The field of overseas education consultancy has evolved to be quite competitive nowadays with countless numbers of students searching for guidance to study in their desired country. Cooperating in this ever-growing market requires the amount of lead, application, and follow-up management in order to succeed. Pipeline management steps into the picture as a proven strategy of tracking every student’s journey from the initial interest to enrollment.
In this blog, we will define what pipeline management is and its importance and Implementation process for overseas education consultants.
CRM and pipeline management is one process which enables an organization to track the customers or targets (students in this case) through stages of a pipeline. Such stages primarily correspond to the customer’s process, from the moment of his or her concern to the point of him or her making the decision, or reaching his or her goal.
For overseas education consultants, a typical pipeline might include the following stages:
Students or parents carry interest to learn in another country by completing a form with an inquiry. Read More – Lead Generation Techniques
The consultant gives information and directions that are unique to the student.
Relevant documents required to make a decision, including marks sheet, transcript, and test scores, to name but a few, are obtained.
The application of the student is submitted to the preferred universities or colleges.
With communication as a parameter, he or she is updated on the progress of the application regularly.
Help is offered in acquiring a visa and any other formalities associated with acquiring one.
The student gets an admission letter and joins the institution in question.
Pipeline management deals with the planning, supervision, and reassessment of every phase, so that it effectively runs all through and at the same time produces the best results.
Due to the advancement in technology, the management of pipeline has been shifted and taken up a new face that is efficient and more personalized. Technological tools such as Future CRM Trends, AI, and data analytics are allowing consultants to look at the trends and find out who the best potential leads for the consulting services are and advising the students on how to go about it.
Such solutions will, therefore, need to be adopted as competition increases in the market and continuous innovation becomes the order of the day. For overseas education, pipeline management is not an option; it is a requirement. Here’s why:
Educational consultants who deal with overseas education often have to tackle many students at one time and all of them may not be in the same year and may require different things done at different time. Sometimes this information may be lost since there is no proper way of organizing it without a system in place.
Pipeline management means that each process can be managed with scale and increasing students’ volume does not cause problems with their management.
In this process of applying for universities outside the country, students depend on consultants to help them. This is an intentional tactic that when well implemented and maintained translates into instant follow-ups, efficiency in information flow and an application pleasant to the students. A happy customer is likely to refer other people to seek services from you.
The notable pipeline management systems have an integrated feature of data analysis tools that measure the efficiency of different phases. Consultants can notice the possible time-consuming processes, like, the delays occurring in document collecting or application filing, and resolve them. This makes the process of decision-making to be more effective as well as increases the rate of success.
Lack of proper management of leads became an issue for conversion of inquires into enrollments. That way consultants can keep track of each student and ensure that as little leads as possible are dropped. This translates to increased effectiveness on conversion, and therefore, better revenue outcomes.
Here are some practical steps for overseas education consultants to implement pipeline management:
The best method to automate the pipeline process is by utilizing an Overseas Education Consultants CRM which is specifically manufactured for educational consultants. Leads can be tracked, follow-up dates made and performance measurement and analysis is also facilitated by these CRMs.
It is also important to have clear steps in the pipeline that are related to the stages a student can go through. Make it clear for all the members in the team on what is expected of them during every phase.
This pipeline should be evaluated against common benchmarks, including lead response time, lead conversion rates, and the overall success rate of visas.
In turn, involve the students in the process and provide them with the requisite information at each stage of the process. They tend to remain loyal and committed considering that updates light up their screens frequently thereby decreasing the level of anxiety.
Sustainably monitor the pipeline for inefficiency and make necessary improvements. Always check for stages that may have students dropping out or experiencing a set back, and address the issue.
Conclusion
Pipeline management forms the core strategies of overseas education consultants. The structure of the journey for students in consultation ensures efficiency, effectiveness, high student satisfaction, and achievement of goals. In this highly competitive industry, it is crucial to apply proper pipeline management for a business, irrespective of whether it is a small consultancy company or a big organization.
For consultants, a well-managed pipeline not only serves its card to your business house but also enables innumerable students to fulfill their dreams of getting an education abroad.