1 Jan 2024
WhatsApp makes it easy for educators to meet students where they spend their time daily and offer personalised support, educational content and real-time assistance. In this blog, we explore how educational institutions can make the most of WhatsApp for better student engagement and support.
Why WhatsApp is ideal for education providers
Education is evolving to meet students where they are: on their smartphones. WhatsApp is the most popular chat app in the world, making it an ideal tool for education providers. Here's why:
Student enrolment
A millennial exchanges an average of 67 text messages per day. Educational institutions can leverage this by meeting prospective students where they are - on their phones. This gives prospective students a chance to engage in real-time with educators, ask questions and even enrol through WhatsApp.
Improved teacher-student communication
WhatsApp provides a convenient way for teachers and students to communicate outside of regular classroom interactions. Educators can share study materials, reminders, references, and learning resources via WhatsApp. Students can easily get their queries resolved by messaging teachers, tutors, and professors on WhatsApp. This improves teacher-student collaboration.
Service students with speed
WhatsApp's real-time messaging capabilities are incredibly useful for educators with full schedules and many students. Educators can swiftly send announcements or reminders, and even answer student queries without the delay associated with other communication channels like email.
Give students a visual aid with media
Education isn't just about text and books; it's about engaging content. WhatsApp supports multimedia sharing, allowing teachers to send documents, images, videos, and audio files. This improves the learning experience, making it easier to share educational materials, and assignments, or even explain complex concepts.
24/7 Student support
Education isn't limited to a strict 9-to-5 schedule anymore. WhatsApp provides 24/7 accessibility for both education institutions and students, accommodating different learning styles and allowing for synchronised communication.
How education providers can use WhatsApp
From answering general academic queries and providing relevant course materials to signing up more students, integrating WhatsApp allows educational institutions to create a supportive and accessible environment for their students. Let’s explore how education providers can use WhatsApp effectively.
Implementing WhatsApp chatbots for efficient support
The reality for education providers is that they need to constantly develop new ways to effectively and efficiently manage support given the rising number of student questions.
WhatsApp chatbots offer an easy way to handle routine queries and frequently asked questions by providing instant responses and reducing resolution times.
Universities can implement WhatsApp chatbots to assist prospective students with queries related to admission procedures, course details, scholarships, and application deadlines.
Personalised student support with live chat
Live chat allows education providers to serve their students in real-time, ensuring that assistance is available whenever it is needed. Universities can use live chat to offer personalised counselling and support services. Students can reach out for emotional or academic assistance, and the university can provide guidance, schedule appointments, or refer them to the appropriate resources.
Mass announcements with broadcasts
Get your message across with broadcasts on WhatsApp. Education providers can use WhatsApp broadcasts to send out important campus-wide announcements, including class cancellations, event reminders, and safety alerts. Using Cue, Richfield increased their response rates by 7x with WhatsApp broadcasts.
Captivating prospective students with WhatsApp
Did you know that 84% of users between the ages of 24 and 35 use WhatsApp? This means that young people and students make up the majority of WhatsApp users. Attracting prospective students to your institution involves creating engaging student experiences on familiar channels. WhatsApp integrates with tools like web widgets, chatbots, and live chat to captivate and guide potential students.
Web widgets: Your virtual front door
Web widgets are floating buttons that can be easily embedded on your website and allow potential students to start a conversation with you on their preferred channel. By embedding WhatsApp web widgets on your websites, you give prospective students the chance to start a WhatsApp conversation and have their questions answered.
Chatbots: Your 24/7 guide
Education providers can use chatbots to manage admissions inquiries. Prospective students can engage with chatbots to get information on application procedures, program details, and scholarship opportunities.
MANCOSA chose Cue to power a WhatsApp solution that is capable of capturing leads and funnelling the data into their CRM. This resulted in a conversion rate increase from 3% to 7.9%.
Live chat: Personalised and fast assistance
Education providers can use live chat to offer personalised academic advice and counselling to prospective students. As they consider their educational paths, students can access guidance on course selection, career advice, or any academic or personal concerns.
Meet students where they are with WhatsApp Business
From guiding prospective students to assisting existing students, education providers can leverage the power of WhatsApp to boost student engagement and enrolment. Get started with WhatsApp Business and meet students where they are. Get a demo with Cue today.