A recent survey by Mongoose, a leader in student engagement, and Higher Ed Dive found that institutions are making important changes in their admissions outreach strategies, including how they communicate with prospective students. Mongoose and Higher Ed Dive surveyed 150 university leaders to understand how they are adapting their outreach to better engage students and prospects while streamlining work for overloaded admissions staff. Responses revealed key themes regarding their current post-pandemic needs:
- Higher education executives expect to reach tech-savvy prospects with upgraded digital outreach and are investing in new technology.
- Multiple barriers exist in procuring digital tools for communicating and building relationships with prospective students.
- Current CRM/ERP/SIS systems make it challenging to get the data users need to effectively communicate and build authentic relationships with students.
- The total cost of ownership is the most important factor when evaluating digital initiatives.
Higher education executives expect to reach tech-savvy prospects with upgraded digital outreach and are investing in new technology.
The survey confirmed that digital is the channel of choice to reach today’s tech-savvy prospects. In fact, 68% of respondents expect their use of digital channels for communicating and building relationships with prospective students to increase over the next five years.
At least 40% plan to invest in their website, social media, student engagement software and/or email.
Multiple barriers exist in procuring digital tools for communicating and building relationships with prospective students.
While institutions know digital engagement remains critical, they often have trouble acquiring the tools they need to do their job more effectively. Survey respondents cited four factors:
- 37% note the university prioritizes budget considerations without understanding the tool’s role.
- 36% observe difficulty communicating/quantifying the benefits and/or ROI.
- 36% call out the university’s desire for a single-source, “one-size-fits-all” solution, even if they need something more specialized.
- 35% say staff training and adoption issues exist.
“It can be challenging when the person who will ultimately use the digital tool doesn't have a seat at the table in prioritizing budget,” explains Mike Kochczynski, client engagement manager at Mongoose. “They are the ones who can identify what methods and features are most effective.”
Current CRM/ERP/SIS systems make it challenging to get the data users need to effectively communicate and build relationships with students.
Better data management has long been a goal of admissions departments. To manage admissions inquiries, more than half of respondents said their institutions use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, Student Information Systems (SIS) or Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP).
But often, these platforms introduce new challenges, and nearly 90% of respondents shared one or more frustrations they encountered. The top two entail difficulties obtaining the information they need, with 57% reporting they had to rely too heavily on either the marketing or IT department for data reporting.
Total cost of ownership is most important when evaluating digital initiatives.
Four in 10 higher education executives cited the total cost of ownership — including costs to implement, maintain and optimize the system — as the top consideration when evaluating digital initiatives designed to communicate and build relationships with prospective students.
To Kochczynski, that perspective reflects an increased sophistication among buyers as they look beyond the initial price tag. “Any large-scale CRM or ERP system requires a significant monetary investment — not just in short-term initial costs, but in onboarding fees and multi-year contracts,” he says.
Universities Must Prepare for Digital Transformation
“The pandemic really pushed us into an era where we realized the necessity of technology,” says Cassie Cunningham, assistant admissions director at the University of Akron, in Ohio. “We have seen the power of digital engagement to allow us to communicate authentically, which today’s students expect,” she says.
“It’s a positive sign that schools are adjusting their technology solutions to ensure they effectively engage students in this challenging new environment,” Kochczynski says. “Those that embrace modern, value-based solutions such as what Mongoose offers will reap the benefits of more efficient and effective outreach that maximizes staff time and provides the authentic communication students need, in the channels they expect.”
To read more findings from the survey, please click here: 2022 Admissions Outlook: The Role of Digital Transformation in Prospective Student Engagement.
Survey Methodology
Mongoose collaborated with studioID to field an online, invitation-only survey, polling 150 higher education leaders during the first quarter of 2022. The survey consisted of multiple-choice, open-ended, Likert-scale and matrix questions to better understand their institution’s admissions processes and related technologies, along with their goals for the 2022/2023 school year.
Thirty-three percent of respondents were in leadership positions such as administration/office of the president/office of the provost, etc.; 26% were in IT; 16% were faculty or deans; 13% were in finance and accounting; and 12% were in admissions/enrollment.
Seventy-four participants are decision-makers or influencers who are involved in the RFP process for new software for communicating and building relationships with prospective students.
Mongoose offers modern student engagement solutions that balance automation and human interaction, simplifying and enriching the higher ed experience for faculty, students, families and alumni.