Though some people check their e-mail every day, many check only once or twice a week. Using dates leaves no room for confusion.

Worth Knowing: Internet Recruiting FAQ

Question:

How do I handle specific questions related to cost or financial aid?

Answer:

All responses should be consistent with your company standards. Use the same answers you currently exercise during phone or one-on-one appointments. Keep in mind that compliance is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. E-mail communication can be printed and used as evidence in legal matters. They will have all your answers in writing!

Question:

Do I really need to use a form letter?

Answer:

From the perspectives of compliance, consistency and efficiency, we strongly recommend using a form letter. You can and should make minor adjustments to personalize the communication. New types of leads and issues will very likely come up. In those cases, you could create a file of form letters appropriate for these different situations. Save a letter on your network server and name it based on the topic. This will allow all admissions representatives at your school to share the same valuable set of tools.

Question:

Do I really need to use dates in my e-mail communications?

Answer:

Yes. Though some people check their e-mail every day, many check only once or twice a week. Using dates leaves no room for confusion.

Question:

Should I call them, or should I ask them to call me?

Answer:

Maintain control. Always be the one to initiate. The next move (a response to your e-mail communication) is in their court. Follow up with a phone call if they do not respond in a timely manner. The last thing you want to do is leave the next 2 moves up to them.

Question:

How do I set up an auto response?

Answer:

An auto response is an automatically generated e-mail that goes to your Internet leads. Typically the e-mail account generating the response is called something like admissions@xyzcollege.com. Your e-mail provider should be able to set up this automated response with whatever message you decide to use. Keep in mind that any e-mail message sent to this account will get the auto-reply. That's why it is a good idea to use this e-mail account only for Internet leads.