Mercer University is in year two of its Transact Mobile Credential deployment, and to mark the success of the initiative, Transact has pulled together a video highlighting the major benefits that the Mercer community has seen since launch.

Even in the face of new challenges that have arisen over the past year, Mercer's Mobile Credential is proving to be a valuable addition to the university's student facing services. CR80News recently caught up with Ken Boyer, Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services at Mercer University, to learn more about daily life with Transact Mobile Credential.

Part of the conversation around the move to mobile is the challenge of meeting students at their expectations -- as best as possible, anyway. Mobile Credential has provided Mercer with a value add in terms of enrollment, as well as delivering a modern campus experience.

"No question about it, as we see the shifts in technology, students are expecting us to stay on the forefront of the latest trend, whatever that might be," says Boyer. "Enrollment management is a challenge and there is an art to making sure you're competitive. Today’s student expects their campus to use current and forward thinking technology."

"No question about it, as we see the shifts in technology, students are expecting us to stay on the forefront of the latest trend, whatever that might be."

Campuses across the country have also needed to pivot and adapt to new challenges over the past year, and it's no different at Mercer.

"Our day-to-day card office operations have shifted as a result of both Mobile Credentials and COVID," says Boyer. "At the same time our enrollment has continued to be significantly up even during a pandemic."

"All of that means we have shifted to online, and are supporting our campus community using our various tools: Transact Mobile Credential, Cloud Card Online Photo Submission, the Transact Mobile Food Ordering App, and Mobile Deposits through the Transact eAccounts app," he adds.

Touchless solutions seem to be carrying more importance now than ever before. Mercer's Mobile Credential deployment has provided new alternatives for the university community as it navigates COVID related restrictions and challenges on campus.

"In order to reduce lines and congestion on campus due to COVID-19 we mandated the use of mobile credentials for all incoming students to promote safety for our students and staff," Boyer explains. "Without mobile credentialing we would have seen lines out the door for students and new employees obtaining their Bear Cards or making deposits."

"Without mobile credentialing we would have seen lines out the door for students and new employees obtaining their Bear Cards or making deposits."

"Using our online photo submission tool and mobile credentials we eliminated the need for students or employees to physically come to our card office," adds Boyer. "As a result we saw no lines, which we believe has helped to increase health and safety for our campus community during the pandemic."

Whether it's solving new challenges brought on by unpredictable circumstances, or simply bringing the campus credential in line with the latest technology, Mercer's move to Transact Mobile Credential has been a fruitful one.

"As managers we have to be looking to the future to see what is coming and position our campus to take advantage of technology," says Boyer. "When our students began asking for mobile and challenging us to offer this service we were well positioned to respond."

"In the end it's about providing customer service," adds Boyer. "Mobile services are highly convenient and our students are happy with the results. I'm very grateful for our ongoing partnership with Transact, Apple, Google, Allegion and others who have helped us deliver this service on campus."

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