We only contact those that said they want us to contact them and only do so a limited number of times...
We utilize a database and have specific people employed to update student files accordingly to reflect DNC or CAN-Spam. We have specific policy regarding how long we can attempt contact, and how to ensure we document student requests accordingly.
We are using only those emails approved by our Corporate offive which include an opt-out option for prospective students.
We do honor the Do-not-call and when a student asks us to add thm to this list we do it.
It hasn't affected me personally in a negative way. It's important to respect and follow those rules & regulations as they are listed. My recruiting methods remain the same, attention is placed on those students that are interested in the institution. Attracting students, I share the points that are valid and factual.
We have recently added the opt out option on each of our emails. We also, have to include the name of our institution in the subject line of each email.
I agree,...I put more of a personal effort into connecting with leads. I make sure to let students no that I am following up on their inquiry.
I have always been a believer in the "personal touch," so I actively send leads handwritten cards/notes that very plainly state who I am and my purpose for the note. I also believe in always being up front and honest and it has helped me greatly in the last 3 years in this industry!
Word of mouth from one student to a prospective student can go a long way. I think that there is a thin line between prospecting and Harrassing.
I began my time as an admission rep after these regulations came into existence. However, these regulations natural force me to pay closer attention to details (both in terms of my students rights and information and to my daily practices). I have found success in inviting students and prospective students alike to our campus actities; and asked them to invite the people in their lives.
On our inquiry cards students are able to provide their signature if they would like to be called even if they are on the "Do-Not-Call" list.
Our institution only contacts perspective students via telephone and email that have indicated interest in learning more about our nursing programs.
I find the Can-Spam information to be somewhat vague, could the class provide more distinct examples.
At the school i work at once we get through our current lead we can also call of list of old leads. These list dont seem to be managed at all or are managed very poorly. I take notes on the list and give them to my supervisor. Im am not however convinced that my efforts even are helping and that im not wasting wht should be productive work time/effort because there is not consistancly or leadship in my department to scrub these list of names and numbers that are invaluable ( i.e # that are disconnected, for the wrong person, the person does not want to be contacted, etc) Also when we repeat wrong numbers and people who do not want to be contacted it seems to leave the person called with am impression that we are unprofessional, disorganized and desperate. Not a great practice for the company image.
We attract students by asking current students for personal development leads.
First , we adhere to the Do Not Call and Can-Spam regulations in a compliant manner.
We make sure we are not contacting an individual who hasn't given us permission to contact them.
Our consumers are referred to us directly from counselors at BVR, BWC, VA, etc. Our recruiting is done directly to the counselor not to the student.
The "Do-Not-Call" and "Can-Spam" regulations have allowed us to take a deeper dive into how we develop and act on our student interests. Our institution does not "cold-call", however we do come accross some generted leads that claim they have not requested information and ask to be removed. We have added an internal status of "DNC" in our SIS where we can immediately move these students out of our active recruiting base. Since it's important to reach out to our prospective students using a variety of methods (since not all people respond to phone calls), we have needed to work closely with experts in our Marketing arena to ensure proper compliance and response to the do-not-call and can-spam requirements. All of these efforts have allowed us to work our leads more effectively and with more integrity, leading to better outcomes.
Not to toot my own horn, but toot toot.
These changes basically caught the industry up to what I was already doing. I learned early on that misleading headers in emails and leaving cryptic voicemails only seemed to infuriate the prospective student and cause them to mistrust future communication.
I would rather be clairvoyent to a prospective student and find out they are not interested than to trick them into responding to me.
You can't lose a student you never had and you might just GAIN their trust.
This is excellent info that every Admission person should know! Fortunately, as I understand it, my school only contacts prospective students who first contacted us! We also diligently work to remove those who ask for DNC from our active list.
I feel that this is very important. We work diligently to contact students so reaching those that have an interest makes our day to day job a lot easier.
