2008 Woodie Awards
Companies dial in on new recruitment method
Universities use telerecruiters to encourage top students
Wallace McKelvey
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: News
The future is calling, but will students pick up?
Colleges nationwide are taking cues from telemarketers in an effort to attract prospective students and maintain their campus connection.
"Telerecruiting has been our most successful service," said Bob Campagnuolo, associate vice president of operations for GDA Integrated Services, a marketing firm with calling centers throughout the United States.
Campagnuolo said colleges hire a telerecruiting service to call prospective students. The service acts as an extension of a school's admissions department and promotes the university and answers general questions related to admissions and college life.
At GDA-IS, the telerecruiting service has two tiers, he said. The first, telescripted calls, are scripted conversations used to reach a large number of potential students. Those who express an interest in the school are called by telerecruiters a second time to talk in greater detail.
Campagnuolo said the call centers can handle up to 10,000 students.
"The callers talk to kids, feel them out and try to get them to fill out an application or come visit campus," he said.
Once a college hires a telerecruiting firm, Campagnuolo said callers study the admissions process and other details of a particular school in order to answer questions.
"They really customize the calls based on the school they're working with," he said.
Gina Campbell, managing director of telerecruiting at GDA-IS, said the service is beneficial for overworked admissions counselors.
"We do the groundwork for counselors by contacting a large number of students in a short period of time," Campbell said. "Via daily e-mails, we are able to let the counselors know which students require immediate follow-up."
Campagnuolo said the most recent schools to utilize his company's services include the Florida Institute of Technology, Allegheny College in northwest Pennsylvania and Dickinson College near Harrisburg, Pa.
Colleges nationwide are taking cues from telemarketers in an effort to attract prospective students and maintain their campus connection.
"Telerecruiting has been our most successful service," said Bob Campagnuolo, associate vice president of operations for GDA Integrated Services, a marketing firm with calling centers throughout the United States.
Campagnuolo said colleges hire a telerecruiting service to call prospective students. The service acts as an extension of a school's admissions department and promotes the university and answers general questions related to admissions and college life.
At GDA-IS, the telerecruiting service has two tiers, he said. The first, telescripted calls, are scripted conversations used to reach a large number of potential students. Those who express an interest in the school are called by telerecruiters a second time to talk in greater detail.
Campagnuolo said the call centers can handle up to 10,000 students.
"The callers talk to kids, feel them out and try to get them to fill out an application or come visit campus," he said.
Once a college hires a telerecruiting firm, Campagnuolo said callers study the admissions process and other details of a particular school in order to answer questions.
"They really customize the calls based on the school they're working with," he said.
Gina Campbell, managing director of telerecruiting at GDA-IS, said the service is beneficial for overworked admissions counselors.
"We do the groundwork for counselors by contacting a large number of students in a short period of time," Campbell said. "Via daily e-mails, we are able to let the counselors know which students require immediate follow-up."
Campagnuolo said the most recent schools to utilize his company's services include the Florida Institute of Technology, Allegheny College in northwest Pennsylvania and Dickinson College near Harrisburg, Pa.
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