Evaluating Admissions Processes at For-Profit Schools
The four key performance indicators of a sound enrollment strategy
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Velocify recently commissioned two
studies on the responsiveness to
The Four KPIs for Enrollment Success
student inquiries among private sector
higher education institutions. These
Speed-to-Email
Speed-to-Call
studies focused on four Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are
Enrollment Strategy
critical measures and indicators of a
school’s inquiry response strategy:
speed-to-call, speed-to-email, number
of call attempts and number of email
Volume - Call Attempts
Volume - Email Attempts
nurture attempts. The data indicates a
variety of response strategies and a
wide range of performance in terms of
was over 6 hours. On average, the first
When a prospective student reaches
responsiveness. It is clear that many
email was sent more than 14 hours after
out to a school directly by filling out an
schools have invested in processes and
the inquiry was received. Meanwhile,
online inquiry form or indirectly via a
technologies that allow them to respond
the best performers in both
student portal, the race is on to make a
to student inquiries within minutes, thus
speed-to-contact categories reached
strong connection with the prospect.
maximizing their opportunity to build a
out to new prospects within 1 minute.
Swift speed-to-contact is an essential
relationship and enroll a prospective
For admissions professionals
element of a successful enrollment
student. At the same time, many other
across the industry, the implications of
strategy for any school. Previous
schools underperformed against their
this study are both immediately tactical
Velocify research has demonstrated
peers and the industry best practices in
and strategic. Schools with a
that attempting to contact an inquiry
responsiveness, limiting their enrollment
well-designed and disciplined approach
within one minute of its receipt
potential and diminishing the
and the systems and metrics to
increases the chances of enrolling the
effectiveness of their marketing effort
consistently deliver on their strategy will
prospect by 391 percent. This dramatic
and spending.
come out on top. For smaller schools
increase is due to the fact that
competing with larger institutions, there
prospective students are the most likely
spotlight and increased government
is a clear opportunity to be more nimble
to engage with a school right after their
regulation, the market for prospective
in winning over new students, while
initial inquiry, making it vital to be the
students is more competitive than ever.
improving the admissions experience.
first school to establish contact. From
Despite the glare of an intense
Identifying, contacting and enrolling the
the student’s perspective, getting
best students through a consistent,
RESULTS
quick, thoughtful attention from a
compliant and student-friendly
Anyone considering a post-secondary
prospective school builds confidence,
admissions process is critical to
degree or certification has dozens of
attachment, and respect for the
commercial success for any school.
institutions to choose from, and the rise
institution. Much like sowing a seed in
Of the schools surveyed, the mean time
of online education means these options
fertile soil gives it the best chance to
it took to receive the first phone call
no longer need to be near their home.
grow and flourish, the information about
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Evaluating Admissions Processes at For-Profit Schools
The four key performance indicators of a sound enrollment strategy
your institution will have a much better
in the top quartile are likely to have very
approach to dealing with student
chance of getting traction if it is
sound processes for managing inbound
inquires. Other schools, however, were
delivered to prospective students when
leads. However, those in the bottom
less focused on the value of being the
they are most receptive and before
quartile may be able to make
“early bird”. Concorde Career College,
other schools have an opportunity to
improvements to their processes to
for example, made their first call
pitch their programs.
reliably contact leads. The performance
attempt more than 30 hours after
demonstrated during the study, if
receiving an initial inquiry on average,
benefits of rapid inquiry response,
representative of these schools typical
while Globe University waited an
many of the private sector schools
phone responsiveness, might hinder
average of nearly 23 hours to make a
studied showed at least some
their ability to transform student
first call. Both Concorde and Globe’s
deficiency in their speed-to-call and
prospects into enrolled students.
best response times were 8 minutes or
speed-to-email metrics.
