Most businesses that utilize contact centers do so for two basic reasons: customer service or customer acquisition. For those businesses using a contact center for customer service, an offshore or near-shore call center, while not optimal, may be sufficient.
However, for those businesses using contact centers for customer acquisition, or lead-generation, having a contact center that operates domestically, in the US, is a must. This rings especially true for career educators who are looking to boost enrollments.
Now, while many offshore contact center agents can be well trained, especially those operating in the customer service departments of large corporations, there exist several barriers with offshore call centers that may prevent a prospective student from wanting to enroll in a career-based school, or any institution of higher education for that matter.
Today, we’ll focus on the main reason: The lack of fellowship.
Because they may not be speaking in their native tongue, many offshore contact center agents don’t have an in-depth knowledge of the American-English language, and the cultural intricacies and regional accents we use with it.
While this may be ok for dealing with existing customer issues, this lack of American-style communication will not help generate new customers, or in your case, new students.
When a prospective student doesn’t “feel” they have anything in common with the agent they’re speaking with on the phone, or cannot fully understand how the agent is communicating, conversion rates often drop off a cliff.
Simply put, a prospective student wants to “feel” they have a lot in common with the person they’re talking to. A fellowship if you will.
If they don’t “feel” this interpersonal connection, they’re not likely to enroll. And this has nothing to do with the nationality of the call center agent. It’s all about commonality, communication style and empathy.
Well-trained US-based contact center agents, like those at Conversion Media Group, not only communicate with prospective students in their “language” but are also highly skilled in the art of rapport and empathy.
The agents at CMG put themselves in the prospective student’s shoes, and converse with them as a friend, or guidance counselor and can advise them to consider your school or programs, in a way they clearly understand.
In any business, comradery is incredibly important for converting a prospect into a customer…
And this is not conjecture. It’s a fact.
According to a study by Purdue University, “65 percent of American consumers would alter their buying behavior toward a company if they knew or had the impression the business was using an offshore call center…
“The results of this study confirm that the call center experience has a significant impact on how American consumers perceive a company…”[1]
The perception of your institution matters. As we said earlier, offshore contact centers may be alright for some large corporate customer service departments, but for higher-ed lead generation and prospect communications, US-based contact centers are a must.
Prospective students want to feel a connection with their agents. They want guidance from their peers…
And they want to know about the programs your institution offers.
Let Conversion Media Group’s expert, US-based agents introduce them to you.
We have the best trained, highest qualified, and most laser focused agents in the higher-ed lead generation business.
All of our contact centers are based in the US, are staffed with both American-English speaking and bi-lingual agents and are on the phone with thousands of prospective students, every day.
These are high-intent, highly qualified leads that are ready to learn more about your institution’s programs, and potentially enroll with you, ASAP!
You have the programs; we have the prospective students. See what our expert agents can do to boost your enrollment at: ConversionMediaGroup.com
[1] a59769f3-606b-45e3-b771-991f71360758 (kellyservices.com)