Overview
During the Admissions process, prospective families will have a variety of questions about your school and want to make sure they find the best fit for their student and family. To build more personal relationships with families, you can set up automated emails that answer common questions and help families see their place in the story of your school. In addition, you can automate internal reminders for follow-up actions your team needs to take, such as making phone calls, mailing tickets home for a school play, etc.
Important Notes
- Please note, your field names and values may differ from these examples. Be sure to double-check on the fields setup page in your site by navigating to Settings > Fields & Data > Fields. You may also have custom statuses that you want to use to trigger your ACP steps, instead of the standard statuses described below.
- Communication plans trigger based on the first time a student enters a status and will not be duplicated if the student moves out of that status and then back into it.
- For example, if you have a communication plan set up to email students when they become applicants, that same communication plan will not be triggered to be sent again if the student were to move into Application Completed and then moved back to Applicant.
- For example, if you have a communication plan set up to email students when they become applicants, that same communication plan will not be triggered to be sent again if the student were to move into Application Completed and then moved back to Applicant.
- Enrollment ACPs: Any Automated Communication Plan that triggers based on the student's status becoming Enrollment in Progress must be set up and activated before rollover in order for the plan to trigger the communication.
System Automated Emails for the Inquiry Process
Click here to learn what system emails are sent automatically during the Inquiry process.
Related ACP Articles
To learn how to set up automated communication plan (ACP) steps and best practices for doing so, check out the following related content:
For ideas of ACPs that you can create for the Enrollment process, click here.
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Information-Based Communication Plan Steps
Interest-Based Communication Plan Steps
Information-Based Communication Plan Steps
IMPORTANT: Please note, your field names and values may differ from these examples. Be sure to double-check on the fields setup page in your site by navigating to 'Settings' - 'Fields & Data' - 'Fields'. You may also have custom statuses that you want to use to trigger your ACP steps, instead of the standard statuses described below.
Reminder for Financial Aid/Tuition Assistance Phone Call
1. Set the Trigger to be a Status of 'Inquiry' or 'Applicant' as applicable.
2. Set Additional Criteria based on your financial aid or tuition assistance field. For example:
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Field: Financial Aid Requested
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Operator: is
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Value: Yes
3. Set the Perform Action box to Create Reminder.
4. Select the desired Time to create the reminder.
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You can choose to create the reminder immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
5. If you selected the "N days after trigger" or "On date" time option, specify the number of days or date, as well as the time, you would like the reminder to go out.
6. Set the Reminder Assignment (i.e. which team members are assigned the reminder) as appropriate.
7. Set the Reminder Text to call the family about the Financial Aid/Tuition Assistance program for some personal outreach and to answer any questions/concerns.
8. Click Save.
Financial Aid/Tuition Assistance Email
This can be set up using the same Trigger and Additional Criteria in the above example (Financial Aid/Tuition Assistance Phone Call Reminder). You will just want to change the Perform Action box to Send Email, then select a pre-saved email template that tells success stories of other families that attended your school with the Tuition Assistance program.
Try it yourself!
Check out this interactive tutorial below to try creating an automated communication like the one above to get a feel for how this will work on your site.
Here's an interactive tutorial
** Best experienced in Full Screen (click the icon in the top right corner before you begin) **
Reminder for Mailing Viewbook
1. Set the Trigger to be a Status of 'Inquiry' or 'Applicant' as applicable.
2. Set the Perform Action box to Create Reminder.
3. Select the desired Time to create the reminder.
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You can choose to create the reminder immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
4. If you selected the "N days after trigger" or "On date" time option, specify the number of days or date, as well as the time, you would like the reminder to go out.
5. Set the Reminder Assignment (i.e. which team members are assigned the reminder) as appropriate.
6. Set the Reminder Text to 'Mail the Viewbook'.
7. Click Save.
Email Invitation to an Open House, Tour, or Other Event
1. Set the Trigger to be a Status of 'Inquiry' or 'Applicant' as applicable.
2. Set the Perform Action box to Send Email.
3. Select the desired Time to send the email.
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You can choose to send the email immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
4. If you selected the "N days after trigger" or "On date" time option, specify the number of days or date, as well as the time, you would like the email to go out.
5. Set the Email Recipients (i.e. 'send to') as applicable.
6. Select your pre-saved email template containing the invitation to the event and event details.
7. Click Save.
Thank You Email for Event Attendance
1. Set the Trigger to be a Completed Checklist Item of 'Invite/Attended to Open House' (name of your calendar checklist item may vary).
2. Set the Perform Action box to Send Email.
3. Select the desired Time to send the email.
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You can choose to send the email immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
4. Set the Email Recipients (i.e. 'send to') as applicable.
5. Select your pre-saved email template containing the thank you message and any next steps for the family to take in the process. You might even invite them to a second event you have coming up.
6. Click Save.
Reminder for Post-Event Actions (e.g. phone call, mailing thank you cards)
This can be set up using the same Trigger in the above example (Thank You Email for Event Attendance). You will just want to change the Perform Action box to Create Reminder, then input the desired reminder text that you want your internal team to see. For example, your reminder text might be to make a personal phone call after the event, or mail a thank you card to the family.
Try it yourself!
Check out this interactive tutorial below to try creating an automated communication like the one above to get a feel for how this will work on your site.
Reminder for Typing Up Interview Notes
Finalsite Enrollment can create internal-facing online forms that are tied to your checklist to capture information that remains confidential with the school. One example is an interview notes form.
1. Set the Trigger to be a Completed Checklist Item of 'Parent (or Student) Interview' (name of your calendar checklist item may vary). This should be a checklist item that's tied to an interview calendar that you mark complete to indicate the interview took place. You will have an additional checklist item with an online interview notes form attached so you can fill it out.
