March 13, 2018
The breakneck pace of modern technological advances has resulted in a smaller world where no horizon seems too distant. If there is any generation that benefits most from the advantages of a shrinking world it is that of the students and young adults. This generation dreams big and feels a compelling drive to spread their wings and explore their options on a global level. The first step towards making this move begins with searching for information on various university websites and ranking tables. A prospective student’s experience on a website and the ease with which they find the answers to their queries will determine to a large extent their choice of course and university. Furthermore, it is this very section that is most adept at the use of technology and therefore anticipate services that match their expectations.
Universities today have to ensure they are equipped to handle the large volume of applications and enquiries from students located in varying time zones across the world. Often times they need quick answers, instant resolution of their doubts or timely assistance in making the right course selection. This has made live chat an indispensable feature for university websites or those of any educational institution as it helps maximise productivity in the most resourceful manner.
Below is the plethora of benefits that adding live chat services to your university website will bring to the online presence of your educational institution.
Ability to engage with your potential students in real time
Students visiting university websites are bound to have a host of questions with regard to the relevant programme, fee structure, accommodation, scholarships. These websites are usually quite overwhelming to navigate through to be able to find answers to specific doubts. Providing prospective students with expert support will guide them through the first and most crucial stage of their endeavour – selecting the best institution. Having round-the-clock chat agents ready to assist means you can look after website visitors even outside of local office hours. Friendly, accurate and timely assistance is key to winning over your visitors and converting them into new enrolments.
Maximising productivity whilst cutting cost
A robust live chat service can ease the load on your help desk and significantly reduce the volume of telephone calls and emails. The myriad features available to you through live chat can help you manage the online enrolment process in a much more efficient and resourceful way. Not only does this facilitate a great user experience for visitors, it also lends your institution a professional and modern appeal, making you score high on first impressions.
Gives you an insight into student interests
Through the use of live chat you will, over a period of time, be able to gather valuable insights into student needs and inclinations. The real time monitoring feature of the live chat software will track the user’s journey on your website thus giving you valuable hints to amend your online and offline marketing strategy.
Keeps you competitive
Most universities today are taking the proactive step of making the live chat option available to their website visitors. Even the reputed institutions set up more than a century ago have modernised their approach by including this dynamic feature as part of their real time online customer support service. It’s what students and parents too have come to expect and depend upon for a prompt resolution of their questions. By ensuring that students have the opportunity to reach out to real time support you are keeping pace with the competition and with a little planning and strategy, you will soon be able to outpace them.
Live chat is thus the very first step towards building a rapport of trust with your prospective customers. It is just as important for university websites as it is for other businesses, if not more. It only takes a moment of confusion for the visitor to switch over to another site but it would be a huge waste of opportunity for the host website. Empower students with relevant information and guide them in their journey by providing them with friendly, honest and personalized service through live chat.
So go ahead – do justice to the standing and reputation of the university by including live chat functionality and making sure you optimise every opportunity to convert visitors into your future students. Connect with us today to find out more about live chat and how to incorporate it into your online strategy.