During the 2022/2023 academic year, U.S. colleges and universities welcomed over a million international students, marking a 12% increase from the previous year and the highest growth rate in over four decades. Simultaneously, North America is experiencing a surge in its bilingual population, with more than 20% of people speaking a language other than English at home. As a result, higher education is seeing a more diverse student body of both domestic and international students. Consequently, it’s becoming increasingly important for call centers to offer bilingual support services in higher education.
A bilingual answering service is an answering service that can serve customers in two (or more) languages. This means students can call and communicate in the language they prefer, positively impacting everything from enrollment to retention services, and creating a more inclusive educational environment.
Enhancing Student Engagement With Bilingual Support in Higher Education
Lead Generation and Follow-Up
Through bilingual communication, educational call centers can fill their prospect pipeline with leads from diverse backgrounds. Follow-ups by enrollment specialists in the students’ preferred languages can boost conversion rates.
Appointment Scheduling and Courtesy Communications
Educational call centers that communicate in multiple languages can ease the enrollment process for students. By offloading tasks like appointment scheduling and sending reminders for financial aid documentation to a bilingual answering service, universities can free up their enrollment teams to focus on more critical tasks.
Retention and Student Support
Reaching Out to At-Risk Students
Universities often face challenges in retaining students who are at risk of underachieving or dropping out. By utilizing a bilingual answering service, institutions can effectively guide these students back on the path to academic success. AnswerNet’s bilingual agents can refer students to tutoring centers and provide additional support, so that language is not a barrier to accessing help.
Student Re-engagement and Alumni Relations
Regular engagement with underperforming students is crucial. Educational call centers can employ bilingual interventions at key intervals, offering mid-course adjustments and academic advice tailored to the students’ needs and language preferences.
Bilingual Support: A Gateway to Diversity and Inclusion
Enhancing Accessibility
A bilingual answering service for higher education transcends language barriers, making academic resources more accessible to a wider student population.
Improving Communication
With a bilingual answering service, universities ensure that critical information regarding admissions, financial aid, and academic advice is clearly understood by all students. This improves student engagement and facilitates better decision-making.
How Can AnswerNet Education Services (AES) Help?
As part of our base services, AnswerNet employs native speakers of English, French, and Spanish. For other languages, we use a translation service that interprets up to 250 languages with help from simultaneous translation technology and live native speakers. We assist colleges and universities in:
- Engaging prospects through culturally sensitive approaches.
- Providing Tier 1 & 2 support for frequently asked questions in multiple languages.
- Offering support and guidance to students in their language, improving their academic experience and the overall likelihood of success in school.
Collaboration, communication, and a commitment to diversity are key in these initiatives. As a leader in educational call center services, AnswerNet Education Services is dedicated to working alongside universities to create a more inclusive, engaging, and successful academic experience for every student.
For more information and to request a quote from AnswerNet Education Services, click here.
