Live Chat on Website is Successful during Clearing
Universities understand that the process is a bit disheartening for students if they are anxious about their future placement, especially if they haven’t reached their grades and the last thing they feel like doing is ringing around universities for a place.
It’s a Daunting Task
Julie Cowley, Head of Student Recruitment at Glyndwr University commented; “there will be thousands of students making fraught phone calls to admissions officers in an attempted to secure highly coveted places.” She continued “it can be a daunting task to those who are unsure of the process.”[1]
To help potential students apply to Glyndwr, the University placed Click4Assistance live chat on their “It’s not too late” page. The chat instantly connects the applicant to the support team to advise them through continuing their submission. Messages are transmitted in real-time between the university representative and the potential student.
The University can find out quickly what stage the student is at and be able to advise on their next steps. If they are applicable they can apply directly to Glyndwr, in which the university representative can use the live chat functionality available to direct the potential student to the relevant form.
The Auto-Navigate feature opens the specific page the operator has pushed through the system in a new window on the visitor’s browser. Alternatively, forms that are saved as a digital copy and are usually downloaded from the website or emailed can be transferred during the live chat directly to the potential student, ensuring they are instructed and have received the correct information.
A Level day takes place in the middle of the Clearing / Late Application period, on this day thousands of potential students will be contacting university admission’s with repetitve questions. Having live chat on wesbite allows staff to optimise their time and handle multiple enquiries at the same time, a library of responses that have been agreed (Predefined Replies) can be set up before and during the busy period to answer more frequently asked questions.
Live chat has proven popular amongst the University’s audience as millennials, especially young adults between the age of 16 and 25 prefer to communicate via text-based means rather than traditional methods such as the telephone.
“Very helpful staff who are able to help you at the click of a button. The software is working great on our website!” - Media Communications Manager, Glyndwr University.
The University of Bradford’s Experience
The University of Bradford implemented Click4Assistance live chat on website especially for the clearing period in 2014. With Click4Assistance and the University’s teams working closely together, the solution was implemented on their website in a matter of days to their requirements and their team trained on using the software.
The tool was very successful over the Clearing period with additional users being allocated to help with the uptake the University was experiencing. The Late Application period proved the popularity and concept of the communication channel for the University; therefore they kept the solution running as ‘business as usual’ for Course Enquiries and rolled live chat out to other departments including Student Recruitment Services.
Click4Assistance has been working with the education industry for over 10 years, helping universities to engage with more potential students to reach their recruitment targets.
For more information on how live chat on website can help your university during the Clearing and Late Application period book your free demonstration with our Education Co-ordinator on 01268 524628 or email theteam@click4assistance.co.uk.
[1] Glyndwr University (2013) Clearing tips for students ahead of A Level results day
