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Introduction to Inquiries

Jessica Lara
  • Updated

An inquiry is the first stage of a family's journey with your school, captured when they submit an inquiry form, sign up for an event, or call in to ask questions. Finalsite Enrollment creates a record with the status of Inquiry, links the parent record, and gives you internal tools (list pages, an internal-only checklist, automated communications) to nurture the relationship through to application.

💡Quick Answers

  • How do families become inquiries in Finalsite Enrollment? By submitting an inquiry form, signing up for a calendar event hosted by your school, being entered manually by an admin via the Quick Action menu, or being imported.
  • Do inquiring families have a Parent Portal account or checklist? No. Parent Portal accounts and parent-facing checklists do not exist until the application stage. At the inquiry stage, only your internal team can see the Inquiry Checklist.
  • What automated communications do inquiring families receive? Built-in thank-you pages (customizable via Parent Portal Content) and thank-you emails. PRO accounts can layer on custom Automated Communication Plans.
  • Where do I track inquiries in bulk? Admissions > Students in Admissions > Inquiry tab. This list page shows checklist progress at a glance, supports filtering, and offers bulk actions like sending emails or downloading forms.
  • What happens when an inquiry submits an application? Their status updates automatically to Applicant, and they gain access to a parent-facing admissions checklist in the Parent Portal.
  • How do I add an inquiry from a phone call? Use the + Quick Action menu in the top right and select Inquiry Form. See Inquiry Form: Admin Entered. Note: admin-entered inquiries do not trigger the thank-you landing page or automated inquiry email.

In this article

First Connection

Using Finalsite Enrollment, families can connect with your school to request more info or express interest through a variety of channels. When they do, their information is stored in the system, allowing you to communicate with them and track their progress.

Some of the ways interested families can initially be added to Finalsite Enrollment include completing an Inquiry form, signing up for an event hosted by your school, and calling in to ask questions.

Example of an Inquiry from

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Inquiry Students in Finalsite Enrollment

When a family connects with your school, records are created for them in Finalsite Enrollment, and students are given the status of Inquiry to signify their place in the journey.

Inquiry students are connected with their parents, who also have records created for them in the system. 

Example student inquiry record showing just the top of the record so that you can see their intro information including the status of Inquiry which has an arrow pointing to it.

Resource

Read more about the Finalsite Enrollment Inquiry statuses here: Roles & Statuses Explained.

Communication with Inquiring Families

Finalsite Enrollment has built-in thank you pages and emails that are sent to families who inquire by submitting an inquiry form or signing up for an event. Branding and customizing the landing page and emails is important so that you give families a warm welcome to your community. 

Ways to stay connected with families

  • Use the built-in list pages to view all your inquiring students and send bulk emails directly from that page.
  • Schools with PRO accounts can access extra tools to create customized automated communications for families.

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Tracking the progress of an Inquiry

Families at this stage do not log into the parent portal or see a checklist on their end. You, however, have access to an internal inquiry checklist (which the families do not see.) 

This internal-only checklist is a way for you to track the student's progress in the journey toward enrollment and can be a helpful tool in communicating with your team about the progress.

 

Example inquiry student record with a box around their inquiry checklist

Bulk Tracking

You can utilize the Inquiry list page (Admissions > Students in Admissions > Inquiry Tab) to see all of your Inquiries listed in one place. From this page, you can:

  • See their checklist progress at a glance.
  • Filter the page to show students based on criteria.
  • Utilize bulk actions in the dropdown menus like downloading forms or sending emails (after selecting one or more students).

GIF of options on the Inquiry LIst page

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Beyond the Inquiry Stage

After the student submits an application to your school, their status automatically gets updated by the system to Applicant. As an applicant, the parent will have access to a parent-facing admissions checklist in the parent portal where they can complete the required next steps to becoming enrolled in your school.

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