I plan my calls; an agenda. I use voicemails that prompt a return call that are clear, concise, and provide information such as my name, title, reason im calling, and how to reach me.
Same with emails; I have an agenda to each email. Each conversation feeds from other.
I am mainly the "outside" person, so I have not been directly impacted by the new regulations. Once I chat with a prospective student, I hand off their information to our admissions department, and they do all further communications. The exception to this is if they have taken my business card, and contact me directly. Even after speaking with them through these channels, I again pass them along to our admissions representatives for further contact.
We call and email potential students as long as they are not on teh DNC or Can spam list. I also send written mailers that add a more personal touch and include my business card to the students and typically they reach back out.
I only use email if no phone number was given on the inquiry or I am reminding a student about an upcoming appointment.
It has not had much of an effect on my recruiting methods. If anything it only helps that we are not waisting time on individuals who do not want to be contacted and get angry when they are. Effective note taking of calls and follow ups with the individuals have been effective.
John,
I agree with someone else who said the definition of "Can-Spam" is a bit vague; can you give an example ?
At our instituion, we've just enacted a 'new' email system, used typically to confirm appointments or for student's whose phone #'s are no longer active.
Our institution doesn't do 'cold calling' either. Further if a student gives us a Referral, we request they contact that person to verify it's okay for us to call.
The Do-Not-Call and Can-Spam have only changes my recruiting methods only by not calling someone after 90 days of their initial inquiry. I have a tendency of not being able to give up on trying to get a hold of someone. I use email and mail outs quite a bit in my recruiting.
We like to use email, as a confirmation - or follow-up. We only call students when they contact us first.
Everything is so technologic these days. We call everyone of our potentional enrollments as fast as we can. Most times, people let it go to voice mail and call us back. We also get a lot of web inquiries, and most of them just ask us to email the price and other information to them. When it is email there is no emotion, you can't see if they are excited, puzzled,, still interested as so forth. On the phone, you can hear their voice and read into that.
Also if you email to many times, it annoys them. Keep a log of your phone calls and emails, that helps a lot.
I only use email if no phone number was given on the inquiry and also to send them the appt time and my contact information after i set an appt with them.
The "Do-Not-Call" and "Can-Spam" regulations keep us aware of penalties that are possible to those who ingnore or abuse the regulations. They remind us of a persons right to privacy and protection against unwanted solicitation. The very best stratagie I have and continue to employ to attract students is to ask for referrals!
we contact the students that is interested in the program by phone or email. we also make sure that we call back the students that called us.
I agree that most students communicate via email more often than by answering the phone. I will put in the subject line the program they were looking for and the school that I am from.
We have changed our database notifications to clearly indicate who is on a DNC list and our window of time to establish communication with them.
I use email often, but usually it is to remind a prospective student of an upcoming appointment or documents that are still needed for their enrollment. I make sure to put appointment reminder as the subjet.
We are only able to send emails that our home office approves to ensure we are cmplaint
Our school only contacts people that have requested information. Most of our contact is by phone. Emails always provide and opt-put option with a clearly stated subject line.
When we email students, we make it very clear in the "Subject Line" who we are and the nature of the message.
We are very careful never to make any guarantees or say anything that can be implied as a guarantee.
It should be noted that we never mention money of any sort in our outgoing messages.
The nature of our emails is to be viewed as positive motivation and focusing on what we have to offer as an institution.
Our campus uses follow up phoning to prospects on a regular basis. I always ask a prospect, after assisting them with their questions, if they would be willing to share a phone number and or email address, so that when the class they were calling about comes up, we can contact them. Seems to work very well.
