Here are 6 tips On Ensuring your Ideal Families Enroll Year after Year

Parents are your greatest asset, no matter what you do in trying to gain new enrollment, ensure you do not lose your current parents. The mistake most schools make at the beginning of a new academic year is to focus their attention on gaining new students, and neglecting the currents families they have enrolled in their school. It is very hard to gain back a lost family, and the ultimate result of losing one or two families is the testament they give about your school to other prospective parents.

So if you are having a problem getting families back into your private school year after year, here are 6 tips to employ:

1.   Customer Service: Yeah, you read that right, they are your customers. Treat them the way you would like to be treated when shopping for a car. Make them feel welcome and appreciated, not just on the first day of their enrollment, but at every moment of their stay in your school. When they make payment, make use of the moment to ask about their satisfaction – if they are enjoying your service, or there is something they want you to work on as a school. Send them messages periodically from the desk of the school administration.

2.   Let them Know what Sets your School Apart: They probably saw this before signing up, but as their stay starts to extend, those distinctive features seem to dwindle. Do not just send pictures or a newsletter to affirm this, let your academic performance make you stand out among your competitors.  

3.   Make them Feel Needed: Right from the moment they enroll in your school, get them fixed in an activity. Most schools think that the work of the parents is just to come and drop their kids in school, and go by their daily life. Do you know parents can partake in school activities? Let them feel at home among other communities of parents. Have parents come give career day talks, PTA executives, event planning executives, and so on. If they feel needed, they are less likely to walk away.  

4.   Include them in your Marketing Team: This right here is a must-do. It is related to the third point above. When they first enroll, don’t just take a picture of them and post it on Facebook.  Capture a video testimonial and share it all over the place (your website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). Ask them to refer new families (Word of Mouth Marketing) and reward them for doing so.  Raise the bar of expectation – make sure they know they are part of your marketing department!

5.   Be Authentic: When a teacher or an administrator makes a mistake, own up to it, and apologize.  Admit where you fall short and ask for grace.  This goes a long way to retaining families.  Nothing drives people away more than hypocrites or people who refuse to admit they are wrong.  Remember that old business adage, “the customer is always right.”  A difficult pill to swallow in some instances at your school, but a great guide for those times when you are tempted to try and be right yourself.

6.   Showcase their Children: Schools are fond of selecting the ‘pretty students’ as the face of the school, this is a bad thing to do. Every child has an equal right to be celebrated and recognized, no matter what. Families love it when they see their kids on stage, include all kinds of students in your recruiting video. This might not sound easy, but however, it is essential.

You might be surprised that most of these points are somehow related to that of a business, probably because your school is one. The moment you take your current customers (parents) for granted, the news starts spreading, and you’ll start losing them. Ensure to treat your parents like the Kings that they are so they can keep coming back.