It’s not always easy to figure out a protocol for how your admissions department should follow up with prospects. How soon should you reach out? Which channels should you use? How aggressive do you need to be? All of these questions can be better answered when you have a CRM and marketing automation platform to rely on.
Let’s learn more about how you can create standardized workflows for your admissions team to follow when communicating with inquiries.
What is a Workflow?
A workflow is a series of steps that must be followed in order to complete a specific process, which in this case, is following up with an interested prospect. When the prospect is added to the workflow, a series of actions is triggered. Some actions are manual (calling a prospect), while others are automatic (sending an email). The benefits of workflows include streamlined processes, a reduced risk for error, and consistent communications.
Creating an Effective Admissions Workflow
To master an admissions automation workflow, there are important steps to follow. Workflows can be as simple or complex as you need them to be, though you want prospects to progress through the funnel as efficiently as possible.
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Segment and assign leads. Assigning the right leads to your workflows ensures that competent staff handles them. This leads to efficient time management and balanced workloads. Determine which leads are the right fit based on their experience and knowledge of the funnel.
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Choose methods of contact. Prospects have unique preferences when it comes to how they like to be contacted. Some prefer email, phone, text, or direct messages. Some methods are more time-consuming and expensive than others, so you’ll also want to consider what’s best for your workflow.
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Determine the frequency of follow-ups. There are different opinions about how often you should follow up with prospects, but you can count on a few things. First, follow up with students early and often. Start with email, phone calls, and SMS. Ultimately, your follow up workflow will depend on what works for your school and your resources.
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Send valuable communications. When you do follow up with prospects, make sure that you’re doing more than just touching base. Each interaction should provide value, such as by including an infographic, PDF brochure, or interactive quiz. Also, create workflows for events like campus tours, webinars, and open days.
Track and Measure the Success of Your Workflows
Fortunately, you can gather information that helps you determine how effective your workflows are. Therefore, if something isn’t working, there’s no need to keep doing it over and over again. Log activities like phone calls and emails to see if they’re effective at moving prospects through the funnel. Optimize your workflows by changing the things that aren’t working, fine-tuning the things that are working, and automating tasks to be more efficient.
In the end, workflows are an effective way to follow up with prospects and move them through the funnel while reducing resources.
