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Yield Enhancement Series: Improve Pre-enrollment Service for Greater Yield

February 24th, 2015

A single, isolated incident can change everything. Just ask Liz, an admissions counselor who had been working with a certain prospective student for several months. “Joe is a bright kid,” she told me recently. “He is passionate about biology and was really excited about our top-notch science department. He’d had a great conversation with one of our biology professors and a good visit with a third-year student who is microbiology major. We seemed like the perfect fit for him. I was absolutely sure he would enroll. Then, something happened….”Yield-Enhancement-Series

What happened was that Joe and his parents had less than a stellar experience on their recent campus visit. Specifically, the campus “grounds appeared unkempt, the restrooms were unclean, and some staff members were not helpful or friendly.” This is what Joe’s mother told Liz after he enrolled at another university.

As an admissions professional, you know how crucial first impressions can be. In our national co-sponsored study, Pre-Enrollment Service Study: How customer service delivery during the recruiting cycle influences enrollment, we found that over 53% of students and parents say that the pre-enrollment service they receive from a college influences their selection decision.

They also say that service is one of the best ways to differentiate one college from another. The fact is: Prospective students and parents view the pre-enrollment service they receive as predictive of how the student will be served after enrollment. They will avoid colleges that exhibit bad service during the “college shopping” process.

Certainly, every communication, every interaction, every brand touch- point with a prospective student and/or parent has the potential to make or break the relationship that you have worked so hard to establish.

You may know this, but does every other member of the team? And, by “team,” I mean every person at your college whose actions may influence the enrollment decision. Certainly, interactions with faculty, admissions and financial aid are critical, but many schools are surprised to find the impact that campus maintenance, grounds keeping, security and even the switchboard operators can have on creating a lasting impression.SQM_Logo_160x120

Colleges and universities that score the highest in pre-enrollment service are those that view prospective students and their parents as important customers. They typically engage every person on campus in a customer service plan with clear and actionable instructions and objectives. Most importantly, they express to each person how key their role is, and offer specific ways they can help the institution improve provide the best possible customer service.

The research suggests that for most colleges, improved pre-enrollment service offers an immediate opportunity to differentiate themselves in a highly-competitive marketplace. Best time to start the process? Today!

Longmire and Company offers Service Quality Management (SQM) to help you achieve these goals. Contact me today and I will show you how we can help you measure and manage your pre-enrollment service. Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo.

Click this link for more information about Longmire and Company’s Yield Enhancement System (YES). [Subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.]

RickMontgomery_100x100Rick Montgomery is as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. With over 20 years in higher education marketing, he brings an innovative and dynamic approach to helping colleges and universities meet their enrollment goals. Rick can be reached at 913/492.1265 x.708 or via email at rmontgomery@longmire-co.com.

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Posted in Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Customer service, Parents

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Yield Enhancement Series: Give Your Prospects an Oscar-Worthy Red Carpet Treatment

February 18th, 2015

This week marks the 87th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony, commonly referred to as “The Oscars.” Over 40 million of us are expected to be glued to our televisions, soaking up all the Hollywood glitz and glamour. We know that you have much more important events on your radar right now like organizing dynamic campus visits for your Class of 2015 recruits, but maybe you can do both!Yield-Enhancement-Series

Perhaps Oscar can teach us all a few things about giving Red Carpet Treatment to prospective students and their parents that will make those visits, and all of our interactions, more memorable.

A recent nationwide study conducted by Longmire and Company of nearly 5,000 prospective college students and parents showed that 53% reported that their decision to enroll in a given school was heavily influenced by the level of service they received during the “college shopping” process. The study found that poor service delivery, across any brand touch point, often outweighs other important factors, including strength of academic programs, faculty reputation and even the financial aid. Students and their families believe that the type of service they receive during the college selection process is indicative of the overall service culture of the institution.

Colleges and universities, large and small, public and private, are taking this to heart and adopting a more student-centric approach to campus-wide service, especially during the college shopping process. Our Service Quality Management assessments are industry-fresh and reflect the current demands and expectations of students and parents both pre- and post-enrollment.

