Converting 87% of prospects

The University of Sheffield

800
plus
messages exchanged on the platform
78
percent
of messages exchanged on A-level results day or 2 weeks after it
87
percent
of clearing leads went on to register as a student
19
plus
Student ambassadors live on the site

University of Sheffield: 
Converting 87% of prospects during Clearing


87% of clearing leads went on to register as a student

The Challenge

For the University of Sheffield, like all UK institutions, Clearing is a “make-or-break” time in the recruitment process: it’s how they fill any places they still have on their courses by opening up applications for prospective students who haven’t locked in an offer. 

Although Clearing is open from July to September, activity peaks right after A-level results day in August, when UK students discover their grades.

When it comes to Clearing, the challenge for universities is standing out from the crowd, grabbing best-fit students’ attention in a very competitive and noisy landscape. The University of Sheffield was looking for a way to do just that by giving prospects the opportunity to chat with their student ambassadors and building those personal connections that would get them to see the university as a great option.

Student

“We were looking for a way to incorporate more of our student voice into our clearing campaign. We've tried web chats in the past but The Ambassador Platform enabled prospective students to make an instant connection with our current students when they were needing to make quick but important decisions.

We were really pleased with the outcome of our clearing campaign. The registration data shows that TAP is an extremely useful tool in helping prospects make an informed decision about where they are going to study. 

During the campaign, our student ambassadors were able to have some very insightful conversations with prospects struggling with a big decision they needed to make in a short space of time. Ambassadors were able to genuinely reassure prospective students and share their experience in a very accessible way”

Jo Thompson
Senior UK Student Recruitment Officer
The University of Sheffield

 

See Sheffield's TAP Feed

 

Direct conversations

Our web-based chat makes it easy for prospective students to have personal, authentic conversations with ambassadors directly on the University of Sheffield's website, creating a safe space for them to ask questions (and make decisions quickly)

Easy promotion

Ambassadors' pop cards are an eye-catching and effective way to promote Sheffield’s ambassadors directly on the University's clearing homepage, and spot those who are more likely to share similar backgrounds

Safeguarding by design

The Ambassador Platform comes with built-in safeguarding features and alerts, matching the University of Sheffield's "safeguarding-first" approach

The Experience

As a long-term user of The Ambassador Platform, the University of Sheffield had a team of 15 student ambassadors already active on the platform. But Clearing isn’t a time for “business as usual”: that’s why the university decided to go all-in by adding 4 more ambassador profiles, creating a special Clearing landing page for new applicants, and planning an email campaign to promote their Feed.

 

Results

The results speak for themselves: of all the prospective student leads who chatted to Sheffield ambassadors via The Ambassador Platform in the key month of August, 87% went on to enroll.

In August, 808 messages were exchanged on Sheffield’s Feed, 632 of which were either on A-level results day or during the two weeks after it (78% of the total messages).

According to the insights gathered from the conversation, the most popular topic of conversation was course details, followed by how Clearing worked, entry requirements, what life at the University of Sheffield is really like, and student accommodation.

And to those prospective students, these conversations made all the difference:

“Thank you so much for all your help and answers, if I think of anything else I’ll be sure to message you!” (UK Prospect)

“I don't know what to say but a big thank you sis.😘 You have shared me a lot of information about your experience. I find it totally fun to know about your life there and also about your journey to get there.” (Malaysian Prospect)

“Thank you so much for everything! It is so great to be able to talk to someone who is studying what I am interested in!” (UK Prospect)

See how The Ambassador Platform can help you drive Clearing applications today:


Book a demo

Related articles