The Art of Student Recruitment using Web Chat Software(Part 1)

Effective recruitment is necessary for your university’s continued success and financial stability. Students have a choice in what school they want to attend, and you must make it clear that your educational institution is the right match for them. This summer saw a lot of competition trying to convert offers into acceptance, with many institutions adjusting their grade requirements in an effort to hit their recruitment targets.

University marketing, recruitment and outreach professionals have a challenging job encouraging students to show an interest in their organisation. For international student recruiters, the quest to burnish a university's reputation abroad is to even more difficult. Not only do you need to highlight the benefits of attending your university, you also need to ensure that incoming questions are handled in a timely and tactful manner.

Student recruitment and retention is a big business for universities and can put a lot of pressure on you and your department to perform

With the competition for students fiercer than ever, many universities are turning to sophisticated technologies such as customer relations management software, data analytics and support tools like web chat software.

At Click4Assistance we work closely with a number of major UK universities and understand how international and domestic markets are increasingly and inextricably linked – and how much extra work this can create for student recruitment teams. We also recognise the importance of a sustainable return on your investment, both in terms of enquires applications and enrolments (not to mention the quality of your student intake).

Your university’s success depends largely upon the number of students that you can recruit, so it’s important to employ an assortment of recruiting methods and variety of tools. With 18-21 year olds representing the bulk demographic to attend university, identifying their most pressing concerns and finding the most appropriate tool to address them is paramount to marketing and recruitment efforts.

Our experience has taught us that paperwork and internal procedures can get in the way of running a fully efficient department. Fielding incoming enquiries, completing necessary paperwork and visiting 6th forms and colleges to promote your institution is a notorious balancing act. This is why so many universities are exploring technologies that can help manage their workload. With September coming to a close, universities across the UK will be preparing campaigns to boost enrolment in 2015. This may include revisiting the budget, choosing new flyer design or simply hiring more staff.

Hundreds of UK universities have already found a better way to handle incoming enquiries through live chat on website – a tool that frees up resources so that your team can focus on proactive tasks, like advertising and school visits. Our University Coordinators have already shown the University of Liverpool, Glyndwr University and several other education organisations a better way to field incoming questions.

Take advantage of our extended trial and see how adding live chat can promote student engagement, improve workload management and streamline your marketing, communication and recruitment efforts. Contact one of our University Coordinators on 0845 123 5871 for an informal chat and/or a demonstration of our web chat software.