Here are a few Oscar-worthy concepts you may want to implement.

Roll out the Red Carpet

One of the highlights of Oscar night is the red carpet entry. Many colleges have designed a special welcome to give their campus visitors that superstar experience. Some have assigned parking spaces and personalized welcome signage. Seeing your name in lights, so to speak, is always a thrill and a sure way to make sure that student knows how important he or she is to you. We know of one college that actually has the parking detail prepped with individual knowledge about the incoming students so that each is met with a customized greeting when they enter the parking lot; “Welcome, Joe, I heard your high school band had an amazing performance at the Rose Bowl this year with you playing the trumpet.”

Don’t Miss the Photo Ophttp://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-red-carpet-image18497910

Hollywood knows the importance of a well-timed picture and you can, too. A photo of a prospective student with the school mascot or at a college landmark that they can take home with them at the end of the day, or is mailed the following week with a (handwritten, perhaps?) note of thanks, can have a great and lasting impact.

Rub Elbows with Celebrities

Even Hollywood celebrities can be star-struck when they get the chance to rub-elbows with the actors, directors and producers they have always admired. Make sure your prospective students get to socialize with your campus “celebrities,” too. For Joe, the trumpet player, the celebrity list might include the band director and another trumpet player. The aspiring journalist would most likely enjoy a visit to the school’s newspaper office. Your current student population, your faculty, and the college administration is full of celebrities—enlist their support.

SWAG

Nominees at this year’s Oscars will reportedly get $160,000 in gift items each. If that seems a little rich for your budget, don’t despair. You can leave a lasting impression with your recruits for a whole lot less. Backpacks, t-shirts, mugs, fresh-baked cookies with your logo are just a few of the myriad of items that can be given as a take home gift. Most importantly, make sure the SWAG is meaningful and will invoke the positive memories that you have worked so hard to create. Another Oscar-worthy tip: get local businesses to help defray the cost. Is there an area bakery or candy company who would like to provide goodies for the exposure? You don’t think that the Academy pays for all that SWAG, do you?

If I can help you with your recruiting efforts in any way, please feel free to call or email me. I would love to talk to you about our powerful and effective Yield Enhancement System (YES). My contact information is at the bottom of this post.

Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo.  Be sure to Subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.

Karen Full picKaren Full is a highly-respected higher education professional who has held positions in admissions and enrollment management at several institutions in the Midwest and Florida. With her vast experience working with large and small, public and private colleges, Karen brings a valuable perspective to her role as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company.

Call Karen at 913/492.1265 x.711 or email her at kfull@longmire-co.com. Follow Karen on Twitter @KarenAFull.

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Posted in Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Customer service, Parents

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The Counselor Training Series: Are You Adding Stress for Your Prospective Students?

December 18th, 2014

[In part 11 of the Counselor Training Blog Series we look at how a college can differentiate itself by relieving some of their prospective students’ stress.]

CounselorTrainingSeries270x150Deciding which college to attend is a stressful process for many students and parents.

Who would think that a college would ADD anxiety to an inherently stressful process? No college would do so intentionally, but as an industry, we do it all the time.

Through our pre-enrollment research, we communicate with hundreds of thousands of prospective students and parents every year. Here are the 6 stress-inducing actions most often cited about the college admission’s industry:http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-stressed-out-image9379164

  1.  That we communicate poorly
  2.  That we’re slow to offer or reject admission
  3.  That we have burdensome processes
  4.  That admissions people are not responsive
  5.  We are poorly organized, and
  6.  In some cases, they believe we’re being DISHONEST

Ouch!!!

Are you ready for some good news? Since these things happen more than you can imagine, it gives us an opportunity to differentiate ourselves by doing the opposite. You can differentiate your institution by RELIEVING, rather than ADDING, stress to the college selection process.

Here’s how.

