“Russell is such an expert! CRCG brings the greatest industry strengths. Together, we established a true partnership and he really tuned in to our needs and goals. This project has given us great opportunities for change and growth.”
— Angela Cline, University of California Santa Cruz, Director of Business and Financial Analysis, Colleges, Housing & Educational Services
The University of California, Santa Cruz came to us with a critical question: Facing increasing costs and declining course material sales and relevance on campus, was it time to reimagine the university bookstore as a go-to campus store and online source for course materials? In addition, could the store be rebranded and reconfigured to provide students, faculty, staff and the local community with daily necessities while promoting school spirit with branded merchandise?
With various university committees charged with fact-finding and decision-making, reaching consensus and defining implementation was paramount to success. Ultimately, Akademos was awarded the contract to provide the online platform for course materials but had yet to begin work.
To address these questions and manage a complex process, the university sought a trusted expert with deep experience in campus retail and vendor management to guide the project to conclusion with patience, diligence and workable solutions.
We began with in-depth briefings with the UCSC leadership team and then convened key stakeholders for discovery discussions. With alignment on goals, timelines and decision-making, we established the relationship between UCSC and Akademos. We mapped the university’s goals and requirements to the vendor’s methodology and technical specifications to create a project plan that would ensure launch on-time and on-budget.
As liaison between the university’s committees and Akademos, we provided consulting services, reviewed all agreements, workflows and plans, and integrated university objectives for social media, marketing activities, student support and financial aid. Additionally, we sought periodic feedback through student and faculty focus groups, customer surveys and online customer comments to inform progress summaries and written analysis to guide development.
Formulating an effective transition online
A strategic and actionable plan was essential to ensure a smooth transition from in-store textbook sales to an accessible online platform for all course materials. We provided financial analysis for the university including incentives, capital considerations, service contracts, performance indicators, and satisfaction levels. In addition, we advised on human resource considerations, including participating in hiring a new bookstore course materials strategist.
Optimizing the physical store
We provided recommendations to support rebranding the store, and created guidelines to manage marketing, social media and vendor relationships.
Today, the course materials platform is live and is receiving exceptional feedback. All students access the materials they need at affordable prices. Faculty and staff update course materials easily, and the university is realizing significant cost savings.
The campus store is now a welcoming one-floor retail facility. With freed-up space on what was a second floor, the store has relieved debt, reduced budget and improved its service to the entire university community.
“CRCG brings the greatest industry strengths. Russell is such an expert — he knows the history of the industry and where it is going. Not everyone has that combination. His knowledge was pivotal for us to get where we needed to go. Together, we established a true partnership and he really tuned in to our needs and goals. It was really important that CRCG understood our culture and knew how to be patient and push us along with grace.This project has given us great opportunities for change and growth.”
– Angela Cline, UCSC, Director of Business and Financial Analysis, Colleges, Housing & Educational Services