The Full Story
Ulster University educates more than 30,000 students across its campuses in Belfast, Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry. Before 2018, much of its admissions communication relied on traditional methods such as post, phone calls and manual emails. During clearing in particular, this created intense pressure for the admissions office.
Gecko was first introduced around 2018 for basic email marketing, but its role quickly expanded. As Martin Smith, University Admissions Office Campus Manager, explains, “I just got fed up with typing up offer letters and emailing them out and I thought there has to be a better way to do this.”
Martin began by working with IT to create clearing forms in Gecko, capturing all the information needed to make decisions. These forms now trigger automated workflows. When an applicant is approved, an offer email is sent automatically, giving them the option to accept or decline. “It’s all automated and those offers go out to students quicker as well,” Martin says.
After seeing the time saved during clearing, the team extended Gecko into the UCAS process. Rather than relying solely on UCAS communications, Ulster now uses segmented broadcasts to stay in touch with applicants at different stages. These include thanking applicants, confirming offers, handling firm and insurance choices, and requesting documents in advance to reduce admin during enrolment.
Gecko has also simplified interview scheduling. Instead of manually assigning slots and dealing with back-and-forth emails, applicants now select their own interview times through Gecko workflows and receive automatic confirmations. “Now we just set up an event with Gecko and they select their own slot,” Martin explains. “It’s that easy.”
Behind the scenes, Gecko also automates internal workflows. Once an application enters a workflow, tasks are assigned to the relevant staff, who receive clear notifications and links to decision-making forms. This creates a complete digital paper trail, making it easier to track progress and maintain continuity if staff are unavailable.
Today, Gecko supports a team of around 40 staff, helping them manage applications and enquiries efficiently throughout the year. Even simple tasks that once took minutes can now be completed in seconds. “There is barely a stage where you need to create anything new from scratch,” Martin says. “I just use the clone function.”
For Ulster, Gecko has become central to how admissions operates. “When you use Gecko for all aspects of communication with applicants, creating events and all that sort of stuff, it’s invaluable,” Martin concludes. “Without it, we would really struggle now.”