DECEMBER 2018 5 9 A school can action a mystery shopper experience themselves to ascertain how competing schools compare with their own processes. Survey Another approach to analyse how your processes are being perceived by actual parents is to produce a survey for selected parents who contact or visit the school. Survey questions should cover many of the points listed in the mystery shopper program, but with added details on particular aspects of events. An enlightening process is to develop a specific survey for parents who decline the offer of school enrolment. This survey can be a valuable insight for the Admissions team, but also for the leadership and governance committee of the school. All the representatives of the school will be able to see which factors are negatively impacting on the Admissions process. Likely issues may include: fees, co-curricular activities, word of mouth from current or other parents, or how callers were treated. For a survey, it is good to develop a sliding scale relating to how the parent felt the school performed in a range of selected categories and processes. The survey should also allow for general comments – it is often here that school authorities can receive information about items that they had not previously been focusing on. Your Checklist In summary, it is recommended that you undertake the following actions to ensure you are following best practice: Develop an Admission’s plan which details all the processes for each step in the enrolment process 1. Develop a communication plan for those who enrol or show interest in your school. 2. Test your processes through a mystery shopper program. 3. Survey the people who apply to attend your school to ascertain real time feedback. Educate Plus is here to support its members so please get in touch or investigate our Certified Advancement Training programs or other professional development initiatives. Note: A full report on the Admission’s Survey findings can be found in the Resources section on our website. NEIL MCWHANNELLL JP GAICD CEO EDUCATE PLUS DECEMBER 2018 5 9