Adult basic education enrollment is unique because programs attract very different, specialized populations. Plus, ABE departments are usually segmented from the rest of the college and have limited budgets. So, what’s the best way to make every dollar count and ensure prospects enroll?
Take Nevada’s Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC). While adult basic education students showed interest in programs, they weren’t signing up for classes — until the college employed some skillful tactics. Keep reading for the inside scoop with Cynthia Pierrott, TMCC’s Director of Adult Basic Education. You’ll discover how the new strategies for streamlining student onboarding boosted enrollment in noncredit and for-credit classes!
“The greatest result was that students weren’t being lost anymore,” says Pierrott. “Our English language learner population is back up to pre-COVID levels.”
From Inquiry to Orientation: Helping Adult Basic Ed Students Take the Next Step
The first thing TMCC tackled was removing onboarding barriers, creating what we like to call “frictionless service.”
Learn more about frictionless service: “3 Secrets to Success with KCC’s Kari Nugent: How to Build Better Strategic Enrollment Management Plans.”
“Students had to do all these steps to actually enroll in the program,” recalls Pierrott. “But the vast majority of our student population are working adults with kids.”
“All too often, if busy students run into roadblocks, they will just move on,” notes Dr. Diane Walleser, Interact’s CEO and Chief Strategist. In fact, TMCC received plenty of inquiries, but too many of those prospects never converted. While the ABE department boasted an amazing 80% retention rate, the college had to get more people through onboarding to get started.
That’s when TMCC and Interact reviewed the entire onboarding process to see where the college was overburdening students.
“We started eliminating or combining steps,” recalls Pierrott. Plus, the team configured a new CRM, ensuring a quick and warm response for students and helping the administrative team keep track of all the pieces.
Forget Spreadsheets: TMCC’s New CRM Turbocharges Adult Basic Ed Outreach
“Connecting with Interact to get a sophisticated CRM is really what helped us move forward and adapt,” says Pierrott.
Previously, the college’s process was manual and labor-intensive, relying on communicating with students in person or on the phone. Then COVID hit, and TMCC had to pivot quickly.
“We used a poor man’s CRM — Google Sheets,” recalls Pierrott. Spreadsheets connected multiple worksheets, and the office would do a mail merge at the end of the day. But by the time the manual process was complete, it took a few days to get back to students — and by then, it was often too late to reengage prospects. As Pierrott says, “That part of the onboarding process was taking way too long and was a barrier instead of helping our population get the services they needed.”
New CRM Streamlines Process
Enter the new CRM system, which eliminated the extra labor, streamlined the process, and made it easy to get back to students ASAP. Now, students receive a welcoming confirmation email as soon as they engage, congratulating them on completing the first step and nudging them along to the next milestone.
“Because students get replies immediately, they are more likely to enroll or continue the onboarding process because they feel supported,” Walleser says. The CRM also allows staff to see the communication log, making it an effective case management system for the entire team.
“Now, we’re transparent with our students so that we don’t lose them in the process,” says Pierrott. “That constant communication is essential to keep them engaged.”
Friendly, fast follow-up with prospects is the name of the game. The college also calls students on top of emailed communications for extra welcoming support.
“We still need that human touch because a lot of our lower-skilled populations still rely on phone calls,” says the director. “If someone follows up after every single step, then students know they are not forgotten. This reassures them that we will communicate with them until they’ve completed the entire process.”
The Hidden Benefit of CRM Strategy: Saving Hours of Administrative Work!
Truckee Meadows’ new CRM gives the adult basic education department more hours back into its day by making the entire application and onboarding process more organized. Administrators can add comments and notes to the system. So, anytime staff answer the phone or work with students, everyone on the team can stay on the same page.
“We can pick up with students where they left off, so we don’t have to start all over again,” says Pierrott, proud to remove any onboarding hurdles she can. “It’s beneficial to everyone, and it takes some of the burden off of us in a more effective way than putting that burden onto the student.”
