CNA now offering “Live Chat”
5/4/2009 9:25:54 AM
For the first time, College of the North Atlantic (CNA) is pleased to offer a Live Chat feature to potential students.
Administered through the college’s homepage, the Live Chat feature allows CNA recruitment staff to engage in a real-time conversation with prospective students.
Shirley Woodward, manager of Student Recruitment and Enrollment states, “As potential students become more internet savvy, we’ve had to adapt to meet their changing needs. This initiative is a step in the right direction in reaching the target audience for CNA.”
While this is the first time Live Chat is being used for Recruitment, the college has been using this same application since September 2003 in other areas of the college including Distance Learner Services.
According to Rob Hillier, Student Development Officer/Recruiter for central Newfoundland and Labrador, requests for information have been coming in regarding application deadlines, information requests, program offerings, entrance requirements, residence facilities and tuition costs.
“It’s a wonderful tool in every way, shape and form for both prospective students and for the college recruitment team,” says Hillier. “It is so important because the generation that we try to connect with relies so much on the web for information.”
He says they now have the ability to have instant contact with individuals looking for college information and that is important.
“This medium provides a level of comfort for people who are nervous about asking questions during a presentation or display but are comfortable, for those familiar, with electronic correspondence. It’s a convenient method of gathering information even while at home.”
In addition, the Live Chat feature offers a record of the conversation so potential students have that information at their fingertips for future reference.
Hillier says one of the most important advantages is the one-on-one contact recruiters get with potential students.
“They get the information they need that is specific to them and that is really important. If you’re doing a presentation to 40 or 50 people, you can’t address what each one needs one-on-one so this is so important to our recruitment efforts.”
If a Live Chat operator is unavailable, students can still get answers to their questions through email, either directly to one of the Live Chat team members or through the general information email address at info@cna.nl.ca. They can also be contacted through the toll free line at 1-888-982-2268.
Live Chat is available Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and can be accessed via the college’s webpage at www.cna.nl.ca.
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For more information please contact:
Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Assistant
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-6408
glenda.mccarthy@cna.nl.ca