First In, Still Going Strong: University of Cumbria's Journey with Advocate

The first UK Advocate client

The University of Cumbria holds a unique distinction in Symplicity's UK story — they were Advocate's very first UK-based client, coming on board in 2020/2021. More than four years on, Nathan Jones, Student Services Systems Officer, is clear about what drove the decision and what it's delivered.

Before Advocate, Cumbria's student support teams were operating as individual units rather than a connected whole. Each team worked in its own silo, with no shared visibility of students and no consistent way to record or report on interactions. The impact on students was a disjointed experience; the impact on the institution was a blind spot at the heart of its support infrastructure.

"Our teams worked in unique silos rather than as a collective vision for the student," Nathan explained at Symplicity's UK Advocate & Access User Group Meeting. "By coming on board with Advocate, we solved that problem and allowed our teams to work holistically."

The transformation with a unified system

The shift to a unified system transformed not just how teams collaborate, but how students access support. With a web-based intake form giving students the ability to reach out on their own terms, case volumes have increased by hundreds and student interactions have grown into the thousands — a sign not of growing crisis, but of growing confidence that help is there when it's needed.

The relationship with Symplicity's client success team has been a key part of sustaining that progress. Monthly check-ins, responsive support, and genuine opportunities to feed into product development have meant the system has continued to evolve alongside Cumbria's needs.

"They listen to our feedback and give us the opportunity to feed into product development," Nathan said. "That allows us to enhance the system year on year."

For an institution that took an early chance on a new platform, Cumbria's experience is a straightforward endorsement: get in early, stay engaged, and the returns compound over time.