Businesses spend five times more in attracting new customers than keeping an existing one. This is why most of them are now investing in customer loyalty. A new session is on the way, the school re-enrollment period will start soon, perhaps it is time for you to consider focusing on your existing parents.
Attracting new students is necessary for your schools’ growth, but not at the detriment of existing students. If you are not working to retain the ones you have while attracting new prospects, then you have a problem at hand. You ask why? If students are leaving your school without graduating or relocating to a new region, and you are not working to solve this, your attempt to get new students will suffer for it.
No one will enroll a child in a school that cannot satisfy students enough to stay. The chances you have at getting new students will only increase if you improve at retaining the existing ones. Although it might be difficult for some schools to keep track of all their parents, making the effort is worth it. You might be wondering why some schools choose to be parent-oriented.
They hold PTA, involve parents, and at the end share food and souvenirs. They do all these because they understand clearly the value that is attributed to retaining their existing parents.
Here are some ways to keep your current families happy and to keep them from leaving:
1. Make Them Want to Re-Enroll
As you plan towards enrollment for the new prospective families, do not forget your current families also. Many of them tend to back out when they are not carried along. Even before the academic year comes to an end, organize an event where they are recognized and celebrated. Give out awards like ‘father of the year’, ‘mother of the year’ and so on. Let them share stories amongst themselves as well and discuss what is next for the school. Events like this will create a sense of strong community among the parents and make them want to enroll.
2. Make Re-Enrolling Easy for Them
Parents nowadays are always overwhelmed with the amount of paperwork that comes with re-enrolling their children year after year. Normally, parents would have to go through the same process every year when re-enrolling their child(ren). Make it easier for them by not making them go through any tedious paperwork if they plan to re-enroll.
You can employ the whole paperwork signing for parents that plan to leave the school.
3. Have a Yearly Re-Enrollment Plan
Schools make the mistake of waiting till the re-enrollment period before they start addressing their parents’ concerns. Ensuring that your current parents are well delighted and taken care of is what you do all year round. As a result, some parents would have even concluded about leaving the school before the new re-enrollment period begins.
Always remember that satisfied families are the best marketers you can get. When they are treated well, they are happy to share their excitement with others. This can ultimately lead to growth in enrollment for your school.
