Midlands Technical College

Results

• Increased attendance at Senior Day events
• Reduced lines and wait times for prospective students
• Increased focus on institutional goals

Summary

Each semester, the admissions team at Midlands Technical College (MTC) invites area high school seniors to visit their campuses, learn about MTC, and get excited about going to college.

They were primarily using email to communicate with prospective students about the event but soon found that students weren’t responding or even checking their email. So, they implemented a mobile strategy to improve their communication with prospective students by reaching them where they are and improve their experience on campus.

MTC worked with Ellucian to connect a text messaging application to their constituent relationship management (CRM) solution, Ellucian CRM Recruit, and then created an advanced find for mobile communications. Text messages are sent from the CRM and appear on the dashboard in real time, so staff have all information in one place during the event.

“What we really wanted to do was be able to have the messages and our communication history right there on the student records, so we could see everything right there and know what they’ve been told, what information they may have missed, anything like that,” says Peebles.

Students are encouraged to reply to the text message with just their name to be added to the Fast Lane. This lets them skip any lines at the event.

For students who don’t respond to the text message, or who don’t have a mobile phone, they can still take advantage of mobile check-in stations. Staff are positioned around campus with the list of registrants on their smartphone. As students arrive, they can check in with a staff member and go straight to the event.

Mobile check-in stations allow staff to assist students, especially those who may feel lost on a new-to-them campus, in multiple locations. And it eliminates bottlenecks and congestion, especially when large groups show up at the same time.

This mobile communication strategy has increased the number of students who register and show up to the event, reduced wait times, and improved efficiencies.

“It’s made us look a lot better, much more tech savvy than just having a piece of paper or the laptop on the table,” Peebles adds. “We want to give a good impression to our students. As much as possible, show them that we’re trying to be up-to-date on the latest technology.”

Staff have responded favorably, too. When they are signed into the CRM, whether on their phone or laptop, they have all the information they need at their fingertips. They can see how many students were sent a text message and of those how many responded, which according to Peebles is about 75 to 80 percent of students.

Download Case Study