Schools that are staying ahead of the
less, demonstrating the wide range of
However, despite the clear
As Figure A demonstrates, the top
curve and contacting prospective
potential performance within a single
quartile of schools studied responded
students much faster than their
school’s systems.
to new inquiries by phone within 1 hour,
competitors – such as WyoTech, Grand
and bottom quartile of the schools
Canyon University and Everest College
exists with the second KPI:
surveyed took over 10 hours on
– have created a considerable
speed-to-email (Figure B). While
average to call prospects after
advantage over their competitors by
presenting the value of a school might
receiving the inquiry. Those companies
following a more consistent and reliable
not naturally fit within the static
A similar responsiveness pattern
Speed-to-Call
Hours
0
6
12
18
24
WyoTech
Grand Canyon University
Everest College
Virginia College
American Public University
Kaplan Higher Ed
Vatterott College
Capella University
Anthem Education
Keiser University
Westwood College
Berkeley College
Academy of Art
United Education Institute
American InterContinental University
Lincoln Tech
Universal Technical Institute (UTI)
National American University
Walden University
DeVry University
Ashford University
Regency Beauty Institute
Miller-Motte College
Globe University
Concorde Career College
Best Practice:
Under 2 Minutes
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FIGURE A
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Evaluating Admissions Processes at For-Profit Schools
The four key performance indicators of a sound enrollment strategy
Speed-to-Email
Hours
Capella University
Miller-Motte College
Academy of Art
American Public University
Walden University
Anthem Education
Westwood College
Everest College
Vatterott College
Lincoln Tech
Kaplan Higher Ed
Universal Technical Institute (UTI)
United Education Institute
Regency Beauty Institute
DeVry University
Ashford University
Berkeley College
Grand Canyon University
Virginia College
Keiser University
Concorde Career College
Globe University
National American University
WyoTech
American InterContinental University
0
6
prefer email as a medium. Its
18
24
No Emails Sent
Best Practice:
Under 2 Minutes
confines of an email, some prospects
12
FIGURE B
school failed to send any emails at all.
The implications of this study are
demonstrated neither of these
approaches is most effective. The key
importance should not be minimized,
that any school that is looking to
to a successful enrollment strategy is
especially considering its
boost enrollment has a real
to make the optimal number of
cost-efficiency. In today’s market, an
opportunity to do so by being more
call-attempts and emails; not too few
email costs just pennies to send, and
responsive than the competition.
and not too many.
sacrificing an opportunity to present
The next two KPIs benchmarked in
Prior Velocify research has
good information about an institution is
an initial performance study conducted
demonstrated the optimal number of
short-sighted. Many institutions have
in Q2 2011 both measure the number of
nurturing emails to send to each inquiry
prioritized getting informative email
contact attempts being made for each
is between two and four, garnering a 42
content to prospective students fast,
inquiry. It’s easy to rationalize the idea
percent better conversion rate over
primarily using auto-response
of trying as many contact attempts as
other patterns. As Figure C shows,
technologies. In this study, 48 percent
necessary to reach the prospect,
only 16 percent of schools hit that
of schools responded with an email
interpreting calling and emailing until
mark on average, with twice as many
within an average of 5 minutes of
contact as “plucky persistence.” At the
schools surveyed sending too few
receiving the inquiry. However, at the
same time, it’s also easy to initiate only
emails and 52 percent sending too
same time, 28 percent of the institutions
a few calls and emails under the belief
many.
sent their first email to prospective
that it frees up time for recruiters to
students at an average of more than 24
focus on other prospects. Unfortunately
on inquiries with a healthy number of
hours after the initial inquiry. Only one
for these schools, research has
call attempts (Figure D). Velocify
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Institutions also failed to follow up
Velocify Research 03
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Evaluating Admissions Processes at For-Profit Schools
The four key performance indicators of a sound enrollment strategy
research has determined the optimal
both schools showed an impressive
also averaged only 2.3 total call
number of calls to maximize contact
edge over the other institutions
attempts after this, ignoring a best
rates without over-investing time and
studied in regards to speed-to-call,
practice that could improve their
resources into unresponsive inquiries is
these schools may be throwing away
overall enrollment yield. Optimizing the
six, yet only 24 percent of schools
the advantages gained through
number of contact attempts can be
surveyed made between five and eight
responsiveness, by attempting contact
another easy, cost-efficient way to
call attempts per inquiry. Capella
in such an aggressive manner.
achieve better enrollment results.
