College of DuPage (COD) runs high-volume work across student services and campus operations—transcript evaluation, Financial Aid requests, program applications, and internal approvals that keep the institution moving. Before Softdocs, COD’s environment made it difficult to standardize processes, hard to evolve workflows quickly, and challenging to provide consistent visibility across departments.
COD moved to Softdocs, the provider of the Etrieve platform, to consolidate intake, routing, and completion—reducing manual workarounds and enabling campus teams to build processes on a more consistent foundation.
Over time, COD leaned heavily into dashboards to make work easier for end users, expand visibility into in-process requests, and reduce friction for staff and students.
Results at a Glance
- Replaced multiple legacy systems (Perceptive Content, Brainware, PDFs, scanning) and moved fragmented document imaging and form intake into one centralized solution
- Approx. 12 million documents managed digitally in the Etrieve platform (no paper copies needed)
- Financial Aid forms have been used ~20,000 times since their launch last year
- Launched 100+ total forms across campus (with ~40 HR forms still pending)
- Rebuilt the paper-based budgeting process in Softdocs in ~1.5 weeks (workflow + dashboards)
- Avoided a ~$25,000 point solution by utilizing Softdocs, saving 10–40 hours per week in paper handling
- Created approx. 25 current dashboards—and building new dashboards practically every day
- Full adoption of the Etrieve platform across most areas of campus
Challenges: From Paper Reliance to Digital Transformation
COD’s prior environment made it difficult to maintain and evolve workflows quickly. Forms were distributed across the institution without a single repository, and even when workflows existed, manual scanning and PDF handling still appeared in the process.
COD was stuck in a legacy document setup that was hard to change and slow to support. Forms lived everywhere—PDFs, web pages, and even marketing-managed processes—so there was no single source of truth. Even when workflows were “digital,” paper and scanning were still in the middle of the process.
Why Softdocs: A Strategic and Scalable Solution Built for Higher Education
As College of DuPage adopted Softdocs, departments started to realize what was possible. Instead of being constrained by system limitations, COD’s team explored new opportunities, tailored workflows to department needs, and built internal momentum through champions across campus.
With Softdocs, the team:
- Shifted from “we can’t do that” to “how can we make this work?”
- Tailored workflows to department needs instead of forcing departments into rigid systems
- Built internal champions as departments saw results and shared success with peers
As demand grew, College of DuPage implemented Softdocs as a long-term partner, not just a vendor.
Implementation and Adoption: Dashboards as the Engine
COD began with transcript evaluation because it was one of the most complex workflows—and it needed to be live on day one. This early launch introduced dashboards from the start.
From there, COD leaned on dashboards to make work easier for end users by putting the information they need directly in Central, instead of requiring staff to dig through Content or rely on saved searches.
Over time, College of DuPage used dashboards for more than viewing filed documents. They expanded dashboards into in-process visibility, so departments could check form status to see where it was stuck. Dashboards help COD put the right view in front of the right people, so staff don’t have to dig through content or rely on saved searches.
In practice, COD described dashboards working like this:
- Different views for different groups: Some dashboard “swim lanes” only show up for specific teams, based on group membership.
- See where requests are stuck: In-process dashboards show where a form is in the workflow so teams can spot bottlenecks without Workflow Monitor access.
- Expand for more detail: “Folder-style” dashboards can be clicked open to reveal additional context and supporting documentation.
- Limit what reviewers see: Teacher-facing dashboards can be scoped to assigned applicant groups so instructors only see the students they need to review.
- Filter without rebuilding: Input fields can use cookies to filter results without changing the underlying SQL.
Join Michael Mohring, Client Solutions Supervisor, and Ashley Gockman, Client Solutions Specialist, from College of DuPage, for a live demo showcasing the dashboards they’ve built—and how they’re using them every day to drive efficiency, collaboration, and transparency across campus. Duration: 45 minutes.
Campus-Wide Adoption and Growing Demand
College of DuPage originally planned a slower phased approach, until Financial Aid requested a rapid turnaround. COD delivered 30 forms in about two weeks, and adoption followed quickly based on the volume of student use.
COD also accelerated builds using the new Form Builder—especially the ability to duplicate complex forms without rebuilding integrations and sources from scratch.
- Rapid go-live pace: Financial Aid went from request to launch in about two weeks (30 forms)
- Adoption at scale: ~20,000 uses since last year
- Faster builds: forms were duplicated with integrations and sources already in place
- Simpler multi-level integrations: easier to configure in the new Form Builder
Marquee Win: Faster, Clearer Budget Planning
Budget planning used to be a manual process at COD, which meant requests were often buried in email. When leadership asked for the process to move into Softdocs on a tight timeline, COD rebuilt it quickly using a workflow and multiple dashboards.
The biggest win wasn’t just speed. It was visibility. Teams can now see each status clearly, with better handoffs and accountability across the process.
- Clear status visibility: less guessing about where requests stand
- Fewer “lost” requests: less time spent tracking down items stuck in inboxes or email
- More accountability: clearer handoffs and approvals throughout the process
Transforming the Student Experience
The student experience is a major focus for COD’s leadership, and COD’s team described Softdocs as a practical way to reduce friction for students.
Auto-populated forms cut down on repetitive data entry, notifications keep students informed when requests are approved, and dashboards give student-facing teams a clear view of what documents are still needed—all in one centralized place.
More Value Without More Systems
College of DuPage described Softdocs as a solution that helps them deliver what departments need without adding more disconnected systems.
In one example, a department was considering purchasing a separate tool for a specific process. COD built the solution in Softdocs instead—saving time week to week and reinforcing a scalable approach. They extended the value of a single platform by tailoring solutions to each department’s needs.
- Saved approx. $25,000 by delivering the process in Softdocs instead of purchasing a separate system
- Saved 10–40 hours per week in paper form handling for that process
- Increased long-term value by using one platform to support department-specific solutions
From Client Solutions to Automation Specialists
As Softdocs expanded across campus, COD described a shift that went beyond digitizing forms.
Their team began operating more like an internal process automation function—helping departments streamline work, build repeatable workflows, and keep improving processes over time.
COD’s long-term milestone is clear: build an “everything in Softdocs” campus.
What’s Next: End-to-End Visibility and Campus Scale
College of DuPage’s story doesn’t end with digitizing forms or creating dashboards. COD described a bigger shift: using Softdocs as a solution that continues to scale with them so teams can streamline work, expand automation, and make processes easier to track across campus.
Next, COD plans to keep extending what’s already working: evolving dashboards into end-to-end visibility that combines in-process packages and content, expanding adoption (including HR), and continuing to automate with SQL, scripts, and APIs—like their automated Canva licensing workflow that runs on a recurring schedule.
Institutions aiming to modernize campus operations can look to College of DuPage for a practical blueprint.
The dashboards are innovative. The results are consistent. The approach is scalable.
With dashboards and automation at the center, College of DuPage is closer than ever towards their goal of becoming an “everything in Softdocs” campus.
Location
Glen Ellyn, IL
Size of organization
~ 26,000 students
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