Five Research Driven Strategies To Improve Student Yield Through Communication

Five Research-Driven Strategies to Improve Student Yield through CommunicationOctober 29, 2009

About the Speaker
Don AlavaSenior Vice President, EducationDynamics
Experience
Drexel University Online
Razorfish
Euro RSCG
Education
MS, Northwestern University
BBA, University of Cincinnati
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About EducationDynamics
Help institutions Find, Enroll and Retainmore students
Content-rich information websites has connected more than 3 million students with institutions
EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com
Offer a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition
Focus on Higher Education, working with over 1,200 institutions
Recently merged with the Aslanian Group, specialists in adult student market analysis, resulting in the creation of a Market Research and Analysis Division
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The Challenge & Opportunity
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Increasing popularity of distance learning
More students
More competition
Must understand
What works
What doesn’t
What is most meaningful outreach
How to respond
Thousands of accredited institutions with Online Courses
4 Million Students Taking Online Course*
* “Staying the Course: Online Education in the United States,” Sloan-C, November 2008,
http://www.sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/pdf/staying_the_course.pdf

Closing the Gaps:Meeting Emerging Student Preferences and Increasing Yield in the Post-Inquiry Enrollment Process
Survey
2,000 prospective students visiting eLearners.com and EarnMyDegree.com
32% Associates, 37% Bachelor’s, 31% Master’s and above
Polled their perceptions of the post-inquiry enrollment process
Secret Shopper
Catalogued the enrollment efforts of various institutions offering online degree programs
Interviews
Met with a select number of online learning providers
Reviewed their processes and responses to student inquiries
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Closing the Gaps:Meeting Emerging Student Preferences and Increasing Yield in the Post-Inquiry Enrollment Process
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Closing the Gaps: ResultsMeeting Emerging Student Preferences and Increasing Yield in the Post-Inquiry Enrollment Process
What mattered most to students?
Speed and method of contact
What else mattered?
Quality of contact
Online activities
Institution’s website
Other web-based activities, e.g. blogs, online course demos
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Closing the Gaps: ResultsMeeting Emerging Student Preferences and Increasing Yield in the Post-Inquiry Enrollment Process
Good News
89% satisfied or very satisfied with the entire school selection process
Gaps to address and improve enrollment yield
Gap 1: Speed and consistency of contact
Gap 2: Quality of contact
Gap 3: Method of contact
Gap 4: Web-based prospecting activities
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Gap 1: Speed and Consistency of Contact
65% requested information from more than two institutions
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Secret Shopper inquiries revealed that 23% of institutions never responded
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Case Study: Bryant & Stratton University
Upon receipt of a lead, immediately dispatches a personalized email
Includes online brochure specific to his or her program of inquiry
Explains the program features and benefits
Within 10 to 15 minutes of the inquiry and the automatic email response, place an outbound phone call
Experienced, full-time enrollment representative
Goal is to check if the prospect is really interested and to transfer the qualified prospect to an admissions representative
Result: With their immediate outreach and tailored follow-up, seen a significant increase in the conversion rate of student inquiries to enrollments as compared to their previous, less-immediate response processes
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Case Study: Post University
Goal: Respond to all inquiries within an hour of receipt
Revised process flow based on tenets of “persistence and consistency”
Substantially improved/expanded its technology
Results:
90 percent of prospects are now contacted within a half hour
Consistent call cycle that mixes up outreach hours (different segments throughout the day and night and weekdays and Saturday)
Doubled Post’s conversion rate
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Gap 2: Quality of Contact
Most useful school-sponsored activity
Interaction with effective enrollment counselors
Comments about enrollment counselors
Assertive but
Honest
Caring
Knowledgeable
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“ Any successful enrollment campaign should hinge on the following principle: Communicate something meaningful.”
–University Business
Common practices to avoid
Overly scripted, non-personalized outreach
Polite but not engaging
Lack of knowledge regarding specific program information and educational financing options
Outreach occurring at a time other than that designated by the prospect
Follow-up by multiple points of contact from an institution rather than establishing any meaningful connection through a main contact
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Case Study: Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service
Combine both personalized, peer-to-peer information and more administrative-type information
Existing students provide “insider’s view”
Full-time enrollment staff speak to specifics of programs, services, costs
Receiving more and more inquiries from older, seasoned professionals; staff accordingly with representatives whose lives reflect similar circumstances
Ongoing training for student and staff
Result: exceptionally high levels of student conversions and a high level of alignment between student enrollees and the success of those students
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Case Study: Lehigh University
Low-pressure but persistent approach
Distribute information in a strategically timed schedule
Send a “Program Spotlight” email highlighting the programs in which students have expressed an interest, along with more detailed program overviews, academic contact information and deadlines
Send additional information three weeks prior to admission deadlines
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Case Study: Lehigh University
