Scores are back from the most recent SAT and students from around the world began flooding the Twitter-verse with their thoughts and emotions shortly thereafter.
Scores Back, is an important time in the Test Prep & College Counseling business cycle. In fact, entire campaigns revolve around this time of year in the world of big-box test prep & admissions. Having said that, one can shore up operations without much effort by simply framing this moment in the business cycle and communicating it to the team.
Here are some things to be on the lookout for during the week of and after “scores back.”:
- an increase in call volume
- requests for short tutoring packages (if you don’t have them, add 3-5 hour packages)
- requests for a specialized help (think super-scoring for a student planning to re-test)
- requests for SAT/ACT score – conversion (we’ve added links to the Resource Library)
- Preliminary calls from parents of Juniors + Tiger Mom/Dads of sophomores. An early bird incentive is sometimes helpful here.
Operationally, one should simply figure out which options above make sense. Once you decide, here are some suggestions:
- Update phone response scripts and Staff re: the month ahead
- Add free events or webinars that address the most typical questions (what do scores mean? or/and how do they compare)?
- Update your website landing page with any special notices or offers
Make this an organizational effort by having a quick conversation with the tutoring or admissions team; discuss the business cycle, the implications of the events/incentives or anything new, and the type of client they are likely to see as a result. Cross-Functional synergy like this requires almost no cost beyond time and leadership language.
