Watch the Extended Interview
About MLC
MLC is an open-entry all-girls school in Melbourne, located in Kew in the eastern suburbs. They have Prep to Year 12 enrolments, as well as an Early Learning Centre for children from six weeks through to five years.
As a large girls’ school, they are best known for their unmatched breadth of subject choice and co-curricular opportunities.
The Challenge
Before EnrolHQ, MLC were using their student management system as a form of admissions and enrolment program. “There was nothing wrong with that particular student management system; however, it was not a dedicated enrolment system.” said Admissions Manager Sam Rimmer. This resulted in MLC double handling data, with staff creating numerous spreadsheets and continually needing to check, remember processes to ensure accuracy.
“We were doing a lot of bulk communications because it was the best way to reach everyone and ensure they were kept informed. This involved mail merges and postal communications.”
“Our main challenges were trying to reach everyone, but with postal communication, you can’t confirm if it’s reached the family. With bulk emails, you don’t know if they’ve been opened, and you can’t attach any personal information in a bulk setting.”
The Solution
Recently, there was a staffing change at MLC, which enabled the College to start evaluating their current state and consider a new program. “We reviewed three businesses and chose EnrolHQ because it was an intuitive program that opened our eyes to new possibilities. Unlike our student management system, which felt limiting, EnrolHQ provided insights and opportunities to research and better understand the different cohorts,” explains Sam.
“Another factor that impressed us was that EnrolHQ understands schools. Admissions and enrolments are critical for every school, but sometimes the process is deprioritised. EnrolHQ engages with schools, listens to their needs, and understands the challenges we all face daily.”
When asked about the improvements to their processes, Sam explained “EnrolHQ has significantly changed and improved our day-to-day operations. We can now sync applications directly into our student management system, which has saved a huge amount of time and reduced human error. We can track emails, view expired offers, and work closely with our marketing department to embed all our communications. Our templates are now all within EnrolHQ, ensuring consistent messaging.”
One of the main intake years at MLC is three years before commencement, so this involves managing a large cohort for Prep, Years 5, and 7. EnrolHQ has halved the time spent communicating with families, enhancing their experience. “We can monitor their progress and reach out if needed, which has been incredibly helpful.”
Waitlist management has been another fantastic feature. MLC often have families enrolling for Year 7 who may later seek places in Years 5 or 4, where spaces are more limited. “EnrolHQ, using the alternate years of entry feature, allows us to track these requests and prioritise applicants as spots open up.”
MLC also integrated their medical detail collection with EnrolHQ. Previously, it was paper-based, but now they only collect necessary information at the right time, with everything synced to our student management system. “This has been a game changer in terms of efficiency and accuracy.”
Future families have responded very well to EnrolHQ. “Our staff can assist parents over the phone as they can view the same information as the parent by logging into their dashboard. This has greatly improved the customer service experience.”
