RevOps: The Secret to Boosting Admissions and Doubling Enrollment

University admissions teams face growing pressure to attract, engage, and enrol prospective students efficiently. Manual processes, misaligned goals between marketing and admissions, and inconsistent communication often lead to delays and missed opportunities. These challenges can prevent admissions teams from achieving their enrolment targets and building meaningful relationships with prospective students. This is where Revenue Operations (RevOps) can be transformative, offering a cohesive approach that aligns marketing and admissions, streamlines processes, and enhances the entire admissions funnel.

RevOps is a framework that unifies revenue-driving teams under shared goals, using data, automation, and technology to optimise the enrolment process. For admissions teams, adopting RevOps can mean faster lead conversion, improved communication, and a more effective admissions funnel that helps them double their enrolment figures.

Covered in this article

What is RevOps, and Why Does It Matter for Admissions?
How RevOps Optimises the Admissions Funnel
Steps to Implement RevOps in Admissions
Conclusion
FAQs

What is RevOps, and Why Does It Matter for Admissions?

Revenue Operations (RevOps) is a strategy designed to optimise the processes, tools, and data that connect marketing, admissions, and student services. Traditionally, these departments often work in silos, but RevOps aligns their goals and ensures they work together toward common objectives.

How RevOps Improves Admissions:

• Enhanced Data Flow: Provides real-time insights into prospective students, allowing admissions teams to understand and respond to student needs faster.
• Consistent Communication: Streamlines communication channels, ensuring that prospective students receive timely, relevant information.
• Increased Efficiency: Automates repetitive tasks, such as follow-up emails and application updates, allowing staff to focus on personalised engagement.

Statistic: Research by Boston Consulting Group shows that organisations implementing RevOps experience up to a 100-200% increase in digital marketing ROI and a 15% improvement in operational efficiency​ (DealHub.)

How RevOps Optimises the Admissions Funnel

RevOps enables admissions teams to develop a data-driven, collaborative, and automated approach to managing the admissions funnel. Here’s how RevOps transforms each stage of the admissions funnel:

1. Lead Generation and Tracking

• With RevOps, admissions and marketing work together to generate and track high-quality leads. By integrating CRM and automation tools, RevOps ensures that no lead is lost due to data silos or miscommunication.
• Benefits: Admissions teams have a clear, real-time view of each prospect’s journey, from initial inquiry to application submission.

Example: A prospective student who downloads a program brochure can automatically be segmented into a CRM list, enabling admissions to send personalised follow-ups.

2. Automated Lead Nurturing

• RevOps provides tools to automate and personalise lead nurturing, such as follow-up emails, application reminders, and event invitations. This approach ensures that prospective students receive consistent engagement and don’t slip through the cracks.
• Benefits: Automated nurturing frees up admissions staff to focus on high-value interactions and provides prospective students with relevant content at each stage of their journey.

Statistic: According to Salesforce, organisations that use automated nurturing see an average 451% increase in qualified leads​ (Search Engine Journal).

3. Streamlined Application Processing

• With RevOps, admissions teams can streamline application processing by integrating CRM with application tracking systems, reducing manual entry and tracking applications in real-time.
• Benefits: Admissions staff can access applicant information instantly, review applications faster, and ensure consistent communication with students, making the process smooth and efficient.

Example: Automated notifications inform applicants of missing documents or next steps, improving transparency and reducing response time.

4. Improved Conversion Rates

• By aligning marketing and admissions, RevOps helps create targeted campaigns for specific stages of the admissions funnel, improving conversion rates. Admissions can focus efforts on highly engaged leads, who are more likely to convert.
• Benefits: Data-driven targeting and segmentation make it easier to identify leads with high potential and create personalised engagement strategies, leading to increased enrolment.

Statistic: A study by LinkedIn found that organisations using data-driven marketing strategies see 5-8x higher ROI on their campaigns​ (UpLead).

The table below visually compares the improvement in conversion rates at each funnel stage after implementing RevOps, making it easy for readers to see the impact on enrolment numbers.

Steps to Implement RevOps in Admissions

For admissions teams ready to leverage RevOps, the following steps provide a roadmap for successful implementation:

Step 1: Establish Shared Goals Across Teams

• Align marketing and admissions around shared goals, such as lead conversion targets, and ensure each team understands its role in achieving them.
• Checklist:
  • Define key enrolment metrics and set performance targets.
  • Schedule regular check-ins to review progress and make adjustments.

Step 2: Integrate CRM and Automation Tools

• Select CRM and automation tools that enable real-time tracking, lead nurturing, and application management. Integration with existing systems (e.g., SIS, Financial Aid) is essential for seamless data sharing.
• Checklist:
  • Choose a CRM designed for higher education with integration capabilities.
  • Map out workflows for automated lead nurturing, follow-ups, and application status updates.

Step 3: Set Up Automated Reporting and Tracking

• Use data dashboards to monitor KPIs and track progress through the admissions funnel. Automate reports to keep teams informed of lead status, conversion rates, and bottlenecks.
• Checklist:
  • Identify KPIs, such as lead conversion rate, application completion rate, and response time.
  • Automate reporting on these metrics to maintain visibility and enable quick action on areas needing improvement.

Step 4: Train Teams on RevOps Best Practices

• Conduct training sessions to ensure that both marketing and admissions staff understand how to use CRM and automation tools effectively and how to interpret and act on key data.
• Checklist:
  • Schedule joint training for marketing and admissions to promote collaboration.
  • Provide ongoing support and resources to reinforce RevOps practices.

Conclusion

Implementing RevOps in university admissions has the power to transform the admissions funnel, from lead generation to enrolment. By aligning marketing and admissions around shared goals, automating lead nurturing, and streamlining application processing, RevOps enables admissions teams to reach more prospective students and increase conversion rates.

With RevOps, admissions departments can create a student-focused approach that eliminates inefficiencies, ensures personalised communication, and ultimately drives higher enrolment numbers. By investing in RevOps, universities can build a cohesive, efficient admissions process that supports both students and institutional growth.

Ready to supercharge your admissions funnel? Contact Velocity to explore how RevOps solutions can transform your admissions strategy and help you achieve your enrolment goals.

FAQs

1. What is RevOps, and how can it help admissions teams?

• Answer: RevOps, or Revenue Operations, aligns departments (like marketing and admissions) under shared goals, streamlines processes, and uses data-driven insights to improve lead management and conversion.

2. How does RevOps improve the admissions funnel?

• Answer: RevOps enhances every stage of the admissions funnel by automating lead nurturing, ensuring real-time data access, and improving communication, making it easier to attract and convert prospective students.

3. What are the main benefits of implementing RevOps for university admissions?

• Answer: Key benefits include faster application processing, improved data accuracy, consistent student outreach, and increased conversion rates.

4. How does CRM integration fit into the RevOps framework?

• Answer: CRM integration enables real-time tracking of leads and applicants, provides data-driven insights, and automates tasks, which enhances the efficiency of the admissions team.

5. How can RevOps increase enrolment?

• Answer: By streamlining lead management and improving communication, RevOps helps admissions teams target high-potential leads, resulting in higher conversion rates and enrolment growth.

6. Is implementing RevOps difficult for admissions teams?

• Answer: While implementing RevOps requires planning, starting with shared goals and CRM integration makes it manageable. Many universities see significant benefits in a short time.