Tracking Prospective Students Through to Application

Educational institutions can effectively use Salesforce to track prospective students from their initial inquiry through to the application stage by implementing a strategic approach that leverages Salesforce's CRM capabilities. Here’s how they can do it:

Centralized Inquiry Management

• Salesforce allows institutions to capture inquiries from various sources, such as website forms, email campaigns, social media, and events. These leads are automatically logged into the CRM, ensuring no potential student is missed.
• Once an inquiry is captured, Salesforce can automatically assign it to the appropriate admissions counselor or department based on criteria such as program of interest, location, or source of inquiry. This ensures that each prospect receives prompt and relevant follow-up.

Personalized Communication

• Institutions can create automated email and SMS nurture campaigns within Salesforce to engage prospective students with personalized content based on their interests and stage in the admissions process. For example, a student interested in business programs might receive a series of emails about the business curriculum, faculty, and career outcomes.
• Admissions counselors can use Salesforce to track interactions with prospects and schedule personalized follow-up calls or meetings. The CRM's communication history feature ensures that all touchpoints are logged, allowing counselors to build a strong relationship with each prospect.

Pipeline Tracking and Segmentation

• Salesforce enables institutions to segment prospective students by various criteria such as academic interests, geographic location, or engagement level. This segmentation allows for more targeted marketing efforts and efficient allocation of resources.
• With Salesforce’s pipeline management tools, admissions teams can track the progress of each prospective student from inquiry to application. Dashboards and reports provide real-time insights into where prospects are in the funnel, helping to identify trends, bottlenecks, or areas needing more attention.

Application Progress Monitoring

• Once a prospect begins an application, Salesforce tracks the status of each application, including completed sections, documents submitted, and outstanding requirements. This ensures that admissions counselors can proactively assist students in completing their applications.
• Salesforce can send automated reminders to prospective students about upcoming deadlines, missing documents, or next steps in the application process. These reminders help keep students engaged and reduce the likelihood of incomplete applications.

Data-Driven Decision Making

• Salesforce’s powerful analytics tools allow institutions to generate reports on key metrics such as inquiry-to-application conversion rates, the effectiveness of different marketing channels, and the time it takes for a prospect to move through the pipeline. These insights help institutions optimize their recruitment strategies and make data-driven decisions.
• With Salesforce’s AI capabilities, institutions can use predictive analytics to identify which prospects are most likely to apply or enroll based on historical data. This allows for more focused efforts on high-potential candidates.

Integration with Other Systems

• Salesforce integrates with other systems such as Student Information Systems (SIS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), and financial aid platforms, allowing for a seamless flow of information across the student lifecycle. For example, once a prospect becomes an applicant, their information can be automatically transferred to the SIS for further processing.
• Your institution can also use Salesforce to manage campus visits, open houses, and other recruitment events. Prospective students’ participation in these events is tracked in Salesforce, helping admissions teams gauge their level of interest and follow up accordingly.

Continuous Engagement

• Even after a prospect submits an application, you can use Salesforce to continue engaging with them through personalized content, invitations to webinars or events, and updates on the admissions process. This ongoing engagement helps keep prospective students connected to the institution and increases the likelihood of enrollment.
• Institutions can use Salesforce to send out surveys to prospective students to gather feedback on the admissions process. You can analyze this feedback to improve the experience for future applicants and to address any concerns that might arise during the recruitment process.

Orchid Connect is a woman-owned Salesforce implementation firm with 30 years of experience serving associations, non-profits and small/medium businesses. We specialize in strategic and implementation services, go-to-market support, and ongoing support. To learn more, reach us at reachout@orchidconnect.com.