Marian University Improves Tuition Collection with Vontoo Call Broadcasts

WHO
Marian University is a growing Catholic liberal arts university in Indianapolis, Indiana that offers a traditional residential campus as well as a multi-site adult education program.  Marian University serves over 2,200 students, conferring 43 bachelor’s and one master’s degree in 36 majors.  In December 2010, the university announced that it had received a $30 million gift to build the state’s first college of osteopathic medicine.

THE SITUATION
The business office staff sought a more powerful and efficient way to reach students and parents for timely remittance of tuition and fees.  The university had traditionally used a blend of e-mails, staff-powered calls to students in the residence halls and  mailed invoices.

THE CAMPAIGN
The university’s staff decided to implement a Vontoo phone broadcast to remind students of the upcoming tuition payment.  Calls were sent out through Vontoo’s online application to over 1,400 students reminding them of the deadline.

THE RESULTS
By implementing the voice campaign with Vontoo, the business office staff reported that their phones were ringing all day.   They experienced the largest on-time tuition collection in history – even before accounting for online payments!  The business office staff was also delighted with the online call tracking, which allowed the school to determine that just under half the calls went to a machine.  Of the calls delivered live, the average listening duration was 42 seconds.  Delivery of the message was successful!  The business office can rely on Vontoo reporting that gives call detail down to the individual person, the time the message was delivered, and how long the recipient listened.

“I feel good about the outcome of the campaign. It took just minutes to record and send the message and we had our largest on-time tuition collection in memory.  We know that the best place to reach our students is on their phones.  We’ve since recommended Vontoo to other colleges.”

Alice A Shelton
Director of Business Services, Marian University

Customer:
Muskegon Community College

Industry:
Community College

Goal:
Increase Communication and Decrease Drop-Outs

Result:
Sustained $115K in Tuition and Increased Communication

Muskegon Community College Prevent Drop-Outs Using Vontoo Voice Marketing

School reaches existing and prospective students effectively and decreases marketing expenses

WHO

Muskegon Community College is a publicly supported educational institution that grants associates degrees to students. Established in 1926, the school is located in Western Michigan and serves nearly 5,000 students.

THE SITUATION

Muskegon Community College had a problem. Despite efforts to communicate with students effectively, students continued to miss special events and forget important deadlines. For example, each semester, the school faced a large number of students being dropped from classes as a result of missed tuition payments.

The school tried using various marketing techniques in the past, including direct mail reminders and live calls by staff members, but both were costly and time consuming. The school was looking for a new, effi cient, inexpensive and effective means of better communicating with students.

THE CAMPAIGN

The school started using Vontoo in March of 2009. Their voice campaign began with calls to current students to remind them of important special events and tuition payments deadlines. The results were so positive that the school decided to begi  extending calls to prospective students, as well.

THE RESULTS

Muskegon CC was thrilled with the results! By utilizing Vontoo, the school saw an immediate reduction in students dropped from classes due to missed tuition payments – one third fewer students were dropped for this reason than in the previous year! This resulted in over $115,000 in tuition sustained!

The service has also saved the school time and money by freeing up staff from making calls, and it has reduced the occurrence of ill-will among students dropped from classes due to missing tuition payments. By taking a proactive approach to communicating, Muskegon helped make students and prospective students feel welcome, informed and important. Simple reminders are going a long way towards personalizing relationships with students.

“Each time we send a Vontoo call, we immediately see our phones light up with student responses. The service has saved us students and tuition payments, saved our staff members’ time and has more than paid for itself. We couldn’t be happier with our decision to use Vontoo’s voice marketing services!”

George Maniates, Associate Vice President of Student Services, Muskegon Community College

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

Client: Pacific University
Industry: NCAA
Goal: Fundraising Event Attendance

Pacific University Finds True Star Power in Vontoo Voice Messaging
Alumni association incorporates call messaging into highly successful celebrity fundraiser

Receiving a phone call from one’s former college may not seem unusual. However, when the message comes directly from a celebrity like lead KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer or former San Francisco 49er Dwight Clark, it gets more notice. With this kind of star power behind the Pacific University Legends Golf Classic, the institution sought a distinctive approach to enhancing the event’s promotion. What it found was the emotional impact of Vontoo voice
messaging to be a key factor in creating a “smashing success” of a fundraiser.

