The Challenge

Walbrook (formerly LIBF) needed to break away from restrictive group-level legacy systems that stifled their ability to manage the student lifecycle. Operating on a shared Salesforce instance, the team felt "shoehorned" into rigid processes that did not fit their unique requirements as a higher education provider.

This fractured infrastructure created significant data silos. Walbrook lacked a single source of truth, making it impossible to achieve a 360-degree view of the student journey, from the first marketing touchpoint to enrolment and retention. The marketing team faced operational inefficiencies, forced to engineer complex workarounds and custom coding within Salesforce just to send basic communications to the right segments at the right time.

The lack of autonomy and cohesive data meant the team could not effectively nurture applicants or provide a seamless student experience. Walbrook needed to migrate to a platform that offered speed, flexibility, and a unified view, allowing them to own their data and processes without relying on heavy engineering.

Full-Suite Solution

BabelQuest implemented a full-suite HubSpot solution (Marketing, Sales, Service, Content, and Data Hubs) guided by the design principle of "Adopt, Don't Adapt". The strategy focused on utilising native HubSpot functionality to ensure long-term scalability and platform ownership, rather than building "black box" customisations.

The Application Portal (Content Hub)
To replace the disjointed application experience, BabelQuest built a bespoke Application Portal on Content Hub using membership functionality. This secure portal allows applicants to register, save their progress, and return to applications at their own pace (a critical UX improvement). The portal integrates directly with the CRM, using Deals to track applications. When an applicant submits data, it mirrors instantly on the backend Deal record, allowing agents to see exactly what the student sees in real-time.

Operational Excellence (Sales & Data Hub)
BabelQuest mapped the complex admissions process into a streamlined pipeline. Data Hub was leveraged to handle intricate logic, such as the "Deferral Workflow." If a student misses a deadline (payment or document upload), the system automatically updates their start date, tags the deferral type, and moves them to the next intake cohort, removing manual admin.

Service & Support (Service Hub)
Post-enrolment, the student record transitions to a "Student Pipeline." Service Hub was implemented to manage student support tickets keeping all communications within the single student view.

Automated Financial Tracking (Commerce Hub) 
Commerce Hub was used to manage tuition payments, with structured payment links and automated tracking of instalments, balances, and missed payments directly within the student record.

AI Usage: Laying the Foundation for Intelligence
BabelQuest integrated HubSpot’s Breeze AI capabilities to drive immediate value and adoption:

• Breeze Record Summary: With a complex student journey involving marketing touches, application data, and support tickets, records can become dense. We trained the Walbrook team to use the Breeze AI summary card to instantly query records (e.g., "What is the latest on this student?"), saving hours of manual review time.
• AI for Adoption: To transition the marketing team away from complex legacy thinking, we utilised Breeze AI as a training tool. Users were encouraged to ask Breeze how to build specific workflows or lists. This allowed them to build "draft" logic using AI, which BabelQuest consultants then reviewed, significantly accelerating their confidence and competence in the new system.
• Future AI Roadmap: Plans are in place to deploy an AI Customer Agent within the application portal to handle FAQs, reducing "email tennis" and providing instant answers to applicants.

The Results

From Skepticism to Advocacy 
One of the most significant immediate results has been a total cultural shift. A team that was previously skeptical of CRM systems due to their experience with clunky legacy tools has achieved 100% adoption. The "Adopt, don't adapt" strategy ensured the platform remained user-friendly, leading the internal teams to become excited champions of the software.

Operational Transparency 
For the first time, Walbrook has a "bird's eye view" of their admissions funnel. The use of colour-coded Deal Tags (e.g., "Unconditional Offer," "Missing Documents") allows agents to instantly assess the state of the pipeline without clicking into individual records.

Efficiency Gains 
The need for complex technical workarounds has been eliminated. Marketing processes that previously required developer intervention or complex logic are now handled via simple, native HubSpot workflows. Furthermore, the automated deferral system has removed the manual administrative burden of moving students between cohorts, ensuring data accuracy and saving significant administrative time.

The Impact

Silos to Synchronicity 
The implementation has fundamentally changed how Walbrook operates. By moving to a full-suite solution, the barriers between departments have been removed. Marketing, Admissions, and Student Support now operate from a single source of truth. Everyone has awareness of the student's context - whether they are inquiring about a course, submitting a payment, or requesting a study break.

Elevated Student Experience 
The impact on the end user, the student, is profound. The new Application Portal provides a modern, mobile-friendly experience that aligns with student expectations. Because agents now have a 360-degree view of the student record, applicants no longer have to repeat information or wait for staff to "find the context".

Strategic Ownership 
Walbrook has moved from feeling "shoehorned" into a group system to owning a platform designed for their future. The system is built to scale, with the flexibility to handle future requirements like B2B employer engagement and advanced retention strategies without requiring a fundamental redesign. As noted by the team, they have successfully turned disparate student data into actionable student insight.