How to Use Technology to Increase Enrollments

How to Use Technology to Increase Enrollments

We have come a long way with our advancement of technology. Now there are more ways to communicate than ever! Communication methods that require people to wait long periods of time to receive a message have become obsolete.  Even snail mail is not the preferred communication tool any longer.  In a matter of seconds, we can send an email or text to another person on the other side of the globe. It takes less effort to craft a meassage and send it off than ever before!

With STARS Campus Solutions, reaching out to students is a breeze, and all records of communication are saved in the system automatically. You can email and text students in STARS individually or in groups. You can also send out surveys, forms, and applications for students to submit electronically. Their responses immediately become part of their student record. No paper required!

It’s a good thing we have so many ways to connect with each other. Who knows how we would have survived the COVID-19 pandemic without our current technology? Face-to-face conversations are too risky, so we must rely on our smartphones and the internet to gain and share information.  STARS eases the exchange of information in multiple ways because it is a 100% cloud-based school management system that is accessible via computer, tablet, and smartphone.

Once this pandemic is over, it is very possible that things will never be the same, particularly with the way we work and communicate. Nowadays, people prefer faster and more informal communication for both personal and business interactions. People are more comfortable with texting, emailing, and chatting with other people than they are with talking to them over the phone or face-to- face. According to a recent survey, 76% of people are uncomfortable talking to businesses over the phone” (ZipWhip 2016). In another survey conducted by Castleman and Page, “84% of students reported they found text reminders useful in helping them get everything done for college” (TrueDialog 2018). Good thing you can text through STARS software!

Because of today’s communication preferences, schools must consider how they interact with students through their website. Living in a virtual world, it is imperative to have a strong online presence. Making sure your postsecondary career school’s website is up to date and mobile-friendly is key. There are many students who can only access the internet through their smartphones. If your website is hard to navigate on mobile devices, it could cost you enrollments. Quick responses whenever students express an interest are key. Chat boxes on websites can be effective, but in the case of students looking for career training, a real person creating an interpersonal connection is likely to be more effective. Snap Desk discovered that 74% of website visitors like talking to a human rather than a chatbot because of that interpersonal connection. Finding a way to balance fast and efficient communication while still building a relationship is so important in this day and age, and STARS Campus Solutions is here to help schools find that balance. Alex Costello Client Care Coordinator STARS Campus Solutions