2. Set the Perform Action box to Create Reminder.
3. Select the desired Time to create the reminder.
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You can choose to create the reminder immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
4. If you selected the "N days after trigger" or "On date" time option, specify the number of days or date, as well as the time, you would like the reminder to go out.
5. Set the Reminder Assignment (i.e. which team members are assigned the reminder) as appropriate.
6. Set the Reminder Text to 'Type up Interview Notes'.
7. Click Save.
Admissions Checklist Reminder Emails
Keep families moving through your funnel! This ACP step is for sending a reminder email to Applicants who have not yet completed all required items on their checklist. You can specify the checklist items they still have pending, remind them of any upcoming deadlines, and provide information on who to contact if they need help.
This communication can be sent on multiple dates using multiple ACP steps. For example, the first reminder email can go out four (4) weeks before the deadline, a second reminder email can go out two (2) weeks before the deadline, and a third and final reminder email can go out a week before the deadline. The final email template may be different than the first two or you can use the same one.
1. Set the Trigger to be a Status of 'Applicant'.
2. Set the Perform Action box to Send Email.
3. Select the desired Time to send the email.
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You can choose to send the email immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
4. If you selected the "N days after trigger" or "On date" time option, specify the number of days or date, as well as the time, you would like the email to go out.
5. Set the Email Recipients (i.e. 'send to') as applicable.
6. Select your pre-saved Admissions Checklist Reminder email template.
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Note: We provide schools with this template, which you should customize with your brand and voice. If you don't have the email template, contact Support and they can add it for you.
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The merge field that brings in the student's checklist items can be found under the Contact grouping - 'Checklist Application' (or 'Checklist Application Incomplete'). Click here for more information on using the student checklist merge fields.
7. Click Save.
Repeat this for additional dates you want the email to go out. Anyone that becomes Application Complete (or another status) after the first reminder email went out will not receive any remaining notifications.
Application Complete Email to Parents
Once all required checklist items have been marked complete, you can automate an email to parents thanking them for submitting all requirements on time, letting them know the next steps and when decisions will take place, or even inviting them to events to keep them engaged and keep your school front of mind.
1. Set the Trigger to be a Status of 'Application Complete'.
2. Set the Perform Action box to Send Email.
3. Select the desired Time to send the email.
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You can choose to send the email immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
4. If you selected the "N days after trigger" or "On date" time option, specify the number of days or date, as well as the time, you would like the email to go out.
5. Set the Email Recipients (i.e. 'send to') as applicable.
6. Select your pre-saved Application Complete email template.
7. Click Save.
Interest-Based Communication Plan Steps
IMPORTANT: Please note, your field names and values may differ from these examples. Be sure to double-check on the fields setup page in your site by navigating to 'Settings' - 'Fields & Data' - 'Fields'. You may also have custom statuses that you want to use to trigger your ACP steps, instead of the standard statuses described below.
Email about STEM Program for Interested Families
1. Set the Trigger to be a Status of 'Inquiry' or 'Applicant' as applicable.
2. Set Additional Criteria based on your academic or student interests field. For example:
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Field: Academic Interests
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Operator: contains
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Value: STEM
3. Set the Perform Action box to Send Email.
4. Select the desired Time to send the email.
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You can choose to send the email immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
5. If you selected the "N days after trigger" or "On date" time option, specify the number of days or date, as well as the time, you would like the email to go out.
6. Set the Email Recipients (i.e. 'send to') as applicable.
7. Select your pre-saved email template containing information about your STEM program and an invitation to any special STEM-related events you may have.
8. Click Save.
You could also set up an internal reminder using the same Trigger and Additional Criteria in the above example if you want to have a member of your staff reach out to the family directly about the program.
Email Invitation to a Soccer Game for Interested Families
1. Set the Trigger to be a Status of 'Inquiry' or 'Applicant' as applicable.
2. Set Additional Criteria based on your athletic or student interests field. For example:
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Field: Athletic Interests
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Operator: contains
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Value: Soccer
3. Set the Perform Action box to Send Email.
4. Select the desired Time to send the email.
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You can choose to send the email immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
5. If you selected the "N days after trigger" or "On date" time option, specify the number of days or date, as well as the time, you would like the email to go out.
6. Set the Email Recipients (i.e. 'send to') as applicable.
7. Select your pre-saved email template containing the invitation to the event and event details. You might also choose to include some general information about your school's soccer program.
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PRO TIP: The email template can have a headshot of the coach, pictures from a game or championship, and have a personal signature from the coach.
8. Click Save.
You could also set up an internal reminder using the same Trigger and Additional Criteria in the above example if you want to have a member of your staff reach out to the family directly to invite them to the soccer game.
Email to Coach or Academic Program Lead about Prospective Students
If a prospective student indicates an interest in a specific sport or academic program, you may want to notify the coach or program lead so that they can personally follow up. Coaches and academic staff members can be set up in the system with 'Limited User' accounts so that you can email them within automated communication plans, but they will not have access to data in Finalsite Enrollment.
Once you have accounts created in the system for these additional staff members, you can set up an ACP step to email them directly.
1. Set the Trigger to be a Status of 'Inquiry' or 'Applicant' as applicable.
2. Set Additional Criteria based on your academic/athletic or student interests field.
3. Set the Perform Action box to Send Email.
4. Select the desired Time to send the email.
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You can choose to send the email immediately, a set number of days after the trigger, or on a specific date.
5. If you selected the "N days after trigger" or "On date" time option, specify the number of days or date, as well as the time, you would like the email to go out.
6. Set the Email Recipients (i.e. 'send to') to 'Finalsite Enrollment user' and select the appropriate contact(s) from the drop-down menu.
7. Select your pre-saved email template containing the student/family contact information and any other details the coach or academic program director would need to optimize their personal outreach.
8. Click Save.
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