Our client is a UK-based enterprise with more than 30 years of experience in purpose-built student accommodation. With a portfolio of around 160 properties and capacity for approximately 70,000 students, they have long been a key player in their market.

As competition intensified and digital expectations evolved, the organisation launched a large-scale transformation programme aimed at modernising its IT landscape and strengthening its marketing capabilities. Salesforce Sales Cloud and Marketing Cloud had already been introduced, and the next step was to unlock their full potential to drive bookings, improve student communication, and support long-term growth.

Vega IT joined to accelerate this phase of the transformation, focusing on turning Salesforce Marketing Cloud into a reliable engine for lead generation and student engagement.

The organisation had a clear vision: modernise its technology landscape and strengthen marketing performance. However, translating that vision into consistent, tangible delivery proved complex.

As is often the case in large enterprise transformation programmes, multiple teams were working in parallel across different domains. Priorities evolved, dependencies increased, and maintaining a shared view of progress became challenging.

At the start of our engagement:

• there was no single, consolidated overview of project status
• documentation varied in quality and ownership
• cross-team changes were not always fully visible to all stakeholders
• risks and dependencies required more structured coordination
• Salesforce Marketing Cloud needed to move from technical implementation to active business enablement

At the same time, the organisation was looking to strengthen its marketing foundation. There was a need for a more structured way to capture student interest, clearly identify lead sources, manage consent in line with GDPR, and activate personalised journeys across channels.

We joined with a clear objective: to turn Salesforce Marketing Cloud from a partially implemented system into a structured, delivery-driven platform capable of supporting measurable business outcomes.

The most significant shift wasn’t technical but operational. We established clarity, ownership, and a predictable delivery rhythm that allowed the organisation to finally translate transformation plans into working solutions.

Establishing structure and ownership

We introduced a clear way of working within the Marketing Cloud stream and created an operating rhythm focused on delivery rather than reporting:

• structured internal delivery planning
• weekly stakeholder sessions focused on progress, blockers, and dependencies
• clearly defined timelines and roadmaps
• active coordination across marketing, web, CRM, and integration teams

In addition to organising the Marketing Cloud team, we proactively led cross-team alignment where delivery depended on external systems. We initiated planning sessions, clarified ownership at integration boundaries, and ensured external teams committed to realistic timelines.

This approach improved transparency, reduced delivery risk at integration points, and aligned stakeholders around shared execution priorities.

Improving onboarding efficiency

We strengthened team continuity and delivery capacity by improving onboarding efficiency, reducing ramp-up time from 2–3 weeks to an average of 2 days.

Key initiatives delivered

Customer preferences (GDPR compliance)

A structured consent-capture solution aligned with GDPR requirements, including specific compliance considerations. The project required coordination across multiple teams and was delivered in phased releases to ensure stability and accuracy.

Events (lead generation)

A scalable event flow enabling students to scan a QR code, complete a form via landing pages, and enter Marketing Cloud journeys.
To avoid website bottlenecks, we introduced a Marketing Cloud-led solution:

• landing pages generated directly within Marketing Cloud
• a custom front-end layer for flexibility
• integrated data flow between Marketing Cloud and CRM

This removed delivery constraints while maintaining architectural integrity.

Register interest

A streamlined form-to-journey flow for prospective students, delivered using the same Marketing Cloud-based approach, enabling rapid go-live and consistency across channels.

Live viewings

A feature allowing students to search accommodation, check available time slots, and book viewings. We delivered its scope within the planned timeframe and supported testing to ensure a stable release.

When we joined, the client didn’t have a consolidated, reliable way to measure student interest, identify lead sources, or track consent status across channels. Data was collected manually or across disconnected systems, and there was no consistent baseline for marketing performance.

Through the initiatives delivered in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, that baseline was established for the first time. Marketing Cloud became the central system for capturing, classifying, and activating student interest, consistently and in a GDPR-compliant way.

Measurable outcomes:

• 800+ total interest submissions entered Marketing Cloud journeys
• 650 records classified as leads, with opt-in status clearly tracked
• 150+ records identified as existing customers, separated from leads
• lead sources (web registrations, live events, competitions) became fully visible
• consent management enforced consistently across journeys

Operational outcomes:

• a clear delivery structure replaced years of stagnation
• multiple projects went live, with additional releases following
• onboarding time dropped from weeks to days, improving overall efficiency

The engagement was extended based on the consistency and quality of delivery, with positive feedback highlighting strong stakeholder collaboration and clear, tangible progress.

Beyond individual features, the work established a structured foundation for measuring student interest, tracking lead quality, and enabling future marketing optimisation.