While calling too much is
University did an excellent job of
ma ki n g a n a v e r a g e o f a l m o s t s i x
detrimental to a sound enrollment
CONCLUSION
c o nta c t a t t e m pt s , a l t h o u g h i n
strategy, so is calling too infrequently.
Velocify’s studies demonstrate that
contrast, the vast majority of the
Of the institutions studied, far fewer
there is a wide range of
schools surveyed made simply too
schools made the mistake of making too
responsiveness and clearly different
many call attempts, wasting time and
few call attempts (only 16 percent), but
contact strategies among many well
resources. Interestingly, 28 percent of
those institutions are making a costly
known higher education institutions.
schools made more than 16 call
error by failing to put enough effort into
While some schools demonstrated
attempts, while two outliers, WyoTech
contacting prospects. Concorde Career
their ability to meet one or more of the
and Everest College, made an average
College was one institution that not only
KPI benchmarks, very few showed
o f 8 2 c a lls a nd 68 c al l s respectively,
waited an average of more than 30
consistent across-the-board success
over approximately 30 days. Although
hours to make their first call attempt, but
that would maximize their chances of
Average Number of Emails Per Inquiry
Emails
Keiser University
United Education Institute
Anthem Education
WyoTech
Concorde Career College
Miller-Motte College
American Public University
Vatterott College
Universal Technical Institute (UTI)
Lincoln Tech
Virginia College
Capella University
Everest College
Globe University
Regency Beauty Institute
Grand Canyon University
Ashford University
Westwood College
National American University
DeVry University
Academy of Art
Kaplan Higher Ed
Berkeley College
Walden University
American InterContinental University
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Best Practice:
2 to 4 is Ideal
No Emails Sent
FIGURE C
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Evaluating Admissions Processes at For-Profit Schools
The four key performance indicators of a sound enrollment strategy
Average Number of Calls Per Inquiry
Calls
0
5
Keiser University
Concorde Career College
Universal Technical Institute (UTI)
United Education Institute
Capella University
Walden University
Vatterott College
Kaplan Higher Ed
American InterContinental University
Berkeley College
Academy of Art
DeVry University
Globe University
Anthem Education
Lincoln Tech
Regency Beauty Institute
National American University
Grand Canyon University
Ashford University
Virginia College
Miller-Motte College
Westwood College
American Public University
Everest College
WyoTech
10
15
20
25
30
Best Practice:
6 Calls is Ideal
FIGURE D
enrolling the highest number of
all institutions included were
To conduct the analysis, researchers
qualified prospects. Ultimately, there is
considered “private sector”) to
visited the targeted school’s
a substantial opportunity to improve
gauge how effectively schools
websites and submitted enrollment
performance at many of the schools,
responded to prospective students’
inquiries. Inquiries were submitted
across most of the benchmarks. By
online inquiries. The first study that
for all schools within the same 14
focusing on the four KPIs highlighted
analyzed the number of emails and
day window for all schools
here, admissions departments can
calls placed by the sample of
surveyed. All schools received
work smarter, increasing enrollment
for-profit higher education providers
similar information on prospects,
while decreasing marketing and
was conducted between July 27th
though variations exist in lead
enrollment expenditures. It’s a win-win
and September 2nd. The second
capture forms.
proposition that demands attention
study, which was conducted between
from any school interested in
December 1st and December 7th
each communication attempt from
remaining competitive.
analyzed the speed with which a first
the school was electronically logged
call was made and a first call was
for evaluation. Logging of responses
THE STUDY
METHODOLOGY
placed following the submission of a
for frequency and persistence lasted
lead on an education provider’s
for a month. Due to the established
For this study, Velocify Researchers
website.
