Linda,
Is there a reason you require an appointment over just answering the question on the phone or by email? Is it a school policy that they must have an appointment?
To be honest, I am horrible about keeping personal appointments because my daily life is ever changing. If an individual sets a phone appointment for a later date, I usually have something come up that does not allow me to get to it. Physical meetings are a nonexistent myth in my world. If I can not get the answers then and now I'm pretty much a lost customer. I am a spur of the moment and in the moment type of person largely due to the demands of the modern world.
In my personal life, I do not like one on one appointments because this requires me to take time off work, get a babysitter, adjust transportation for other children, check a calendar to see what will conflict and a large number of other exhausting things. After all the careful planning 9 times out of 10 I have a conflict arise and my children's schedule trumps my own. I'm not saying everyone's schedule is like mine but a large majority of people fight this balance every day.
Bruce, It's great when a process works well. I'm curious, what happens when the name and phone number is not found in one of the databases?
Dr. Jean Norris
names & phone # is screened against 2 databases
if found ,it goes to the working Rep.
if new, it goes into rotation
works well, we like it
Hi Bruce, Can you further discuss what takes places after the calls are screened by the Receptionist?
Dr. Jean Norris
a calls are screened by Recep.
process works,
Carla,
Thank you for sharing. It sounds like you would like to make improvements; what would those specific improvements be?
Dr. Jean Norris
Currently my inbound call process is very slow going. I am not sure if it's because it is a new program we are just starting. I would like to make improvements on the the amount of enquiries that are coming in for the program,and to get the prospective students interested in the program. Then they can make a decision, and register for the classes.
It looks like your process is designed to be quick and efficient. The call log that you mention, who would be completing the call log and where do you see this information being stored?
Dr. Jean Norris
Our inbound calls start with our front desk. The receptionist takes down their full name, phone number and how they heard about our institution. She then contacts one of the admissions reps, gives them the info she has gathered and transfers the call. This process is done as quickly as possible to keep the wait time at a minimum. Once the admissions rep is finished with the call, the new contact is entered into our system to maintain contact records and tracking purposes. I think it might benefit everyone if a call log was implemented, even if it was just a reference for those very busy times when some information may fall through the cracks.
Connie,
That's a great suggestion. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. Jean Norris
Breanna ,
That is very true; finding mutual interest helps to build relationship equity. What are some of the things you would like to work on in your current process for phone calls?
Dr. Jean Norris
Our inbound call process is strong. Most of our leads come from our website so by the time they actually make the call they have back ground information on the program.
I'm not sure right know about the improvements. I might like to improve the order in which we ask questions so that the process moves along more smoothly.
When/if a student mentions on the phone that they have children, I can dig a little deeper, and ask their ages, if they're in school, if so, what school. There are plenty of ways to connect with the student on the phone which in the end puts them at ease.
Breanna ,
Thank you for sharing. What are some other ways you can connect with a student when they call? What would help put them more at ease so they share more information with you?
Dr. Jean Norris
My inbound call process is of the following:
I take the person's name, phone number and contact info. I then ask them what their current situation is (are they working, not working). I follow up with the question of "why are you currently looking to make a change?" and "what happened recently that made you look into furthering your education?" From there I find out what they did in the past, where they worked previously and also ask about their educational background as well.
Improvements: Ask if they have looked into any other colleges in the area, if so, which one(s). Also ask how long furthering their education has been on the mind.
These are great questions Brian. As you point out, it's not only admissions professionals that need to think about the inbound call process but the receptionist as well. Based on what you learned in the course, what tips could you provide to your receptionist?
Dr. Jean Norris
Our current inbound call process is all calls go to the campus.
Currently I would like to improve the consistency of the calls being answered by our receptionist.
What advice do you have for improving the overall greeting of the call? Is there a specific set of guidelines to consider when putting a script together?
It looks like your school found a process that works well for you. How do you think a 'lead sheet' would help you?
Dr. Jean Norris
The system that we use is very similar to many other schools. We have a receptionist who directs the calls to an available admissions representative.
The receptionist takes the callers information (name & contact info) and then IM's us that information while the call is being transferred .
We do not monitor our in-coming calls on a lead sheet, but I think that would be a terrific implementation into our initial process.
Very proactive! Think about how it looks to a student if they call and there is no answer. Let us know how the call log works out.
Dr. Jean Norris