Send survey approximately every two and a half years to uncommitted inquirers to determine continued interest on their part
Found that a significant number of prospects respond positively to the follow-up contact and quite a few prospective students apply
Results: Meet strategic conversion goals year after year, despite a substantial increase in competition
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Gap 3: Method of Contact
Initial Contact
38% of schools used email
40% of schools used phone for initial contact
13% regular mail
After Initial Contact
52 % used email
42% used phone
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Persistence is also key, i.e., multiple follow-up contacts
60 percent of enrollments close after the fifth contact
50 percent of disqualified leads become qualified within 12 months of the initial inquiry
Secret shopper research revealed many schools seemed willing to conduct aggressive initial post-inquiry follow up, but then abandoned attempts at contact shortly thereafter
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Case Study: Private, For-Profit, > 10,000 Enrollments
Changed contact strategy from calling within 24 hours to calling within one hour of receipt of inquiry to “get in front of” the competition
Once a lead is received, an email is sent to the prospect immediately with links to the school’s website
Students can do more research at their convenience
Believe that prospects do not want a phone call and would prefer conversing online
Tactic is less intrusive way to meet their information needs, and drives inbound calls when the prospect is ready to take the next step and enroll
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Case Study: Private, For-Profit, > 10,000 Enrollments
Mailing is sent the following day, and emails are sent on days one, five, seven and 10, as part of a multifaceted outreach process intended to provide contact over a 10-15 day period
Results
Contact rates increased by 25-30%
Conversion rates increased by 1.5%
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Case Study: Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service
Responds by email within 24 hours
At 48 hours, recruitment team calls the potential student to arrange an appointment to discuss the student’s needs; this outreach is followed shortly by a customized email
Seventy-two hours later, the enrollment management office reaches out to the prospect once more, and every 72 hours thereafter for three weeks depending on the prospect’s phase in the process
Result: Close to 60 percent sales-close percentages projected after the fifth contact
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Gap 4: Web-Based Prospecting Initiatives
Case Study: Bryant & Stratton University
Entire campus in Second Life
Allows prospects to explore the campus on their own
Virtual open houses and chat room events with admissions staff, faculty and institutional administrators all in attendance—through their personal avatars
Video Q&A
Current and former students share answers to real questions posed by prospective students
Results: Recently implemented
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Social media and/or Web-based initiatives are still in the early stages, several key points have emerged:
Provide as much “decision-support” information on your school’s website as possible
Career prospects for graduates of your programs
Welcome bios for all of your online teaching staff
Testimonials about the school and/or specific programs from current students or prospective employers).
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While social media and/or Web-based initiatives are still in the early stages, several key points have emerged:
Try all of the social media tools, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, but also consider niche social networks and online communities that may resonate with specific programs you offer
Ask the youngest members of your recruitment staff if they have experience with social media to help navigate this territory
Understand that this is all new ground for recruiters, so there are as of yet no hard-and-fast rules
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Case Study: Private, For-Profit, 3,000-10,000 Enrollments
Equipped their enrollment representatives with the necessary social media tools (e.g., Twitter profiles, cell phones, instant messaging accounts, etc.) and skills to interact in these environments when invited to do so by a prospect
No contact is initiated, for example, with a prospect on Facebook unless the student first invites the school to connect with him or her
In terms of post-inquiry outreach, however, the institution has found that a Facebook invite from a prospect can sometimes be more valuable than the email address and phone number combined
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Best Practices
Speed and consistency of contact
Swift response matters
Qualify prospects
Quality of contact
Focus on gathering and sharing information
Utilize current students
Train, train and retrain
Method of contact
Preferred method
Communications strategy involving email and phone
Consistent follow-through
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Best Practices
Web-based prospecting initiatives
Information-rich websites that allow for interaction between prospect and institution
Explore social media
Why?
Students have access to more institutions
Other institutions have access to more students
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Help & Resources
Obtain Free Copy of White Paper:Closing the Gaps: Meeting Student Preferences and Increasing Yield in the Post-Inquiry Enrollment Process
Visit EducationDynamics Booth #816 for free copy
Go to http://sharing.educationdynamics.com/media/p/356.aspx for pdf copy
Additional questions? PDF copy of the presentation?
Contact Don Alava
Phone: 201-377-3045
Email: dalava@educationdynamics.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/HigherEdDon
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Five Research-Driven Strategies to Improve Student Yield through CommunicationOctober 29, 2009

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Five Research Driven Strategies To Improve Student Yield Through Communication

by Don Alava / Lincoln Educational Services on Oct 27, 2009

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Five Research Driven Strategies To Improve Student Yield Through Communication — Presentation Transcript