“Frustration-free onboarding starts with a seamless system to help students move through each part of the process,” says Walleser. Now, TMCC has all its steps and communications clearly laid out for students, helping them along the onboarding process without overwhelming them. It’s a best practice every college can learn from!
How to Overcome the Unique Challenges of Adult Basic Ed Populations
With a streamlined onboarding system, TMCC can get its message across to students successfully. And in adult basic ed, that message is highly curated to particular student demographics.
“We did a lot of work with Interact to develop different communications with our population so we can bring in new students and continue to meet their needs,” says Pierrott. “It’s knowing where and how to communicate effectively, giving students a call to action that resonates with them.”
Tips to Effectively Communicate with ELL Students
Communicating with English language learner (ELL) students can be tricky. “In our ELL programs, we’re dealing with people who may be at a third-to-seventh-grade reading level in English, so we can’t use puns or slang because it won’t translate well,” says Pierrott.
TMCC’s ELL classes could have more than 50 nationalities at any time, so translating everything would be nearly impossible and prohibitively expensive. “That’s why we try to keep it in the simplest form of English, so they know what we’re asking them to do,” says Pierrott.
According to the adult education organization ProLiteracy, about 48 million adults in the United States cannot read above a third-grade level. The U.S. also has the largest immigrant population in the world, comprising 15% of the country’s population, and only about half are proficient English speakers.
When schools use needlessly complicated or confusing language, they alienate the students who need their services the most. Consider: A 2013 survey found that 70 percent of polled students were confused by the terminology on college websites. [For more about simplifying your marketing materials, read “Academic Jargon: Why It’s Evil and How to Crush It with 7 Simple Tips.”]
With the growing demand for ELL services, take a page from TMCC’s textbook: Remember to keep your marketing language simple to reach the most students.
Helping Adult Basic Ed Students Face Their Fears: HSE Pain Points
For adults looking to earn their high school equivalency (HSE), another barrier is at play: Fear.
“In some cases, they’ve been out of school for 15 or 20 years, and there is some embarrassment that they need to finish school,” says Pierrott. “The communication for this population is about encouraging them to return to school and that it is a safe place.”
For HSE learners, TMCC showcases the college’s nurturing and welcoming environment and many support services.
Of course, ELL and HSE students also share some concerns, including transportation issues, working full time, and needing child care. Including messaging with student services that address those barriers is also pivotal for communication arcs.
Making Every Dollar Count: Maximizing ROI for Adult Basic Ed on a Small Budget
“Marketing is not something that’s highly funded,” says Pierrott. So, prioritizing what departments can afford to maximize their ROI is crucial.
Since adult basic ed budgets tend to be small, tactics like postcard mailers and pay-per-click campaigns around course offerings are key. Plus, any kind of video content showcasing student success can motivate students and supply “social proof.”
In the TMCC community, the local news recently covered a former student who opened his own business, a great free piece of PR the college plans to leverage.
“Part of it is keeping our ears and eyes open to where our students have gone, showing a complete story and the possibilities that exist for students who start with noncredit,” says Pierrott. “We all know the power of storytelling. If we see someone who reminds us of ourselves, we’re more apt to take the plunge and enroll.”
Noncredit Adult Basic Ed: The Backdoor to Boost For-Credit Enrollment
As adult basic ed enrollments climb, so do the for-credit numbers at TMCC. “We’ve worked really hard to help transition students from noncredit over to for-credit,” says Pierrott. Pre-COVID, TMCC boasted a 33% transition rate, and the director says they are making progress:
“We’re slowly creeping back up to that high rate for our students transitioning into college programs,” says Pierrott. “Adult basic education gives students the tools and resources to learn to become a student again and makes them more successful once they transition to for-credit classes.”
Interact is proud to have helped TMCC’s Adult Basic Education program for four years and counting, and we look forward to celebrating more enrollment wins in the future!
“The Interact team is really amazing and extremely responsive to what we asked for,” says Pierrott. “They are professional and friendly, and they put together amazing packages.”
Does your college need help zeroing in on onboarding issues? Thinking about launching a CRM but not sure where to start? Reach out for a free consultation, and we’ll help you find new solutions!
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