In a time of shifting student demand, a speedy response to enquiries is a must

Prospective international students are easily frustrated when they receive sub-par responses to the questions they send to schools and universities – especially a response doesn’t come for days or weeks.

The key role that response timeliness and quality play in students’ ultimate choice of institution underlines the importance of Edified and UniQuest’s annual Enquiry Experience Tracker – a global mystery shopping program that assesses the responsiveness of schools and universities to student enquiries.

The 2024 survey report has just been released based on “shopping” of 102 institutions in 10 countries, and it reveals that many institutions in Europe and North America continue to miss crucial opportunities to engage with student leads. By contrast, universities in Australia and New Zealand generally offered better experiences to the student personas sending them questions.

How the shopping works

Six personas representing different countries and profiles (e.g., parent, professional, student, etc.) posed as prospective students and sent enquiries to a variety of institutions across the world. In total, 926 enquiries were sent through several channels including social media, the institutional website, and email. Shoppers represented important source markets including Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Nigeria, Philippines, and Vietnam.

The institutions shopped in 2024 were in the UK (35, representing about a quarter of UK universities), Australia and New Zealand (26, representing half of Australia’s universities and more than half of those in New Zealand), and Canada (24, including more than a third of HE institutions in Ontario). There were also 11 US institutions and six universities in Estonia, Finland, Germany, Sweden, and Spain.

The Edified/UniQuest team then scored and benchmarked the shoppers’ experiences against local and global competitors, looking at metrics such as responsiveness, communication quality, follow-up, and impact.

The highlights

• Like last year, Australian and New Zealand institutions offered better experiences than the global average, and the UK was next. Their average score also substantially improved compared with 2023.
• By contrast, Canadian and US institutions scored lower on average than the rest of the sample and performed a little more poorly than in 2023.
• The six European institutions averaged lower than the global mean, though they fared better than in 2023.
• The range of scores was wide: from 8 to 78. The report notes that five of the top 10 scores were from the ANZ region (New Zealand and Australia). The average score was 55, up from 51 in the previous two years of the survey.
• The good news was that nearly half of student-shoppers reported having a generally positive enquiry experience, and response rates were better. Institutions tended to do well on trustworthiness and helpfulness, and many offered clear next steps for the student to take.
• The bad news was that 1 in 5 enquiries did not get a response, and lacked a persuasive, inspiring tone. In addition, only 1 in 5 shoppers received a follow-up. This is a key missed opportunity as 6 in 10 students who received a follow-up said they were eager to continue engaging with the institution, more than double the proportion of those who didn’t.

Commenting on the findings from this year, Jennifer Parsons, chief market and partnerships officer at UniQuest, adds:

“With so much uncertainty around immigration policies, students are understandably anxious. Proactive, ongoing engagement has been crucial in calming these fears, and our data shows that students who experience this are three times more likely to enroll.”

Important data nuances

The report notes:

• “In ANZ, more than 9 in 10 institutions actively use WeChat to chat one-to-one with Chinese prospects. Only half in the UK and North America do the same – the rest missing a valuable opportunity to engage the Chinese market.”
• “Response rates in North America and Europe were lower. One in 4 students did not get a reply within the time allowed for this research (three weeks for email and one week for social media).”
• “In mainland Europe and North America, 50% of institutions did not follow up after any enquiry.”
• “Globally, social channels had the lowest response rates. Around 2 in 5 WeChat and Instagram enquiries went unanswered. Many more had auto replies asking students to enquire again through another channel like email. These trends suggest a critical blind spot.”

More insights are compiled in the following infographic from the report:

Source: Edified and UniQuest’s Enquiry Experience Tracker (2024)

Service as competitive differentiator

Edified and UniQuest conclude:

“While rankings, price, course availability, and location are key drivers of study decisions, student experience cannot be underestimated. When students weigh up institutions with similar offerings, service can be the differentiating factor.”

The report’s top recommendations are to:

“Celebrate and recognize good practice”

Student ambassadors can make a positive impression on prospective students. Encourage ambassadors to keep up the good work and to maintain a helpful, responsive culture. Share positive feedback and make sure students have access to the latest resources so they can keep providing accurate advice.

Set your tone to ‘warm’

Make sure students feel at ease by using warm, informal language. Use positive words like ‘pleased’, ‘welcome’ and ‘thrilled’ to show students you are genuinely happy to be hearing from them. Invest in regular professional development to help team members develop and practice student-centric communication skills.

Entice students deeper into the funnel

An enquiry is the opportunity for direct and personal communication with potential students. The core task is answering their questions, but, while you have their attention, capture their imagination. Share something powerful and inspirational – something extra that will draw students deeper into your recruitment funnel. Perhaps a campus tour video or upcoming event where they can meet academics and fellow students.

Be bold and ask for marketing consent

If students are interested enough in your institution to ask a question, chances are that they are willing to hear more about your events, scholarships or news in the future. Make the most of the opportunity to engage each new prospect and offer them a way to opt in to receive marketing communications from your institution. This can be as simple as adding a tick box to your web enquiry form or live chat registration or asking the question when on the phone.”