CourseKey + Pivot Point Save Schools Time & Money

Paul Mitchell Schools across the country implemented CourseKey’s integration with Pivot Point to eliminate LAB grade entry, resulting in:

10 hours of staff time saved per month
$2-4k in labor costs saved per year in theory grades alone
A faster, more accurate view of SAP

Beauty and wellness schools across the country prepare students to help their communities look and feel their best, but sometimes the reality of managing a school is not so pretty.

Many schools, including a large number of Paul Michell The School franchise locations, use Pivot Point and FAME to manage operations. Students complete their theory courses in Pivot Point, and staff use FAME as the source of truth for all student information—including theory grades.

Unfortunately, these two systems don’t talk to each other, so instructors, advisors, and other staff members at beauty and wellness schools spend hours per week pulling Pivot Point LAB grades for every student, then manually entering them into FAME.

Historically, manual data entry was simply the only way to get LAB grades into FAME. But not anymore.

The Problem: Manual Grade Entry Took Hours Of Valuable Time and Delayed SAP

The SIS is the source of truth for SAP, audits, and all student information. Ultimately Pivot Point LAB grades must get into FAME somehow, so schools are stuck doing it by hand.

Schools tackled this challenge differently. In some schools, front desk employees entered grades 2-3 times a week, taking 1-1.5 hours each time. In other schools, Theory Instructors enter grades weekly or monthly, depending on where the students are in their program.

Unfortunately, manual data often leads to errors and delays in SAP. Cosmetology programs must report students every 450 hours. If that data entry is delayed and the student appears to be behind—even if they aren’t actually behind—they could fail SAP and lose their financial aid.

Regardless of who enters grades or how often, entering grades from Pivot Point to FAME takes hours of staff time that could be better spent elsewhere.

Emma Long, Regional Education Director of Paul Mitchell The School – Rexburg and four other campuses, estimates it takes approximately 10 hours of staff time per month just to type in grades, costing $2-4k in labor annually.

“It’s very labor-intensive and time-consuming, therefore, it costs me a lot of money,” said Emma.

The Solution: The CourseKey and Pivot Point Integration

CourseKey integrates with Pivot Point to automatically transfer LAB grades into CourseKey for an easy upload into FAME.

According to Emma Long, what used to be an hours-long process now takes approximately 10 minutes total—regardless of how many students you have.

“Across all five of our locations, we estimated that worksheets and theory data entry cost each location about $40,000 a year,” said Emma. “All that could be streamlined through the CourseKey Skills Tracker and the CourseKey and Pivot Point integration.”

Because the transfer process is so much smoother, schools have faster insight into student pace and progress.

“We have the LAB grades quickly, and we can be sure the data is accurate. It’s amazing,” said Ron Billings, Operations Leader of Paul Mitchell The School – Colorado Springs. “We don’t have the lines of people saying ‘why did I fail my SAP?’ It allows us to catch any potential issues with SAP and intervene before a student loses their aid. Plus, we’re confident that a student who is meeting SAP won’t lose their aid due to a data delay.”

Give Your Staff Time To Focus On Students

“We implemented the CourseKey and Pivot Point integration to better utilize staff on higher-value tasks versus manually entering grades,” said Erin Cowan, Executive Director of Paul Mitchell The School – Chicago Lombard.

When staff doesn’t have to worry about grades entry, they can focus on creating a better educational experience for their students. Instructors have more one-on-one time coaching students who need extra support—which is a win-win for everyone.

“Our staff is thrilled that they no longer have to enter theory hours,” said Elena Hernández, Future Processional Advisor at Paul Mitchell The School – San Diego. “They didn’t go into this profession because they love paperwork. They got into it because they love this industry and passing their knowledge onto the next generation of beauty and wellness professionals.”

Improve Student Experience

With the Pivot Point integration and CourseKey’s suite of beauty and wellness tools, students gain a near-real-time view of their progress, including theory and practical.

Students no longer have to ask instructors or advisors for updates on their progress. Instead, they simply pull out their phones and check the CourseKey app, giving them a heightened sense of accountability over their education. Students can make informed decisions that support their progress toward graduation.

“The Future Professionals [students] can see everything in one place with CourseKey. For us, it’s a one-stop shop,” said Emma. “Previously, Future Professionals had to wait for progress updates or check in with staff. Now, the responsibility is on the student to make up missed time or activities—which prepares them for the real world. If they have to cancel an appointment with a client, it’s on them to make it up.”

Save Time, Save Money, Improve Experience

Request a demo to begin saving your staff hours per week with the CourseKey and Pivot Point integration.

October 19, 2022 | CourseKey