We can also track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and in country fairs/visits based on what really matters – enrolments.

The PIE: I suppose you must have a macro-view of international enrolment trends?

“It is something that universities need to have a handle on and ensure that they keep up communication”

DF: Yes now that is something really interesting! Not only can we see the direct and immediate impact of a policy change in a particular country, but we can see how changes in one country affect another. On the first point, when you track enquiries to UK universities in the 2012 calendar year there is a clear and marked drop right around the time that UKBA announced the proposed changes to the post study work visa.

In Australia, meanwhile, since the Knight Review enquiries have shot up.  We also can tell you the average length of time between enquiry and application.  In one case an Indian student enquired 12 years before making an application!

The PIE: Really, 12 years before they applied?!
DF: Yes, really! You’d be surprised how long it sometimes takes between first enquiry and application and how much this varies from university to university, country to country, course to course. It is something that universities need to have a handle on and ensure that they keep up communication, don’t just assume they aren’t interested if they don’t apply the next year – and certainly never ever delete a prospect from a database!

The PIE: Are your clients reporting better conversion since using you?

DF: Overall most definitely – we find that carefully managed engagement, including regular calling can increase conversion rates by up to 43%. However it does depend on what the institution is trying to achieve, some are not all about conversion. We are all about helping institutions decrease their reliance on one or two core markets.

“What’s on my mind is rolling out an additional service to aid retention of international students”

The PIE: If institutions aren’t using company like Hobsons do you think they track data themselves?

DF: In this market, I am not sure how you can plan without doing this level of tracking. The benefit of working with us is that we are measured and paid on success.

The PIE: What next in terms of service developments?
DF: Globally, there are so many exciting developments including personalised videos, microsites with facebook integration and virtual orientation. However what’s on my mind is rolling out an additional service to aid retention of international students and we are talking to a handful of universities about how they might be able to use all the lessons learned converting international students to AAB domestic students. And.. we don’t yet track graduate outcomes but it is something we would like to in the future.