The classic was a two-day event benefiting the school’s athletic department. According to Alumni Director Brian Hess, participants could pre-bid on various celebrities in an on-line auction to join their foursome. Wanting to fully leverage this star power, Hess relied on Vontoo’s voice messaging.

“Our in-house phone tree system couldn’t handle the campaign,” explains Hess. “Vontoo seemed like the perfect solution for this kind of high-level celebrity tournament.”

Vontoo delivers pre-recorded voice messages to any landline, mobile or Internet-based phone in the United States or Canada. Via a simple Internet interface, Hess seamlessly imported his Excel list of invited participants into Vontoo’s system and then scheduled a delivery time for the messages. Hess next asked featured celebrities to make a recording encouraging the participants to bid, which was accomplished through a simple phone call. Once the voice messages were completed, they were automatically distributed as scheduled.

“With its straightforward three-step process, Vontoo was very easy to follow and simple to execute for the celebrities,” explains Hess. “Other systems required travel to campus to record a message.”

Hess says he relied on Vontoo’s tracking reports automatically generated after every voice broadcast to discover which messages reached a live person versus an answering machine or voicemail system, and for how long that individual listened to the call. “Not only were Vontoo’s reports useful in knowing who was most interested, but it was also a reasonably inexpensive way of maintaining enthusiasm and awareness,” he shares. “The response rate was quite strong.” While it was difficult to gauge Vontoo’s full impact as this was a first-time event, Hess says the majority of bidding came from those who received a celebrity reminder call versus only mailed or e-mailed communications.

Pacific University is now exploring other applications such as class reunions, annual giving campaigns, and recruitment efforts where Vontoo supported campaigns could play an integral role. “In university relations, an individual’s level of connection to the institution is crucial…,” reflects Hess. “…and in this area, Vontoo adds another level of personalization. It is a wonderful way to send a direct message to a group of individuals.”

Client: Ivy Tech Community College
Industry: Education
Goal: Increase enrollment and communication

Ivy Tech Community College sets spring enrollment record, crediting Vontoo voice marketing
School reaches prospective students effectively and decreases marketing expenses

ABOUT Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is the nation’s largest state-wide community college with single accreditation. It is Indiana’s second largest public post-secondary institution serving more than 120,000 students a year. Ivy Tech is also the state’s most affordable college. Students can earn a degree for less than $6,000.

THE SITUATION
Ivy Tech was looking for an affordable way to communicate with prospective students, letting them know the great value the school provides and especially why it’s a great option during difficult financial times. The school had previously used a voice messaging service to send reminders to students and prospective students but was looking for a more user-friendly and cost-effective means of contacting them.

In July of 2008, Ivy Tech’s Assistant Regional Resource Director, Matt Diuro, discovered Indianapolis-based Vontoo voice marketing and decided to use it as a partial replacement for paper mailers that the school had traditionally used.

THE CAMPAIGN
Ivy Tech started using Vontoo in many levels of their marketing – from recruitment of prospective students to keeping existing students informed. On the recruitment side, Vontoo has helped enhance the process. Manually recruiters could only reach around 15-20 prospective students per hour. Now, Ivy Tech recruiters can send a Vontoo message to 15-20 thousand students.

But keeping existing students informed is equally as important to Ivy Tech, so they use Vontoo regularly to remind students of upcoming events, orientation, and deadlines for payments due and class enrollment.

THE RESULTS
By switching from their prior phone service to Vontoo, Ivy Tech was able to save $15,000 per year and also enjoy the user-friendliness and detailed reporting provided by Vontoo. The school also recently set a spring enrollment record and is currently about 13% above its targeted enrollment growth. Additionally, Vontoo allowed Ivy Tech to attach their name to outgoing calls, unlike the service they had used in the past. This way, when a call comes in on a recipients’ caller ID, it says “Ivy Tech,” instead of appearing to come from an unknown, out-of-state number.

