to make that happen. The mobile app is useful but not as practical for students, if they were able to have their digitial ID and be able to submit forms that would be effective for students.
Vendor Response
"Changed Our Office/Work!"
Overall: Having implemented Presence has not only changed our office, but also changed our campus. It has allowed for us to bring the campus together in a cohesive manner to improve communication to all members of our community. In addition, Presence has assumed the role of another staff member within my office which has allowed for us to re-examine our roles within the office to focus on greater initiatives. The team at Presence truly cares about us and constantly pushes us to grow and is always willing to help in whatever way they can!
Pros: Easy and fun interface, user-friendly, variety of customization, levels of permissions, clear articulation of how to navigate platform for basic user, accessibility, seamless integration with business processes, customer service team, budget manager, work flow patterns, self-guided pathways for users Implementing the use of Presence improved our office functions and created automated shortcuts for our work processes. These changes became the base of our office procedures which created new opportunities for us to explore as well as cut down on time and energy spent for various office procedures. Through the schedule feature, we were also able to move to an electronic calendar for programs on campus that can be used via the web or the convenient app
Cons: Not to the fault of Presence, but automated data imports are not supported by our ERM so a manual process is required, but data export to Presence is automated
Vendor Response
"With Presence, it is about the people."
Overall: Overall, we have had a great experience. The hallmark of Presence is their team. Regardless of who I speak or online chat with, I am sure to connect with someone who is kind, personable, and committed to helping us achieve our goals.
Pros: For me, Presence is fresh. In interacting with students who are more and more driven to virtual spaces, having a software that had an energy to it is critical. Presence allows our organizations to do what they need to do with a user interface that is easy to navigate and understand.
Cons: The main frustration that our campus has had with Presence is at times the software can be glitchy or slow. In a go-go-go community like ours, students can easily get hung up on details like that.
Vendor Response
"MSSU and Presence "
Overall: Our happiness expert is great to work with. Whenever we come with an idea we’ve never been told no, it’s always how can we do that.
Pros: The data generated by Presence from event check-ins is the biggest value we receive from the software.
Cons: Presence offers all the features we need. The loading speed leaves much to be desired. It takes to long to load a page.
Vendor Response
"Presence platform: great student engagement platform with many uses"
Pros: Friendly, helpful staff and easy integration with campus platforms. Intuitive. Helpful data for student engagement purposes.
Cons: It would be extremely helpful to be able to limit some demographic fields from student users for privacy purposes. I know this concept is on a Presence list to consider/develop.
"My review "
Overall: very positive
Pros: I like that I can make it how I want it. it is easy to build everything and make it your own and everything is kept all in one place.
Cons: the company is still growing so trying to keep up with everything there is to offer.
"Trevecca Nazarene University "
Overall: Overall I feel it is easy to use and my university could utilize it beyond our current use. We definitely would recommend it to there.
Pros: The product is easy to use and customer service is fantastic!
Cons: The app connected to it could be updated a bit.
"Unbearably slow, bugs, unusable"
Pros: The front-end design is sleek, and looks good
Cons: However, the speed of the site is unbearably slow. It takes 6-10 seconds to load each page, and the site commonly freezes up without explanation.