New comms solution sees unanswered call rates fall from 23% to just 1%, with marked benefits for students.
Middlesex University in northwest London has signed a 12-month contract with Exponential-e, the specialists in cloud, connectivity, communications and cyber security, to provide a cloud contact centre solution for the clearing process.
Photo by Edwin Andrade / Unsplash
Clearing is an important part of the year for any college or university, where they fill available spaces on their courses. Students are eligible if they are applying late, didn’t get the grades they expected or have changed their mind about a previous offer. A lot can ride of finding the right course in the right location – it can change a student’s whole life – so it’s important the process runs as smoothly and stress-free as possible.
With that in mind, in preparing for the current academic year, the student recruitment, marketing and communications department at Middlesex University identified a need for a new comms platform to engage more effectively with prospective students in clearing. They partnered with Exponential-e on what’s called a ‘call centre as service’ or CCaS solution.
In June, the university and Exponential-e implemented the Five9 CCaS solution in less than four weeks. This managed phone line and website chat function, dealing with thousands of calls each intake year.
The system, which can manage inbound and outbound calls, was deployed across two operational teams: a pre-clearing team running from July through October, and a core Clearing team on A-level results day on August 14. As a result of implementation, unanswered call rates dropped from 23% in 2024 to just 1% this academic year. That’s meant university staff could respond more quickly to prospective students at this crucial point in their decision-making.
What’s more, the web-based system boasts real-time dashboards and reporting tools, providing instant visibility to the team of call volumes and response rates. Previously, reporting could be delated by 15-30 minutes.
The team can allocate calls based on staff skills, ensuring that every operator is able to handle multiple call types and resources are used to their full potential.
The project has been so successful that the university has extended the contract for a further 12-month period. It is also considering CRM integration as a next step in enhancing engagement.
Farad Jusob, Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator and Clearing Project Co-ordinator at Middlesex University, says: ‘The scalability and real-time insight we now have means we can make decisions instantly and manage calls far more efficiently. It’s made Clearing smoother not only for students, but also for our staff, who can stay positive and focused throughout what’s always a high-pressure time. The Exponential-e team was fantastic throughout the process, any changes or requests we raised were handled within a day. The whole implementation was seamless.’
Afshin Attari, Senior Director of Public Sector at Exponential-e, adds: ‘We’re proud to partner with Middlesex University to deliver a cloud contact centre solution that directly supports one of the most critical moments in the student journey. By combining Five9’s intelligent contact centre technology with Exponential-e’s managed service expertise, we’ve helped Middlesex achieve faster response times, greater resilience, and an improved experience for both staff and students.’
In related news:
Real-time travel data for customers on Lothian Bus and Edinburgh Trams
Leave a Reply