Live Chat and Texting: Extra tools in the toolbox

In the highly competitive world of higher education, lead generation—and, better yet, qualified lead generation—is where it all begins for college and university marketing teams. Having a few extra ways for colleges and universities to provide customer service, such as live chat and text, can make all the difference in the sales process by making communication easy, convenient, and timely.

Communication that’s easy

Live Chat can be especially helpful in higher education because agents can assist visitors in navigating the extra large site. Pointing prospective students to the right section, answering questions, and providing information can help prospects overcome hurdles as they are going through the decision-making process.

It’s not secret that most people need to visit your site multiple times—among other contacts with the school—before enrolling. Following the “Rule of Seven” by marketing expert Dr. Jeffrey Lant, it’s important to make sure each one of those contacts, including a visit to your website, is building your reputation and trust with potential students. Live chat agents can also be a proactive way to collect lead information, link them to landing pages, collect on-the-spot information, give personal customer service and a warm first impression, or build on an existing reputation of your institution.

Communication that’s convenient

With a population that is connected in multiple ways, it’s important to communicate with potential students in the way they want to communicate. For many, that is text messaging. According to a study by Leads360, prospects who received SMS text messages during the sales process have a 40 percent higher conversion rate than those who didn’t.

Text messaging allows a one-on-one, personalized conversation with prospective students, building trust and helping them navigate the decision-making process to enrollment. This also enables you to be right at the fingertips of prospective students—where they are already connected.

Communicate in real time

With live chat and SMS text messaging, you can communicate exactly when prospective students are ready to communicate. Real-time communications, including text messaging and live chat, means that information can be exchanged instantly. Unlike emails, where many go unread or shuffled to a spam folder, and phone calls, where hold times and transferring can bog down communication, real-time communications give both parties the ability to give and receive information right away, giving a seamless, positive customer service experience for the prospective student.

Research shows that 69 percent of people associate good customer service with a quick resolution to their problem. Being available to provide customer service to prospective students—answering questions about registration deadlines, department issues, or financial aid—when they need the answers is crucial. And that may not be during regular business hours. Often, prospective students are perusing your website after their workday or on the weekend. Being available to them during these off-hours can make all the difference.

HelpSquad services are available 24/7 to provide excellent customer service when prospective students need it, in a convenient and easy method of communication. Contact us today to learn more.