A new year means a new chance to make a great first impression

The beginning months of a new year in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings are always a time of a lot of change and movement. 

 

With children moving rooms, new families joining the service, and staff working in new rooms, each change brings a new chance to make a good first impression. 

 

In a recent benchmark report LineLeader, the ECEC sector’s most used childcare CRM and lead management software provider, outlined the importance of first impressions, noting that your initial interactions with a new lead set the tone for a family’s entire experience with your childcare brand. 

 

“In an age where first impressions are often made virtually, it’s crucial to cultivate an online presence that accurately reflects your brand,” the report notes. 

 

One concerning finding of the report was that there has been a decrease in the number of centres responding to leads immediately – 23% compared to 31% in 2023. 

 

Failing to respond to leads immediately can result in families choosing another service. In fact, as shown in LineLeader’s latest benchmark report, 80% of millennial families expect an immediate response when contacting a company.

 

Thankfully LineLeader has a range of marketing automation solutions and tools which regularly communicate with families and schedule enquiry follow ups, freeing up more space in the day of busy leaders. 

 

With LineLeader all incoming leads from phone calls, emails, Facebook, online directories, and the service’s website are stored in one central place – organised by location, region, or corporate brands. 

 

Staff can easily access their daily to-do list and receive automated reminders for upcoming or incomplete tasks, keeping them on task and in constant communication with families that want to learn more about your programs. 

 

Families can self-serve (using features like tour scheduling and digital registration forms), reducing the manual administrative tasks required of staff and saving valuable time so they can focus on other important areas of the centre. 

 

Once an enquiry is sent or a tour is scheduled, they receive an automated follow-up via email or text message to confirm.  

 

Automated, personalised reminders help your team keep in touch with families and guide them through the enrolment journey until their start date.

 

When a family decides to enrol, the location’s digital enrollment packet (plus any relevant forms) is automatically sent out via email for families to complete digitally, e-sign, and submit – reducing data entry errors and printing costs.

 

Along with prompt responses to enquiries, the team at LineLeader have the following tips for making a strong first impression: 

 

Start with a strong digital presence

 

First impressions are no longer face to face, and childcare services are rarely present when they make their first impression on a prospective new family who ‘visits’ them online. 

 

Nearly 80 per cent of families will conduct an online search for a prospective centre, and make a visiting shortlist from there. 

 

As such, having an easy to navigate website, which clearly showcases all the best elements of your service, is essential, along with paying attention to the presence of absence of reviews about your centre, not just through websites, but also through ‘word of mouth’ discussions on social media, particularly in local neighbourhood groups. 

 

Small things like out of date links, old imaging, or not having waitlist information accurate and up to date can put prospective families off. 

 

Exploring the digital presence of competitor services in your area can be a useful exercise in seeing how your service stacks up against the competition. 

 

Time to shine 

 

With 68% of childcare centres reporting occupancy rates of 70% or lower, and with occupancy rates directly impacting profitability, it is essential to consider all aspects large and small which impact on the first impression for families, including the time of day when tours are conducted. 

 

Consider the time of day when tours will be offered to families, avoiding the peak drop off and pick up times, as well as times when children are typically resting or sleeping. 

 

Aim to conduct tours mid-morning when educators and children have settled in for the day and the curriculum is in full swing. By scheduling tours carefully visitors will see your center, staff and students at their very best.

 

Right from the front 

 

Families will most often enter your service through a front door, typically into a foyer area. Take special care to ensure the foyer is clean, has a pleasant smell, and is well lit. It should also be organised, and highly secure. When parents are choosing a service they want to know that their child is safe within your care. Doors should be shut and locked, and visitors should complete an entry in a logbook. Additional tip: Ask for a photocopy of licenses. Parents will appreciate this added level of security.

 

Highlights 

 

As well as showing parents the facilities, your tour is an opportunity to showcase the core values of the service. 

 

Try to create a ‘tour path’ which gives you the opportunity to showcase these by using visual cues. One example may be speaking about parent involvement while standing in front of a sign up sheet, or speaking about the service’s Reconciliation Action Plan while the children are participating in an Acknowledgement of Country. 

 

End on a positive note

 

A ‘call to action’ is the best way to end a tour. 

 

Rather than saying “thanks for coming along, let us know if you have any questions,” a more effective measure is to add an ‘action’ question such as “can we get an application started for you?” or “Would you like to check our availability on your preferred days?” 

 

Adding in a sense of urgency such as “Tuesday is filling quite quickly” not only shows the family that yours is a centre worth choosing, but also that they can’t afford to wait too long to enrol. 

 

Be proactive about following up once the tour concludes, providing any support necessary to get the family on board. 

 

Would you like to learn more about how LineLeader can support your service with its best in class CRM and lead management solutions visit the website, here.