Connecting with students and alumni can make a huge difference for colleges and with text messaging emerging as one of the greatest ways to do so, it is no secret that text messaging is the preferred way of communication for almost everyone. Over 90% of smartphone users prefer text messaging over phone calls and 97% of text messages are read within 5 mins. There is multiple research that proves that when organizations implement text messaging as a method of communication, they get a higher engagement rate.
Can text messages work for higher education as well as it works for the companies? The answer to this question is yes.
Most of the universities are now taking the help of Salesforce SMS marketing to drive the engagement rate of the students and this strategy is turning out to be a success for them.
There’s a Salesforce CRM tool, Communicat-O, which integrates messages received from all over the social media under one unified platform. With the power of a shared inbox, you engage with your students better and ensure no messages are missed.
The following are the reasons why text messaging drives 10X engagement using Salesforce in-app messaging:
1. Students want to communicate with text-
This is the number one reason why universities should use text messaging as a method of communicating with prospective students or their students. Because this is how they want you to communicate with them. Students want to connect via text messaging as they don’t like talking on mobile phones and emails are for professionals and old people. A study from Royall and Company found out that 75% of students want to text with admission counselors. With Communicat-O, universities can test their students on the platform of their preference from a single point. Can it get any better?
2. Email is outdated-
During this pandemic era, colleges are facing increased engagement challenges as they are continually trying to communicate important updates via emails. Students are suffering from inbox overload with irrelevant information which creates email fatigue and students simply miss or delete emails altogether. Whereas 97% of text messages are read within 3 minutes. Students read a text message more frequently than they read their emails. Communicat-O has pre-configured SMS templates which are more aesthetic than a formal email, sending these templates by Salesforce in-app messaging drives engagement rates higher and higher.
3. Text engagement rate is much higher-
Studies show that less than 25% of emails related to education are ever opened. 98% of mobile phone owners read every text that they receive and 90% of them are read within 3 minutes. With this massive discrepancy, it is easy to identify that SMS response rates are 4 times higher compared to any other form of communication. Texting is the most convenient way for students to access all the relevant information provided by the institutions.
4. Texting provides real-time problem-solving-
Texting is the personal form of communication, you can engage students more via texting with them. This two-way form of communication also opens the door for future communication. Institutions know the disappointment of students leaving the colleges for the problems that could have been easily resolved, only if they were aware of the problems. When students are finding it difficult to resolve problems, personal or college-related, they are relieved to know that their support system is just a text away. What Communicat-O does is integrate all the social media interaction platforms under one single user interface. With the power of a shared inbox, it becomes much easier to engage with students better and to ensure that no messages are missed.
5. Texting is quick and easy-
All the students are very responsive when they are communicating in text messages. They all have their smartphones attached to them all the time and it is against their nature to miss any text that they receive. It is because they find it very easy to start a conversation in texts, they prefer texting over calling, it’s their comfort zone. It’s highly unlikely that they will follow up on their emails, ask queries via emails or even complete their pending tasks by seeing an email notification. To them, all the emails are trash, because of which pending tasks plummeted. Communicat-O’s intelligent messaging and quick response helps in engaging more students with the institution. With a college SMS option, students are more likely to send in their queries and in turn, apply to institutions’ programs.
6. Personalization is the key to engagement-
No two students face the same problem throughout their college career, they all come from different backgrounds, having different stories. Some of them need more support than others and communication is necessary to check in with their students, to support them in their well-being, and to impart a sense of belonging. With the help of Communicat-O, institutions can send personalized messages through Salesforce in-app messaging to students, personalizing in a way that will take care of every student’s need. Communicat-O’s behaviourally intelligent chatbot can build meaningful relationships with students by talking in a way that is friendly, fun, and suitable to them. This fosters a two-way approach to communication and students will feel less hesitant in sharing their problems or raising questions. Thus, driving engagement rates higher and higher.
7. Text messaging revivifies staff-
As education turned online, many staff members struggled to engage or motivate their students. There is a bombardment of emails in students’ inboxes with so much irrelevant information, which in turn, results in not opening emails. Staff members find themselves answering the same questions over and over again, leaving them a little to answer the more complex questions. You just need to feed in the answer in Communicat-O’s behaviorally intelligent chatbot and the rest will take care of answering the same question again and again. Giving staff members more time to prioritize students with complex queries and cultivate meaningful relationships with them. By implementing Salesforce in-app messaging, institutions are empowering their teams to work smarter and together.
Keywords: Salesforce CRM, Salesforce CRM marketing, Salesforce SMS marketing, Salesforce in-app messaging, Salesforce SMS templates, Social media integration, Salesforce messaging