relationship between the process
conducted two studies of the
private sector higher education
industry (at the time of this study,
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Once an inquiry was submitted,
and discipline of contacting a
NUMBER OF CALLS AND EMAILS
STUDY METHODOLOGY
student prospect and the likelihood
of enrolling that prospect, the focus
Velocify Research 05
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Evaluating Admissions Processes at For-Profit Schools
The four key performance indicators of a sound enrollment strategy
of the study was to measure the
responses lasted for a week when
response strategy during the
measuring speed-to-call and
pre-contact period (after an inquiry
speed-to-email. Due to the
managing the student enrollment
has been made, and prior to when
established relationship between the
process, enabling admissions staff to
any actual contact is made). Velocify
process and discipline of contacting
more efficiently track and
researchers posing as interested
a student prospect and the likelihood
communicate with prospective
students at no point responded to
of enrolling that prospect, the focus
students, and giving admissions and
any of the communications.
of the study was to measure the
marketing directors a holistic view of
The average number of contact
schools that compete for students.
The company focuses on
response strategy during the
how prospects are being handled.
attempts made by each of the
pre-contact period (after an inquiry
Let Velocify show you why the most
schools was calculated by averaging
has been made, and prior to when
sophisticated schools have
the total number of email or call
any actual contact is made). Velocify
implemented a recruiting solution
attempts all students received for
researchers posing as interested
that replaces the rudimentary
each corresponding school over the
students at no point responded to
admissions functionality that is
period of up to 1 month. Once
any of the communications.
provided by a CRM or SIS.
aggregated, Velocify compared each
After collecting and logging
Velocify develops hosted
school’s performance against its
relevant data, researchers calculated
software solutions for managing the
peers and ranked performance.
the average speed-to-call and the
recruitment and enrollment process.
average speed-to-email for each of
Managing more than 40 million
SPEED OF FIRST CALL AND
EMAIL STUDY METHODOLOGY
the schools by first calculating the
client records for over 6,000
amount of time that elapsed between
businesses and schools, Velocify
To conduct the analysis, researchers
each student’s initial inquiry and the
offers a suite of solutions that can
visited the targeted school’s
first email or call that student
scale from the small, specialized
websites and submitted enrollment
received. The average was
schools to multi-campus national
speed-to-contact were submitted for
calculated for all student inquiries
institutions. Velocify’s education
all schools within the same 2-day
corresponding to each school. The
platform was created by education
window for all schools surveyed,
averages shown in this report only
experts and is customized with
with inquiries submitted between
reflect the speed-to-contact for
industry-specific best practices.
9am-5pm PST and spaced out
students that actually received a
throughout the 2-day period. All
contact attempt. Some students did
For more information, visit:
schools received similar information
not receive a call or an email within
www.velocify.com/highered
on prospects, though variations exist
the time period allotted for inclusion
in lead capture forms. Due to the
in this speed-to-contact calculation.
time required to capture and record
submission data and variations in
ABOUT VELOCIFY
lead forms, inquiry entry times are
Recruiting and enrolling the best
accurate and comparable within
students is the primary responsibility
approximately 3 minutes.
of every higher education admissions
Once an inquiry was submitted,
and marketing professional.
each communication attempt from
Velocify provides the only enrollment
the school was electronically logged
management system specifically
for evaluation. Collecting of
designed to meet the needs of
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Evaluating Admissions Processes at For-Profit Schools
The four key performance indicators of a sound enrollment strategy
Velocify Best Practices: Benchmarks Measured
Speed-to-Contact – Best Practices
Data
Velocify research has shown that speed-to-contact is an important recruiting driver:
Responding to inquiries within 1 minute resulted in a 391% improvement increasing your student
body.
0:00
+0%
+200%
+300%
+400%
inquiries called in
under 1 minute
minutes
Speed-to-call and speed-to-email are essential components of any sound inquiry
response strategy. In an increasingly competitive Internet age where prospects
have access to many different market options, following up quickly is one of the
most important factors to successful recruiting.
