ChildcareCRM shares three tips to help maintain connections with families during these uncertain COVID times

With around 50 per cent of Australian services subjected to COVID-19 related lockdowns and the balance at this stage gearing up for the busiest time of the year, maintaining connections with families is more important than ever. 

 

ChildcareCRM, the leading early childhood education and care (ECEC) lead management software provider, has drawn on its recently published email marketing campaigns guide to share three tips to support services achieve this key objective.

 

“At ChildcareCRM we are very conscious as to how many services in COVID-19 impacted areas are having a very difficult time right now and wanted to extend our support by providing some useful tips that we have picked up over the years that elevate the effectiveness of email campaigns with families,” CEO Matt Amoia said.

 

“This also extends to those services not currently in lockdown. They will be very busy right now gearing up for the busiest time of the year and will also have their eyes on next year’s enrollment and re-enrollment period too.”

 

Tip #1 – Think carefully about what you are going to say

 

“This may seem like a no-brainer but it is an absolutely essential component of effective communication with families,” Mr Amoia said, “particularly when dealing with sensitive issues like gap fee waivers or COVID related matters.”

 

Mr Amoia’s advice is to try and pinpoint two or three key messages that are essential to convey in the email and then focus closely on constructing the sentences and paragraphs that enable the reader to easily absorb precisely what you want to convey. 

 

“This often means emails end up being much shorter than originally anticipated, but that’s very much ok. Remember families are busy like the rest of us, so being focussed and concise is helpful to them too.”

 

Tip #2 – Don’t just convey facts, try and convey feelings too

 

“Recognising that parents don’t just want information, they also want to be reassured too, is important. Facts and feelings are a must when considering how to communicate and connect with families nowadays,” Mr Amoia said. 

 

ChildcareCRM has always emphasised the importance of personalising emails and this creates a terrific foundation for communications to families in the current uncertain times.

 

“When we draft our communications with our users we are very sure to convey a sense of empathy with them. The current environment we are operating in is tough for everyone and we would certainly recommend that service managers engaging with families consider their circumstances too, when drafting emails.”

 

Tip #3 – Send emails to yourself and co-workers for review

 

“This tip has been incredibly useful over the years for us at ChildcareCRM and many of our users have built it into their email campaign creation processes,” Mr Amoia said. 

 

ChildcareCRM recommends always double and triple check your email for typos and make sure all your links work correctly prior to sending. In addition, they highlighted that it usually helps to get a second pair of eyes so ask for feedback on the layout and email words in case a coworker notices something you may have missed.

 

“Of all the tips we learned over the years this one absolutely stands out and to be honest given the challenges that COVID-19 has created for families, and team members, it is so important to ensure that what we send is appropriate, sensitive and conveys the key messages.”

 

“Having someone double check them is a sure fire way to support that.”

 

To learn more about ChildcareCRM please click here and to download the latest guide please click here.