Though summer is upon us here in the U.S. and most students are out of class, colleges and universities are busy planning for future semesters. The pandemic and other economic factors wreaked havoc on enrollment numbers and future forecasts at most institutions, making student growth a top priority for academic leaders.
Traditional marketing and outreach activities aren’t enough. New thinking is required to make gains from the pre-pandemic era. Higher education institutions that rely on their own internal resources can certainly succeed, but the question is whether the school will be fast and nimble enough to meet their students’ needs and stay ahead of their competitors. Outsourcing select portions of the admissions and enrollment process can give schools access to a wider range of growth expertise and best practices, bypass technology limitations, gain new ideas, and more. Simply put, working with a growth partner can help institutions grow their student populations for long-term stability and strength.
TTEC works with public and private higher education organizations to beat growth targets. Here are 3 proven ways institutions can leverage a partnership to capture new students and re-engage dormant ones:
1. Leverage data insights to increase admissions and enrollments.
Colleges and universities can maximize all opportunities and increase admissions by leveraging a partner’s data insights platform. Current and prospective student data and analytics can help create statistical models that can be used to identify the students most likely to enroll and develop an effective communication strategy across multiple channels throughout the admissions process.
2. Lower costs throughout the admissions cycle.
When labor costs are increasing and it’s more difficult than ever to attract and retain employees, outsourcing parts of the admissions process helps to slash overhead costs without the need to add internal resources.
3. Move fast with flexibility.
Transforming old processes with a modernized tech platform will enable you to achieve fast benefits by working with a partner that has built and maintains state-of-the-art data and technology environments with the latest acquisition capabilities.
For example, data science and analytics platforms can help determine the best time and channel to reach prospective students, among other actions. Also, artificial intelligence combined with analytics can help admissions leaders analyze thousands of data points to gain a deeper understanding of potential student needs and improvements to the admissions process that can strengthen student interest and engagement.
Students are choosing schools they feel are supportive and provide opportunities for future success. Schools can illustrate this with easy admissions and enrollment processes to build a strong foundation with students from the start.
These are just a few ways to enhance admissions and enrollment for today’s students. Read more proven growth tactics for higher education in the TTEC white paper, “10 ways to boost higher education admissions and enrollment.”