Based on our research, this is what students and parents say you can do to relieve their stress and anxiety during the college selection process:

  • Communicate well. They need information that’s relevant to THEM.
  • Provide helpful advice and counsel throughout the college shopping process.
  • BE RESPONSIVE. Return calls and emails promptly.
  • Make decisions promptly.
  • Treat each prospective student as you would expect and hope to be treated.
  • Above all, show a sincere interest in the student.

These may seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many colleges fail to practice these proven behaviors that will serve a prospective student and parent well. And, it’s not isolated to the admissions office. It extends to every department on campus.

A recent national study we conducted on this topic revealed that colleges are LOSING enrollments because of the poor customer service they deliver during the college shopping process. Students and parents see the service they get pre-enrollment as predictive of what they would get IF they enroll. (See the report here.)

So, think about the pre-enrollment service you are giving. If you make it better – campus-wide – you’ll be more successful in your enrollment efforts.

Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo.  For more information about Longmire and Company’s Interactive Counselor Training Program, click here.

[Subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.]

RickMontgomery_100x100Rick Montgomery is as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. With over 20 years in higher education marketing, he brings an innovative approach to helping colleges and universities meet their enrollment goals. Rick can be reached at 913/492.1265 x.708 or via email at rmontgomery@longmire-co.com.

 

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Posted in Behavior, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Customer service, Organizational development, Parents, Research

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Your students want help managing expenses. Will you provide it?

April 15th, 2014

At Longmire and Company, we know a huge opportunity when we see one.

From our recent co-sponsored study on value, this was obvious: parents and students want help in managing ALL of the expenses associated with college. And any college that offers this assistance will definitely stand out from the pack in terms of its overall perceived value.

In the study, Your Value Proposition: How prospective students and parents perceive value and select colleges in the current economy, we asked students and parents if they would find an annual expense management service helpful.

Tablets-on-dollars_300x200More than 80 percent of the students and parents said they would find it appealing (47 percent said “very appealing”). They see it as a value added service that makes a college more attractive.

Now, for the opportunity – only 20% of students and parents said that colleges specifically addressed how they would maximize their time and investment as a student. Only 34% said they were highly confident they had accurately estimated the true and complete cost of their first year in college (including tuition, books, fees, living expenses, travel and all other associated expenses).

You might think you are already imparting cost information to your students. Surely, your applicants know what the “fixed” expenses are going to be for their education. They know what tuition, stated fees, housing and books will cost.

But we all know that there are many, many other expenses associated with the complete cost of college. Students and parents need help managing all of the unknowns, and here are just a few:

–          How much will food cost, if they live off campus, for example?

–          How much will extra food cost if the student lives on campus, for that matter?

–          What are some resources for buying books at a discount?

–          How will student trips to and from home (and the frequency of those trips) drive up costs?

–          If students regularly drop classes, how is that going to change their total expense picture?

–          How accurately are students estimating their light, gas and water bills if they live off campus?

–          What are some of the ways students can live more frugally?

Some colleges we are working with have decided in just the past couple of years to rise to this expense planning challenge and actually add staff to assist students and families. These staffers are available to expense checkups and are available for all kinds of questions. This has had huge impact on the perception of value for those institutions. It makes sense. Students and parents know that many colleges provide health centers to care for students when they get sick. Why wouldn’t they provide financial health centers to help them conserve the limited resource of their money.

Other colleges we work with know their students want this and believe it would be valuable, but they have hesitated because they don’t have the staff or even the physical space for another service. We believe that even with these obstacles, colleges can offer some expense planning help. A simple planning tool in the form of a spreadsheet sent to students and parents at initial enrollment and then annually is very helpful.

And without reinventing the wheel, there are many resources available to colleges from their communities, including local information on housing and utility costs. Many community food banks offer information on meal planning/budgeting and colleges could make this available as well.

However you might provide it, expense management information would be helpful, welcome and valuable to students, and it is definitely worth a look.

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Posted in Conversion and Yield, Customer service, Parents, Research

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