Client Background

• Industry: Higher Education
• Overview: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions faced the challenge of maintaining meaningful connections and experiences for students in a remote environment. Traditional methods of engaging prospective and current students, such as campus tours and open houses, were no longer feasible.

The Challenge

• The sudden shift to remote learning and engagement left the institution struggling to recreate the in-person experiences that are crucial for attracting and retaining students.
• The need was to design a digital platform that could deliver engaging, personalized, and impactful experiences for students while overcoming the limitations of existing tools like Zoom or Teams.

Our Approach

1. Understanding the Student Journey: We conducted interviews and surveys with students, parents, and staff to understand the key elements that made moments like open houses, graduations, and orientations meaningful.

2. Designing a Custom Platform: Instead of relying on basic video conferencing tools, our product team developed an innovative virtual open house platform that offered:

   • 1:1 Meetings with Advisors: Personalized sessions for prospective students to connect with academic advisors.
   • Peer Discussion Forums: Opportunities for prospective students to engage with current students, fostering a sense of community.
   • Live Look-In to Classes: Real-time access to actual classes, giving prospective students a feel for the learning experience.
   • 3D Campus Tours: Interactive, 3D tours that allowed students to explore the campus from their homes.
   • Flexible Event Management: The platform was designed to adapt for other events such as graduation ceremonies, orientations, and alumni gatherings.

3. Implementing and Launching: We rolled out the platform for the first virtual open house and quickly adapted it for other key events, ensuring seamless and impactful experiences.

The Results

• Reduced Acquisition Costs: The virtual platform significantly reduced the acquisition costs for new students by providing a more engaging, scalable way to connect with prospects.
• Record-Breaking Attendance: The virtual open house saw record attendance, far surpassing previous in-person events.
• Increased Likelihood of Enrollment: According to post-event surveys, 90% of students reported feeling “more likely” or “a lot more likely” to enroll after attending the virtual open house.

Key Takeaways

• Adopting a product management approach allowed us to go beyond basic solutions, delivering a platform that not only replicated but enhanced the in-person experience.
• Meaningful engagement is possible in a remote environment when technology is leveraged thoughtfully to create personalized, interactive experiences.
• The success of this initiative demonstrated the value of innovative product management in adapting to challenges and driving tangible results in higher education.