“To say we are thrilled with Vontoo would be an understatement. They help us keep our costs low and our communication high. And our record enrollment is icing on the cake .”
-Matt Diuro, Ivy Tech Community College
Assistant Regional Resource Director

Client: College of DuPage
Industry: Education
Goal: Increase enrollment

Vontoo voice marketing helps college increase enrollment

Leveraging voice technology, college enrolls more students and obtains over $10,000 in additional revenue

ABOUT College of DuPage
The College of DuPage, is the third-largest single-campus community college in the nation and the second-largest institution of higher education in Illinois. Located in Glen Ellyn, IL., the school has been in existence for over forty years.

THE SITUATION
As a result of the economic downturn, DuPage began seeing their budget diminish and enrollment slip. But in an effort to stay competitive, they took a hard look at new ways to improve marketing and communication with students and prospective students.

THE CAMPAIGN
College of DuPage used voice calls to uniquely communicate with students about its offerings. The school found that the power of human voice over their traditional methods of communication really resonated well with students.

THE RESULT
The results were astounding!  College of DuPage achieved impressive results using Vontoo’s service, increasing enrollment and adding over $10,000 in revenue. The college was also very impressed with the support offered by Vontoo’s staff and the user-friendly nature of the service.

“The product is amazing. We were very impressed with its volume, reach and efficiency, and the service is very affordable – the campaign more than paid for itself.”
- Jane Smith, Dean of Admission SVCs and Registrar at the College of DuPage

Client: West Texas A&M
Industry: NCAA
Goal: Ticket Sales

Record Breaking Season: West Texas A&M University Sets New Attendance Record Using Voice Messaging

West Texas A&M University’s 2007 football season can be summed up in two words- record breaking. Not only did the team have a perfect 11-0 season, but the Bulls managed to break 20 school records this year, including the largest single game attendance in school history.

Over 23,000 fans jammed into Kimbrough Memorial Stadium during homecoming week to watch their team keep the treasured Wagon Wheel trophy in their tenure against rival team Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU).

West Texas A&M has lead NCAA Division II in fan attendance since 2005. Michael McBroom, Director of Athletics for the University, wished to keep this top spot for the 2007 season as well. Undertaking this mission to keep attendance numbers up, McBroom was looking for new and cost-effective ways to reach their fan base. He came across Vontoo voice messaging during a Google search and thought it might be just the solution to help ensure the Bulls keep their place as number one in attendance for the third consecutive year.

During the 2007 season, the Bulls’ Athletic Department initiated over 10 different calling campaigns to reach local alumni, season ticket holders and members of their local Kid’s Club. One such campaign put forward a challenge to the Bulls’ loyal fans. If 15,000 tickets were purchased before 5:00 p.m. on Thursday of Homecoming Week, then one fan would be randomly selected to win a large cash prize at Saturday night’s game against ENMU.

13,000 tickets were purchased prior to the deadline. This was a major victory for the ticket office, as they normally sell between 4,000 and 5,000 pre-game tickets. On game night, 23,276 fans filled the stadium and cheered their team on to victory. This broke the previous attendance record set in 2005 where 22,993 fans came out to that season’s ENMU game.

McBroom attributes the climb in pre-game ticket sales to the Vontoo voice message sent to over 13,000 people earlier that week, earning the University an excess of $50,000 in revenue.

“Vontoo was a perfect fit for our marketing plan,” said McBroom. “We have a limited marketing budget. Vontoo was by far the easiest and most lucrative way to hit our target audience as often as possible.”

“This is a marketing tool that I can maintain with my hectic schedule,” said McBroom. “We can write a script for a message, record it, and send it to 13,000 or more people in just 20 minutes. I can be anywhere and have the ability to reach fans with updates and reminders…it keeps us fresh in their minds.”

Impressed with the results from this past season’s voice messaging campaigns, McBroom plans to continue using Vontoo to reach the University’s basketball teams’ fan base, as well as the fans of their spring sports.

Client: University of California at Berkeley (Cal)
Industry: Education
Goal: Increase ticket sales and renewals

NCAA athletic departments score with Vontoo voice marketing

Successful voice marketing campaign leads to profitable sales for appliance and electronics retailer

ABOUT University of California and Xavier University

The athletic departments at two NCAA schools – the University of California at Berkeley (Cal) and Xavier University – wanted something new, fast-paced and exciting to add to their marketing mixes this season and looked to instant voice marketing to fulfill that need.

