Higher Ed Admissions Survey – Live Chat Emerges as Students Top Choice

Recruitment is arguably the number one challenge for higher education right now. College undergraduate enrolment in 2022 was down by 9.4% compared to 2020. So what can schools do to attract more students and boost their enrolment figures against this incredibly difficult backdrop? 

It all begins with understanding what students want during the pre-enrolment process – and Comm100’s latest survey reveals all. Surveying current higher education students in North America, we asked students how they want to be engaged and supported during the pre-enrolment phase. We asked them:

• what support factors are most important to them
• what are their preferred communication channels
• how quickly a potential school needs to respond to their query
• how important is it for schools to provide 24/7 support.

In this blog, we’ll reveal some of the key responses from the survey, including what communication channels matter the most to students when choosing which school to join. To access all the results and data from the survey, download the report.

Higher Education Admissions Report – Prospective Student Survey

Discover what prospective students really want during the pre-enrolment phase and how your engagement strategy can sway them into choosing your school.

Read more

Report

Digital communication is the #1 support factor

When asked what support factors were most important to them, digital communication came out on top. While this may not be a surprise to many, it once again reinforces the need for schools to adopt digital channels to meet student’s technological expectations.

In contrast, traditional phone support is becoming increasingly unpopular among today’s students. 81% of Gen Z admit to experiencing anxiety when talking on the phone. The reasons behind phone’s unpopularity are varied, but reports show students think phone calls are ‘too time-consuming’. Phone calls demand attention in a way that younger generations aren’t used to, while digital communication like live chat allows students to multitask while waiting for a response. 

This preference for digital communication leads us into the next takeaway from our survey.

Live chat comes out on top

With digital communication ranked as the most important support factor, it isn’t surprising that, when asked for their preferred channel, students chose live chat above all other channels. Live chat allows students to easily reach out to potential schools without committing to anything, breaking down a key barrier to engagement. Here are just some of the key benefits of live chats for students:  

• An improved student experience thanks to real-time, instant messaging
• More personalized experiences with tools like auto-chat translation and previous chat history. 
• Reduced wait times since agents can handle multiple chats at once. 

The need for speed

Students have grown up in a digital world that has created a desire for instant gratification. They expect fast communication, and our survey has shown that they expect this from potential schools too. 59% of prospective students said they are less likely to engage with a school if support agents take more than 30 minute to respond to their query.

This stat highlights the importance of fast engagement and communication within the pre-enrolment phase. Live chat is key to delivering fast response and resolution, offering real-time communication. This can be improved even further with chatbots that can answer queries at any time of the day with no wait time or queues.

Wrap up

Understanding what prospective students want from higher education is key to engagement and enrolment. Download the full report to learn exactly what students expect when they communicate with potential schools, including:

• What channels do students prefer using?
• Do they really care about 24/7 availability?
• Are they open to using chatbots?
• How do they feel about personalization?

Higher Education Admissions Report – Prospective Student Survey

Discover what prospective students really want during the pre-enrolment phase and how your engagement strategy can sway them into choosing your school.

Read more

Report