+391%
improvement in
inquiry conversion rate
0:30
Beyond Qualification: The Impact of Speed on Lead Conversion Rates
Strategy
Don’t wait to attempt contact with a student prospect who expresses
interest. Reaching out immediately (within the first minute) allows your
school the best chance of recruiting them. Even if your admissions staff is not
able to keep up with the high volume of inquiries on a particular day, an
instant, automated email acknowledging that someone will contact them
soon can mean the difference between an enrollment and a lost opportunity.
Fact:
Schools took an average of over 6 hours to
make their first call.
Prospect Nurturing – Best Practices
Data
Velocify research shows that prospects that receive email nurturing have a 3.5 times
higher chance of getting recruited than those that receive none. Additionally, prospects
that receive 2- 4 emails get admitted 42% better than those that receive less than 2.
Velocify Analysis
February 2010
conversion rate vs. nurture emails sent
conversion rate (%)
Sending nuture emails to inquiries showing interest - but are not ready to enroll,
is a cheap, easy, and effective way to acquire new prospects that would
otherwise be missed.
20%
10%
0%
14%
< 2 emails
20%
8%
2 - 4 emails
5 > emails
*Although Velocify emphasizes that a good inquiry nurturing strategy should last longer than 30 days, the study measured email nurturing within a 30 day window because we believe the time frame is a
strong indicator of a school’s overall lead nurturing strategy.
Strategy
If your school does not automatically respond to every inquiry via email
upon receipt, your school is certainly missing out on significant new
revenue. Nurturing your prospects between 2-4 times via email is an
important component of a successful inquiry response strategy.
Fact: 32% of schools in this study sent an
average of less than 2 emails per lead.
(continued)
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Evaluating Admissions Processes at For-Profit Schools
The four key performance indicators of a sound enrollment strategy
Velocify Best Practices: Benchmarks Measured
Call Frequency – Best Practices
Velocify research found that making 2 calls versus just 1, increased the chances of contacting
a prospect by 87%, and that calling 6 times (The 6 Call Standard) resulted in nearly the maximum
possible contact rate, with minimum opportunity costs.
Six Calls Equals Success: The surprising Impact of Call Frequency on Lead Conversion
(cumulative)
Maximize the value of each inquiry by attempting contact 6 times. Giving up
too soon or spending too much time on ultimately unproductive prospect can
significantly undercut a school’s new student enrollment potential.
contact probability
Data
100%
6th call attempt
93% chance
80%
2nd call attempt
72% chance
60%
40%
20%
1st call attempt
39% chance
1
November 2009
0-5
mins
2
30 mins2 hrs
3
2.5-4 hrs
4
day 3
5
day 4
6
day 11-12
contact attempts (calls)
Strategy
It should be every school’s priority to attempt to contact each inquiry via
telephone six times. By following this 6-call approach, your school is
maximizing the value of each inquiry while minimizing wasted effort.
Fact: Schools in this study attempted 17.2 calls
on average.
Getting Prospects From Your Web Properties? Here’s an Online Approach That Works.
Online Prospects Engagement – Best Practices
To an online prospect, your website is the face of your company and it’s important to keep it simple, attractive, and useful.
Your website should be designed to move a prospect through a simple 3 step process (outlined below).
Attract
Educate
Capture
(1) Attract: Getting a prospect to your website is one thing, but keeping them there is another. Create a website that is
aesthetically pleasing, but not overwhelming.
(2) Educate: Provide your prospect with education about your school and reasons why they should enroll. Don’t make
prospects work for information; empower them with easily digestible facts and tools.
(3) Capture: Now that you have a prospects’s attention, provide a simple contact form that allows them to disclose as much
information as possible. Don’t limit how much information you can collect, the more information a prospect provides, the
greater the chance of contact and enrollment.
Opps, Arie. “Focus on ‘User Experience Optimization’.” Entrepreneur 05 Feb. 2010: Web. 12 Oct. 2010.
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