Enrolment: the secrets to success!

Of course there isn't, and there doesn't have to be, but there are ways to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety - and above all to make the most of all the possibilities and opportunities that every contact, enquiry, visit, interview and enrolment brings to a school.  

Furthermore, as we will see, it is possible to implement measures and tools that free teams from repetitive work, a certain lack of awareness, procedures and paperwork that not only don't bring benefits, but also make it impossible to have an integrated, real-time vision and delay decisions. 

The solution is technological, yes, but not only that, because it provides a reformulation and simplification of administrative and pedagogical practices. We also have a word to say about school marketing. 

Papers, observations, printouts and tables 

When it comes to enrolment, which in some schools lasts almost the whole year, there are targets to be met, classes and groups to be filled, but there are also so many other important goals and expectations, interconnected and dependent on many people and departments, that it becomes difficult to include them in the daily analysis.  

Let's see, an institution receives contacts by message or telephone, fften by the staff from the school office or head of departments, which may or may not be followed up. Visits generate contact with the front of the organisation, but also with psychologists or even directors. Some of these visits need to be followed up and lead to other visits and interviews. Some of these situations materialise in the completion of the desired enrolment.  

But, as we know, this doesn't necessarily mean the end of the initial phase, as there is still paperwork to be submitted, financial aspects to be finalised and, of course, a lot of information to be provided by other institutions.  

Do pens, paper, Excel, telephones and email allow you to work during these months? Of course they do. Just as traditional post offices still allow written messages to be exchanged from a distance, or paper maps to be consulted in service areas to help you cross a continent by car.   

More and more schools are using school management software to collect and centralise data, a step forward that speeds up some processes but can still be limited to total enrolments and class sizes. There is much more to know that can be critical to acting in real time. 

Don't wait for results, monitor and interpret them in real time 

A platform that integrates enrolment management must be much more than a way of registering students, personal data and integrating courses. Knowing how many contacts have been made, at what time, who has kept in touch and who has dropped out, what has led to the contact, the reasons for dropping out or the aspects that they valued most, allows you to evaluate and reformulate communication strategies, in external campaigns, on the front-end, or to reinforce interaction with those who have already shown interest.  

But if we go a step further, to the moments of visits and interviews, which often involve different actors in the institution, there is a lot of data that can and should be collected, allowing us to immediately assess the state of enrolment with details that are so often missing from institutions. Geographical trends, gender, interests, social environment, professions, etc. provide accurate descriptions of individual profiles and the classes being formed.  

And all of this in real time, helping management to get to know their reality during this period and to make better and more sustainable decisions.  

That's why management knows that the enrolment phase can't be about waiting as if everything had already been done, like an election night when all you have to do is wait for the results. You need to know in real time so that you can adjust your approach and strategy if necessary, depending on the results you want. And mind you, it's not just about the number of students, but also about the profiles you want to improve. 

Find out how school management software can help with enrolment 

All institutions that rely on applications know that enrolments are the result of years of work. Apart from dramatic moments, such as abrupt changes in legislation or social and economic crises, this period can be relatively predictable if schools work at it over the years.  

The basic rules of school or educational marketing all point in the same direction: schools that have a clear mission and vision, and work consistently to realise them, tend to be successful with their audiences.  

Well-founded and implemented educational models, well-defined target groups and efficient ways of working and communicating with students and families help to build trust and improve results. Inevitably, trust and satisfaction generate enrolment renewals, referrals and a positive and solid external image.  

That's why a good enrolment management platform can't stop there. Real-time information, immediate and transparent communication, proximity and support for students and families cannot end with the start of the school year. It must continue throughout the academic year, so that in the end the best promoters and ambassadors of the institution are the alumni, friends and their families. And today this is inseparable from software such as e-Schooling, which simplifies schooling for everyone, brings the whole community together, promotes individualisation and, consequently, everyone's motivation.  

With this in mind, it is clear to any management team that an LMS is not just a matter of teacher and student wellbeing, but a priority for the long-term success of the institution. Successful enrolment provides stability for the academic year. A successful academic year promotes stability in enrolment.