Challenge

M3 Education’s learning platform provides students with all types of resources to prepare for a career in healthcare. The platform offers training to prepare soon-to-be and current healthcare workers alike: medical and healthcare students can use M3 Education’s videos and e-learning resources to brush up on their curriculum, while current workers can use them to prepare for their state examinations and engage in lifelong learning.

While M3 Education can be an invaluable resource for medical professionals, processing a user’s payment was a bit of a challenge. Bank transfers were initially processed manually, meaning someone within the company had to confirm payments as they came in before a client could actually access the platform’s resources. As a result, new customers typically experienced a slight lag between when they paid and when they could actually use the platform.

“Users often tell us ‘I paid, but when can I watch it?’” said Megumi Kariya, marketing and sales manager of M3 Education’s Wellness Education College. “Data was not linked, so even after an inquiry was received, it was not correlated by email address. And between this and the large number of videos, it could be difficult to link to payout information.”

Solution

Due to this time lag, Kariya said the need for an automated payment processing system was urgent. The M3 Education team first sought help from Salesforce to aid in the management of customer data. The team at Salesforce then introduced M3 Education to Stripe as a resource that could enable them to automate payment processing.

Salesforce helped M3 Education store and track customer information, eventually linking that data to the payment information from Stripe. Connecting a user with their payment information allowed M3 Education to automatically unlock the videos a user paid for. Together, Salesforce and Stripe were able to construct automated payment processing.

“Much of the medical and healthcare field remains stuck in analog, but we’ve created a system with state-of-the-art technology,” said Kariya. “As a company, we feel this only adds to our appeal within the industry.”

Results

Reduced manual workload by 400 hours annually

Salesforce and Stripe’s collaboration has significantly optimized M3 Education’s payment confirmation process. By shifting from a manual to automatic payment processing method, M3 Education now saves 30 to 45 minutes per day on payment reconciliation and authorization tasks.

And those minutes really add up: the company has effectively reduced its manual workload by approximately 400 hours a year. This automation has eliminated the time lag between payment and access, enhancing the overall user experience.

“We no longer need a shift system to handle this on holidays, which has significantly decreased the workload,” said Kariya. “This has resulted in customer feedback indicating they have more confidence in being able to view videos soon after payment. Many users study while working, so being able to stream at will provides a valuable service.”

More efficient storage of customer information

Storing and managing customer information has become more efficient thanks to the integration of Salesforce and Stripe. The ability to save credit card information enhances usability for repeat customers, while the clear guides Stripe provides at convenience stores and other locations make it easier for users to navigate the payment process.

“Before, we had started to create a community of customers, but in the future, I think we can make real progress simply by using the Salesforce features. Now, we can be proud of our industry-leading setup,” said Kariya. “Moving forward, we plan to provide services that are even easier and more convenient to use.”