More Students Turning to Online Education
Contact center best practices can help online schools handle growth and remain competitive
by Inova Solutions
The recent economic downturn has caused many American workers to consider going back to school. Whether to change careers or update job skills, many adults are turning to education as a means of staying competitive in the job market.
This is good news for online schools that cater to non-traditional students. The ability to take classes online breaks through geographic and scheduling barriers that have long impeded adult education. Online schools have noticed a sharp uptake in enrollment and benefit from continuing growth. But with that growth come challenges, and these institutions must adapt if they hope to remain profitable without sacrificing quality of service.
The call center, or admissions center, at online education institutions is a particular area of interest, as it is often the first point of contact between prospective students and enrollment counselors. Contact centers must capitalize on this initial interaction. Competition is fierce, not only from other online schools, but also from traditional brick-and-mortar schools, and if prospective students receive less than stellar customer service from one institution, they may simply move down the list and reach out to a competitor.
Online schools also rely heavily on help desk contact centers to keep the necessary technology up and running. Help desk and IT associates need to handle high call volumes from both students and internal staff.
So how do contact centers at online schools meet increasing demand and convert callers into students? First, they must monitor a few important call center metrics in real time, and modify their policies and procedures accordingly.
Abandon Rate
Abandon rate, or the percentage of callers that hang up before ever reaching an enrollment counselor, is a major problem in contact centers at online schools. Each lost caller represents a lost revenue opportunity and a potential gain for your competitor.
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