THE SITUATION

With shrinking endowments, depressing ticket sales and marketing budgets at an all time low, collegiate athletic teams are feeling the effects of the economy. Tough times make it even more critical than normal for teams to communicate effectively and inexpensively with fans and ticket holders.

THE CAMPAIGNS

Cal’s athletic department first used Vontoo in July of 2008, by sending a recorded message from their new men’s basketball coach, Mike Montgomery. He enthusiastically announced his arrival at the school and provided a friendly reminder to season ticket holders and potential buyers to purchase tickets for the upcoming season.

Additionally, the athletic department at Xavier University began using the service in multiple campaigns beginning in the early spring of 2008. One included sending out a call to its men’s basketball season ticket holders, recorded by head coach Sean Miller, thanking fans for their support and encouraging them to renew season tickets. In another campaign, Xavier reminded fans the night of a nationally-televised game to wear the team’s blue and white colors according to seat location.

THE RESULTS

As a result of Cal’s campaign, the athletic department saw deposits for ticket purchases from fans increase and received very positive feedback from recipients of the message, who expressed excitement at hearing “personally” from Coach Montgomery.

Xavier was particularly pleased with the ability to communicate in such a timely manner. No other marketing medium would have allowed them to “talk” to their fans a few mere hours before an event.

“When we need to communicate with a large group of fans on short notice, Vontoo is really the only feasible way to get the word out. We can record and send a message, relaying important information, in a matter of minutes and at an expense that doesn’t kill our budget.”
- Brian Hicks, Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing at Xavier University

Client: Boston College
Industry: Collegiate Athletics
Goal: Increase ticket sales and attendance

A personal call from Heisman candidate quarterback sends ACC title game ticket sales soaring for the Boston College Eagles

Boston College’s upset against the Clemson Tigers sent their football team to their first ever Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title game appearance. As the Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs at the university, Jamie DiLoreto wanted to fill the stadium with as many Eagles fans and alumni as possible. He knew he’d have to get creative as the turnaround time for ticket sales was less than two weeks.

Previously, Boston College used a post card mailing system that was often expensive and required a lot of time to reach out to the university’s fans and alumni. This year they decided to try a different marketing tactic than what they’d used in the past and implemented a calling campaign powered by Vontoo voice messaging. Vontoo allows users to quickly and easily send personalized voice messages to any landline or mobile phone in the U.S. or Canada.

A few weeks before the ACC title game, a personal message was sent to more than 115,000 season ticket holders and alumni from Matt Ryan, the team’s highly celebrated quarterback. Boston College started seeing results immediately. More than 4,000 tickets were sold and distributed for $85 and $125 each. The phones rang for days in the athletic department.

Even the fans that were not directly targeted by the voice messaging campaign commented on the well-liked message by making remarks such as, “My friend just got a call from the quarterback to buy tickets and I would also like to buy some.”

The athletic department at Boston College was very impressed by the new marketing system that they employed. Beyond the fact that they were able to earn an enormous profit from ticket sales, the athletic department valued Vontoo’s tracking methods that enabled them to see concrete results. They found it more than useful as they could see the exact number of calls that were answered, not answered, or directed to voicemail.

“The Vontoo voice recording procedure was very effective in communicating the information for the ACC Championship to our fans,” said DiLoreto. “Having a recording from Matt Ryan promoting ticket and travel packages helped us meet our needs and provided effective means for tracking delivery. Knowing that the message was delivered is a huge value.”

In Matt Ryan’s message he also requested that any recipients who could not attend the ACC title game donate their tickets to local charity and foster homes. More than 400 tickets were sold and given to charity through that single message.

DiLoreto and the athletic department at BC didn’t previously advertise that they wanted tickets to be donated to local charities and foster homes, so they knew that Vontoo was the only reason that more than 400 tickets were sold for that purpose.

“This is definitely one of the most effective and creative marketing mediums we have used to date. As a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, I will absolutely tell members how effective Vontoo is, especially during bowl season. We look forward to continuing our use of Vontoo well into the future.”