Using instant chat to communicate with potential students can help boost enrollment conversions by providing a more personal and engaging experience.
By using this technology, universities can improve student satisfaction through real-time technology and reduce the number of potential students who drop out of the process.
However, if your Live Chat isn’t fully functional or students are left waiting for a response, it can damage your institution's reputation and may cause students to look elsewhere.¨
While some institutions have yet to adopt an instant messaging service, it is proving to be more and more popular with prospective students. Since the pandemic, we have seen an increase in the usage of WhatsApp and Live Chat – with a 233% increase in the use of both platforms since 2021 (Source: Driving Student Enrollments).
Offer to enrollment conversion for international students is 3.5x higher when WhatsApp or Live Chat is used.
And 83% of students said they expected a response within 24 hours when communicating with prospective institutions.
So, is it time for your institution to adopt a Live Chat service to help boost your conversions? Here are some tips:
- Signpost to your Live Chat on every international recruitment webpage.
Make sure your Live Chat is easy to find and open, so students can quickly send questions to advisors. If prospective students have to search your website to try and find where to get help, then chances are they will just end up clicking off the page.
- Give your team a repository of answers to FAQs to resolve inquiries quickly as a real-time engagement channel.
There is an immediacy associated with Live Chat so have a repository of commonly asked questions on hand for your staff managing the Live Chat so they don’t have to go away and check responses for basic and quick questions.
- Create protocols for how and when you will respond to inquiries sent via Live Chat after hours.
It would be unrealistic for institutions to man Live Chat services 24 hours a day, so make sure there is a clear plan in place for what happens when an inquiry is sent ‘after hours’. Who will pick it up? And, when?
- On that point, send automated out-of-hours replies to students to tell them when and how they can expect a reply.
This will help keep students engaged and informed, so they don’t feel like they need to go elsewhere for the information.
- Enable your program to pick up from where you left off – so students aren’t repeating themselves.
Have tools in place to ensure the previous conversation stays as part of the chat dialogue. This way, a new advisor picks up the inquiry, the student doesn’t have to go through the same information twice.
Live Chat is becoming an increasingly popular way for students to communicate with universities. It’s fast, efficient and can be used from any device.
By following these guidelines, you can create a smooth and successful chat service that will not only increase offer rates but also provide an excellent experience for your students.
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