Within Hong Kong’s education sector, a confluence of dwindling birth rates and recent surges in emigration has triggered an unparalleled slump in school enrollments. This trend has been particularly acute over the last three years, as the pandemic’s uncertainty and economic strains have made many families hesitate to have children, thus intensifying the problem. Kindergartens have borne the brunt of this downturn, suffering the most severe declines in student numbers.
A survey by the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers shows that up to 90% of kindergartens are facing student attrition, with a significant decline in new student registrations.
Against this backdrop, Kentville Kindergarten in Kowloon Tong, a traditional prestigious school with nearly 60 years of history, has also announced its closure after the 2025/2026 academic year, reflecting the severe challenges faced by the entire industry. This news highlights the urgent need for education centers to adopt effective strategies to increase enrollment rates under the current conditions.
This article will discuss strategies such as free trial classes and questionnaires to help educational institutions enhance their appeal and increase enrollment rates during these challenging times.
The Importance of Free Trial Classes
Free trial classes play a pivotal role in boosting the enrollment rates of education centers. Here is why free trial classes are crucial for enhancing the attractiveness of educational institutions:
1. Demonstrating Educational Quality and Features
Free trial classes provide a prime opportunity for prospective students and parents to experience firsthand the teaching quality and features of the education center, thus attracting them to register.
2. Increasing Visibility and Word-of-Mouth
Successful trial class experiences can encourage participants to recommend the education center through word-of-mouth, thereby attracting more potential students.
3. Reducing Student Apprehension about New Environments:
Free trial classes can help alleviate students’ tension and concerns about joining a new learning environment, making them feel more comfortable before making a final decision.
4, Collecting Feedback and Improving Courses:
Trial classes also offer an opportunity to collect feedback from participants, which is extremely helpful for further improving teaching methods and course content.
Through these strategies, education centers can not only demonstrate their educational quality but also stand out in a highly competitive market, attracting more students and parents.
Collecting Trial Class Feedback with WhatsApp API
Efficient collection and management of feedback from trial classes are key to enhancing the quality of educational services. Here is how education centers can optimize this process using the WhatsApp API:
1. Real-Time Feedback Collection
The WhatsApp API enables education centers to send out questionnaires or feedback forms to students right after the conclusion of a trial class. This timeliness ensures that the feedback collected is both current and genuine.
2. Streamlined Feedback Process
The use of the WhatsApp API allows students to provide feedback via a platform they are familiar with, which significantly lowers the barrier to participation and increases the rate of response.
3. Personalised Follow-Up
With the WhatsApp API, education centers can perform personalized follow-ups based on the precise feedback from students, enhancing their satisfaction and loyalty.
By adopting this method, education centers can not only collect and process feedback more efficiently but also strengthen student engagement, leading to improved instructional quality and student contentment.
The Role of Questionnaires in Enrollment
Questionnaires are a key tool in enhancing the efficiency of enrollment for educational institutions. Here are the methods of applying questionnaires in the enrollment strategy of educational institutions:
1. Understanding Potential Student Needs
Questionnaires help educational institutions gain insights into the needs and preferences of potential students, enabling the design of courses and services that better align with the target market.
2. Developing Targeted Marketing Strategies
By analyzing questionnaire results, educational institutions can create more effective marketing strategies to attract those potential students most likely to enroll.
3. Enhancing the Efficiency of the Enrollment Process
Questionnaires can collect basic information from students, providing the necessary data support for the subsequent enrollment process, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the entire procedure.
4. Boosting Student Engagement
Questionnaires make potential students feel that their opinions are valued, thus increasing their positive perception and engagement with the educational institution.
Utilizing questionnaires not only helps educational institutions better understand and meet the needs of potential students but also effectively enhances their market competitiveness and enrollment rates.
Combining Trial Classes and Questionnaires to Improve Conversion Rates
To maximize enrollment efficiency, education centers can adopt a strategy that combines free trial classes with questionnaires. The key to this integrated approach is to fully capitalize on every interaction opportunity with potential students. Through this combined strategy of trial classes and questionnaires, education centers can more effectively attract and convert potential students, thereby improving enrollment rates, while also providing educational services that better meet their needs.
Interested in learning how to use the WhatsApp API to boost your educational institution’s enrollment rates?
Schedule your 15-minute consultation now to discover how our expert education consultants can help tailor solutions for your institution and take your educational services to the next level.
