As Wisconsin’s first four-year institution of higher education, Carroll University has long led with a spirit of integrity and innovation. But as its campus community grew, aging systems began to slow down daily operations.
Staff in HR, Academic Affairs, and other departments relied on email chains, spreadsheets, and manual routing to move documents and approvals. What began as a need to modernize document storage soon evolved into a university-wide digital transformation powered by Softdocs.
Challenges: From Document Storage to Digital Transformation
The initial goal was simple: replace the outdated imaging platform that had reached its limits.
For years, Carroll had relied on a legacy document-imaging system that couldn’t keep up with modern technology. Departments wanted a secure, centralized platform for managing sensitive records and a smoother process for scanning and storing files.
Why Softdocs: Built for Higher Education, Ready for Scale
During the RFP process, Carroll prioritized security, ease of transition, and scalability. They needed a system that could handle large volumes of scanned documents, protect FERPA-regulated information, and simplify student-record access when requests came in.
Softdocs had it all and more:
- Physical scanning integration to easily digitize paper records from departments like the Registrar’s Office.
- Granular security and permissions to ensure access control for sensitive documents.
- FERPA compliance and file portability, enabling one-click retrieval of complete student files.
What started as a document-retention initiative quickly revealed a broader opportunity: a single platform that could transform how the university worked.
The First Big Win: Campus Employment Application
The university’s first Softdocs project became its proving ground. Human Resources—then responsible for student employment—was bogged down by manual tasks and bottlenecks.
Using Forms and Workflow, Carroll automated the process end-to-end. Students could now submit applications electronically, select multiple job preferences, and have their forms automatically routed to the appropriate supervisors. Approvers received instant notifications, and HR gained complete visibility into every step.
The success of this first workflow sparked momentum across campus. The model proved so effective that departments began requesting new workflows of their own.
The student-employment project became the blueprint for campuswide innovation—and later earned Carroll a Softdocs Bridge Innovation Award recognizing its creativity and scalability.
Expanding Across Campus
From that initial project, growth accelerated quickly. Each new process built confidence, and soon nearly every department on campus was using Softdocs.
Today, Carroll reports near-total adoption across HR, Finance, Academic Affairs, Financial Aid, and Student Services. Even Public Safety, the lone outlier, interacts with Softdocs indirectly through shared workflows for student employment.
What began as a technology deployment has become part of the university’s daily rhythm—streamlining how people collaborate, approve, and act.
System Consolidation: Retiring Legacy Tools
As Softdocs gained traction, Carroll began replacing the patchwork of disconnected applications that had accumulated over the years.
Their former imaging system was retired first, followed by Formstack, which had once been used for data collection but was no longer necessary.
- Google and Microsoft Forms replaced, ending fragmented request tracking and ensuring consistent, secure routing.
- Docusign phased out, as native Softdocs eSignatures made third-party tools unnecessary.
- Legacy document management system retired, eliminating outdated workflows and modernizing record storage.
These changes gave the university a simplified, compliant, and cost-efficient ecosystem—a single, trusted platform for content, workflows, and approvals.
Results: Transparency, Efficiency, and Collaboration
The transformation has delivered tangible improvements across the university. What used to be manual and time-consuming is now transparent and trackable.
- Near 100% campus adoption of the Softdocs Platform
- Dozens of workflows automated across HR, Finance, and Academic Affairs
- Multiple legacy tools retired, reducing cost and complexity
- Improved visibility and accountability across complex, multi-department processes
- Empowered internal teams to build and scale workflows independently
Faculty and staff who have been with Carroll for decades say the difference is dramatic: fewer delays, fewer questions, and more confidence that every task is handled securely and on time.
Innovation as a Mindset
The Bridge Innovation Award validated Carroll’s efforts, but also motivated the team to keep pushing forward.
That mindset has made Softdocs more than a system. It’s now part of the university’s innovation culture. Departments regularly approach IT with new ideas, and the team prototypes, tests, and deploys them internally.
By empowering in-house problem-solving, Carroll’s IT and business teams have strengthened cross-campus relationships and built momentum for continual improvement.
The Next Phase: Intelligent Data Processing and Security
Carroll’s evolution with Softdocs continues. The university recently implemented Intelligent Data Processing (IDP) and Print-to-Scan capabilities to simplify document capture for departments that handle large volumes of records and email attachments. Security remains central to their strategy.
Carroll’s IT team manages all forms and workflows centrally, maintaining strict controls while still enabling flexibility. The platform’s security and audit capabilities have strengthened compliance and trust across campus.
Lessons Learned and Advice to Others
When asked what advice they’d give to other institutions, Carroll’s team focused on scalability, empowerment, and partnership. They emphasize starting small, proving success, and then expanding quickly based on that success.
Training and enablement are crucial; Carroll builds and manages its own workflows, allowing rapid iteration without dependency on external support.
For Carroll University, Softdocs has become far more than a vendor—it’s a true partner in transformation.
What began as a document-storage project has evolved into a catalyst for lasting change, transforming not just systems but the university’s culture itself into one defined by efficiency, transparency, and continuous innovation.
