Higher education: How to enroll students abroad?

Studying a semester abroad, or taking an internship in another country, has become something many students do nowadays. And during this period, each student experiences a time when they need advice from their home institution.

Whether they have problems in the administrative procedures of their stay, a bad experience in their internship, or a misunderstanding with the administration of the foreign university, the reasons why a student may need their institution are numerous. But how can you guide and help them, even from a distance?

Anticipate students' questions and difficulties before going abroad

Starting a new adventure abroad can be a source of anxiety for students. Students must be able to count on their school to support, reassure, and inform them as much as possible.

Improve information access

The challenge is to have available information to most students through various means, including digital tools. This is because 76% of students between 18 and 24 years old get their information from the internet.

Rely on a chatbot to answer questions from struggling students 24/7

A chatbot with artificial intelligence answers the most common questions asked by students. Program your chatbot to answer the most common requests, and it will efficiently assist your customer service, even outside opening hours. In other words, it's an interactive way to interact with users before and during their experience studying abroad.

Facilitate remote communications with a tool adapted to students' needs

Ensure personalized follow-up

The two solutions mentioned above are ideal for a large number of frequently asked questions such as: "The company is asking me to work overtime, what should I do?" or "Is my employer supposed to provide me with a lunch? But, what about more specific questions? The ones that a chatbot can't answer?

In such cases, you need to give students the opportunity to reach a person from the administration quickly and remotely. Something that can be easily done with messaging apps.

Messaging: a great way to keep in touch with students

Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and Instagram DMs, are perfect channels to stay in touch with students. These apps allow someone from the home college to answer students as soon as they can.

The ideal channels to easily keep in touch

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger exploded worldwide. Facebook announced that messages on Messenger were duplicated in just one month. At the same time, WhatsApp users increased by 40%. This instant growth proves that these networks are very effective tools when it comes to keeping in touch with loved ones or even communicating with organizations!

Gen Z: messaging natives

With 79% and 61% of users respectively, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are the most used messaging apps. And are most used by younger generations! Did you know that 62% of people born after 1996 use WhatsApp daily? This makes messaging apps the best way students can communicate with their school.

Can I talk to my students via WhatsApp or Messenger?

Absolutely! Thanks to some companies, like ChayAll, it is possible to set up a widget on your website. You just have to choose the messaging apps you want to use! Set up a widget on your site with the icons of the apps you choose and start talking with students. The students will only have to click on the ones they are interested in and start a chat with your team!

Show empathy, listening skills, and availability

Remember, even from a distance, you have to take care of your student's concerns. In the chat, don't hesitate to ask them to rephrase their request if it is not detailed enough.

Also, some complex situations may require a phone call. Know how to recognize them. This way, you optimize your teams' time by pre-qualifying students' questions. First a FAQ, next, a chatbot, then a message with a team member, and finally, if necessary, a phone call.

Survey students on their difficulties and needs abroad

Don't hesitate to ask students, at the end of their experience, about the difficulties and the questions they had. Easily expand your FAQ and your chatbot with relevant requests. This will save time for students and the educational team!