Running a childcare business is no walk in the park.
It can be hard to keep track of all the information coming in from families.
One of the best solutions for this is implementing childcare-specific lead management software. When used to it’s full potential, it will help you find family leads to follow up with. Use lead management software to guide families through enrolment. While there are several options on the market today, choosing one can be overwhelming—if you don’t know what to look for.
How are you currently tracking leads?
Let's start with the basics.
How are you currently tracking leads? Are you using pen and paper to record family contact information, or are you relying on clunky Excel sheets to track follow-up?
If so, it's time for an upgrade!
The problem with these methods is that they don't provide any real insight into where your leads are coming from, what messages resonate with families the most, etc. You'll be left wondering where all of your best opportunities came from and what kind of follow-up steps need to be taken next--information that can help improve lead conversion rates in future sales cycles.
What is lead management software?
Lead management software like LineLeader Enrol is a tool that businesses use to manage their leads. A lead can be any person or company who shows interest in your product or service, whether it be through an online form submission, phone call, email enquiry or some other means.
Lead management software helps you collect more leads and follow up with them in a way that maximises your chances of closing deals with those prospects. It allows you to:
- Collect information from potential customers such as their names, contact information and interests so that you can reach out at the appropriate time with relevant content that will help sell them on enrolling at your centre (also known as nurturing)
- Manage existing leads by storing all their data so that it's easily accessible when needed (for example if someone needs more information before making a decision)
- Being able to know your families and create strong relationships with them. It’s annoying to always have to repeat information over and over again. Allow your educators and families quickly move past the self-introduction phase and communicate on a stronger basis.
Why do childcare businesses need it?
The biggest reason childcare providers should implement lead management software is to get more leads and fill enrolment/waitlist slots faster.
Leads are a vital part of any business, but they're especially important when you're running a childcare centre or school. Lead management software automates the process of collecting, storing and managing leads so you don't have to worry about it anymore. This allows you to focus on other aspects of your business--like getting kids enrolled at your centre!
You've probably already heard that lead generation is one of the best ways for businesses (especially small ones) to get new customers without spending too much money on advertising campaigns or promotional events like trade shows or conferences. But if you're not capturing all those potential clients' information correctly with an automated system, then how are your families supposed to know about you and what you do?
Essential things to look out for when choosing your lead management software
- Customer service is a major part of any business, and customer service is especially important when it comes to lead management software. If you have questions about your system or need help with anything related to it, it's important that the company behind it has customer service reps who can answer them right away and without any extra cost.
- User experience is another important factor to consider when choosing your lead management software. If you're going to be using the system every single day, it needs to be easy and intuitive so that you don't have to spend hours learning how to use it. The easier a system is for you and your employees, the more time everyone will have for what matters most: actually working on leads.
- Integrations are another thing to consider when choosing your lead management software. If you use other systems in your business, it's important that the software you choose can integrate with those systems as well. Integrations help save time, which is especially important when dealing with a lot of leads at once!
- Data security is another important consideration. You don't want your data to be compromised, and you want to make sure that the company providing you with lead management software has good security measures in place.
Include the team in the decision-making process
Include the team in the decision-making process. This is a good way to ensure that everyone is on board with the decision. If you're not sure who should be included in the process, consider including your marketing team, IT department and other relevant departments. Team members should be able to give input on what they want in a software, and what they don't want in a software to eliminate any resistance when onboarding the system.
We hope that this blog has given you a better understanding of what childcare lead management software is and how it can help your business. It's important to remember that not all software is right for every business, so it's best to do your research before making any decisions. Read more about childcare lead management software and how beneficial they can be to your childcare business by subscribing to our blogs here.
Learn more about LineLeader Enrol by scheduling a demo with one of our product specialist.
