Do personalized communications make a big difference?

Key takeaways

• 87% of students who received personalized communications said that it was an important factor in their college decision
• On average, students have to speak with 4+ people to get an answer to a single advising question
• 85% of alumni agree they would donate more often if they knew their money was funding organizations or initiatives with which they were involved as a student

How do communications impact enrollment, engagement, and donations? According to a survey of students, alumni, and administrators, personal communications do make a difference.

During the enrollment process, 87% of students who received personalized communications said it was an important factor in their college decision process. And almost half of students who applied to multiple colleges said they decided against attending an institution because of poor communications.

While attending college, students crave advice but are frustrated with how often they need to repeat themselves. Students report having to speak with four or more people to get an answer to a single advising question.

And when it comes to alumni giving, 85% of recent graduates said they would donate more if they knew that their money was going to support an organization they were involved with as a student.

Administrators overwhelmingly agree that personalized communications have a positive impact on enrollment, engagement, and advancement but are frustrated by their access to complete, up-to-date data from across the institution. Of those surveyed, 87% think their colleges and universities will not be able to stay competitive without integrating their data across departments in the next five years.