Customer: A midwestern public research university with student enrollment over 20,000 students.
Industry: Education
Goal: Increase Communication from Bursar and Financial Aid Offices to Students
Result: Saved Over $600K and Improved Communications
Large Midwest University Saves Over $600K by Improving Communications
University utilizes Vontoo voice marketing in Bursar and Financial Aid Offices
THE SITUATION
The University has struggled with communication to students in two key departments.
The Bursar Office struggles each spring semester with communicating to its approximately 950 students who have outstanding tuition balances. With limited time and manpower available to making phone calls to students, the Bursar Office is often unable to contact all outstanding students. This failure to communicate has resulted in a large number of students dropped each semester, ultimately leading to lower student enrollment and lost university revenue.
The Financial Aid Office, which also suffers from limited resources, is constantly challenged with reminding students to submit paperwork on time for their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) grant and aid programs. Limited manpower and unread emails lead to a communication lapse between the office and students, thus students frequently miss the FAFSA deadline for submission. This results in fewer students receiving grants, which results in the university losing out on money from the state, affecting the year’s bottom line.
THE CAMPAIGN
The University’s Bursar and Financial Aid Offices implemented several Vontoo voice campaigns, sending important messages to students. The Bursar Office sent a call to approximately 950 students with outstanding balances informing them of payments due.
The Financial Aid Office sent a series of calls to remind current, new and transfer students of FAFSA paperwork due dates. The university sent calls out to over 15,000 students.
THE RESULTS
The Bursar Office immediately experienced an influx of students calling in, as a result of the informative Vontoo message, to make their outstanding tuition payments. This resulted in approximately 100 fewer dropped students than the in the previous spring semester. With an average tuition over $3,000 per semester, the university realized a 12,125% return on their Vontoo investment of only $2,500. Just imagine, if the same students re-enroll next Fall, the annual monetary return will double!
“…it resulted in significant monetary savings for the university”
– according to the Director of Administration
The Financial Aid Office had an extremely high rate of attention to the Vontoo calls they sent. On average, students answered 53% of the calls live, listening to an average of 77% of the message. “Both our Bursar and Financial Aid Offices were able to significantly improve communications for the spring 2009 semester using Vontoo. Not only did the service allow us to reach students better and improve relations with them, but it’s resulted in significant monetary savings for the university.”
Director of Administration and Business Analysis
