A practical guide to better school admissions

What an admissions CRM should do

An admissions CRM holds prospective family records before enrolment. It should show enquiry source, relevant year group, conversation history, school visit, application stage, owner and next action. A generic CRM can be adapted for this; a school-focused CRM starts closer to the admissions workflow.

How to follow up with interested families

Agree who responds to each new enquiry and how quickly. Record what the family asked, what the school promised and when the next contact should happen. After a visit, capture the family's questions and schedule a relevant follow-up rather than sending the same generic message to everyone.

• Make ownership explicit at every stage.
• Keep the history with the family record, even when colleagues change.
• Review unanswered enquiries and overdue actions each week.

Which metrics matter

Start with useful operational measures: new enquiries by source, time to first response, visits booked and completed, applications started, applications completed and enrolments. Segment results by academic year, school stage or centre when that helps a decision. A metric is useful when the team can act on it, not simply because it can be counted.

Choosing between Excel, an ERP and a CRM

A spreadsheet can be adequate for a small, simple process, but it becomes harder to keep history, ownership and tasks reliable as volume grows. An ERP or student information system manages enrolled pupils and school administration. A dedicated admissions CRM focuses on prospective families before enrolment. Review your actual workflow, data protection needs and integration scope before choosing.