The short answer is YES! But, before we look at how streamlining your workflows benefits your team, your families, and your bottom line – let’s take a look at how things have changed over the past year in admissions and enrollment.
State of admissions and enrollment
A survey done by Ravenna asked schools to identify how COVID-19 affected both enrollment and schools’ admissions pools. Overall, schools had a higher number of applicants, yet they had a lower number of students enroll. Across the board that Admissions Office staff are being asked to do more with less. There are fewer staff, who are arguably wearing more hats across a school campus.
Admissions offices had less time with people who needed more guidance. COVID-19 has changed so much, and with regard to schooling, families were scrambling to find in person options to best serve their kids. There is certainly less face time with these prospective families, many of whom are going through private school enrollment for the first time. What if you didn’t have to rely on paper, mail, manual filing, and multiple systems?
You can do more with less
According to the Consumer Technology Association, only 62% of households have a printer. The younger the head of household, the percentage decreases. So why rely on outdated technology and all of that paper for all of your application forms, event registration, and contracts? Find a solution that supports all of your needs electronically.
Have you ever tried to have nine people look at a physical file simultaneously? It really can’t be done. With the right automated program, not only could those same nine people view all of the forms and paperwork associated with a family, but each could see what was outstanding, what outreach resonated with the family, and what (virtual) tours and open houses they attended.
Has your Head of School ever asked you for the status of applicants overview and YOY comparisons right now? Imagine if anyone in your office could pull that report with the click, with accompanying easy to read charts. Those hours and hours spent drumming up reports could be better spent building relationships with your prospective families.
We are family
We know you prefer having the majority of your individual family communication be about forms, contracts, and RSVP reminders.
Wait.
What you individually communicate to your families should be centered around relationship building and stewardship. It is hard to build genuine relationships when every interaction is transactional. And, the right system will allow even the automated communication to be tailored to your applicants and their interests.
After committees finalize the interview process, and compare notes – all of which should be available in your system, too – it is time to send out your coveted decision letters. You can personalize and track those, too, with the right program. Everyone has seen the horror stories of acceptance letter mix-ups. Don’t let that be you!
To learn more about how automation in your admission and enrollment processes can really impact your Admissions Offices, view our webinar on the topic. If you want to learn more about the customization available to you – that is used by hundreds of schools across the country – connect with ravenna here.
