About Trinity Valley Community College

• Public community college
• Athens, Texas + 4 regional campuses
• 100+ areas of study
• 18,000 students

Most loved features

• Bolt AI Assistants - AI-trained digital team chatbot
• No-code forms, microsites, and landing pages
• Event scheduling and communication
• Tasks - AI-powered project management
• Packs - pre-built multi-channel campaign library

Since implementing Element451

• Increased new enrollment by 10% for the 2024-2025 academic year
• Increased Spring 2023 graduating class by 18%
• 40% increase in messages sent during the first week of implementing Bolt AI Assistants
• 1,100% increase in conversations since October 2022 
• 456% increase in emails sent since October 2022
• 940% increase in event attendance since implementation

Nestled in the heart of rural East Texas, Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) has been a beacon of education for over 75 years.

Offering specialized programs for workforce development and industry-focused learning, TVCC has long been the educational hub for learners in Athens and the surrounding towns, leaving students with little reason to seek education elsewhere.

TVCC’s location and accessibility gave the Director of Enrollment Services, Courtney Skiles, and her team comfortable confidence. But amidst changing student expectations, an impending enrollment cliff, and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the recruiting and admissions teams soon realized they were facing a new reality. 

Experiencing sharp enrollment declines since 2016 and faced with pandemic-induced challenges of reaching students beyond their physical campus, the college realized the need for innovative approaches to help them effectively find and connect with today’s prospective students.

The Search For A Right-Sized Solution

TVCC initially explored a text-based communication solution, but the product was a bandaid on a larger wound.

Just implementing a basic texting tool couldn’t meet the demands of contemporary learners; every message must be personalized to their stage of the learning journey and automated to arrive at the right time and in the right channel.

The texting tool also couldn’t bridge the gap between departments, free up overstretched and under-resourced teams, or personalize every conversation for every individual student at scale.

While Courtney and her team weren’t necessarily searching for a robust admissions platform, they recognized the need for a comprehensive system that could provide more than just texting capabilities.

As the search for the perfect solution continued, Element451 caught TVCC's attention for its alignment with the college's vision of student outreach and the tool’s potential to transform the recruitment and admissions processes with personalization at every stage of the journey.

When selecting a new CRM, TVCC had specific criteria in mind to address their unique needs and challenges:

1. Ease of Use: The college sought a solution that would be user-friendly and intuitive, especially for their IT department. Any staff member in any department should be able to jump right in and use the platform without specialized training.
   
2. Customizable and Flexible: The platform needed to adapt and evolve alongside TVCC’s changing requirements, growth, and goals.
   
3. Enhanced Admissions Processes: TVCC wanted a solution to simplify processes, automate workflows, and improve the overall approach to student admissions.

Robust training and support resources were also top search criteria for Skiles and her team. Most importantly, the chosen solution needed room for growth. TVCC was looking for a partner willing to grow alongside them, providing new tools and working together to meet evolving needs.

After evaluating these criteria, TVCC found that Element451 offered the tools and support required to effectively transform their student outreach strategies — without the heavy lifting.

Pedal To The Metal: Implementing Element451

Early on, it became evident that Element451 was a catalyst for transformation change at TVCC.

Although leadership changes momentarily delayed progress, the college's persistence and Element451's dedication ensured a successful transition. The platform's user-friendly interface and adaptability proved to be the turning point. 

Previously operating in silos and inadvertently creating gaps for students and staff, the recruitment and admissions departments joined forces and restructured around Element451. 

This restructure enabled TVCC to offer a comprehensive and uninterrupted journey, ensuring a seamless experience from prospect to enrolled student and beyond.

Solutions in Action: Personalized Touchpoints, Engaging Events, and AI-Powered ChatBots

TVCC jumped in head first by leveraging various platform features to enhance its operations. 

They shifted focus away from their antiquated website to easy-to-build, modern, and customizable landing pages. 

Drag-and-drop microsites and application portals dynamically personalized every touchpoint for students from the start by pulling in information directly from individual student records so, every touchpoint explicitly catered to that student’s needs and interests. 

Pre-built campaigns, automated emails, and unlimited two-way texting became communication vehicles, ensuring that TVCC's message reached students effectively, on time, and in the proper channels.

And the Tasks feature emerged as a game changer for the small recruitment and admissions teams, streamlining workflows and keeping the team focused on their new outstanding action items. 

A 40% Increase in Communication and Outreach

TVCC's recruitment team consisted of two recruiters and two admissions staff members. Knowing that finding, hiring, and training the right staff takes time and money, the team turned to Bolt AI Assistants, Element451’s AI-powered 24/7 chatbot, to make their team of four feel like forty.

One part chatbot, one part personal assistant, Bolt AI Assistants quickly understands complex questions, pulling information from the TVCC website and its ever-growing knowledge base. Plus, it remembers chat history, supports multiple languages and channels, and offers personalized assistance.  

Bolt AI Assistants rolled out, and the impact was immediate. Communication became faster and more efficient, and the team could manage student inquiries around the clock without hiring additional staff. 

The transformation was remarkable – the team witnessed an impressive 40% increase in messages sent from one week to the next, illustrating their ability to effectively meet student demands for quick and digital-first responses without needing extra human-power.

From 30 To 300: Pre-Built Campaigns Transform Event Attendance

When attendance at information sessions began to dip, Courtney turned to Packs, Element451's collection of ready-made email and SMS campaigns, to help generate awareness and increase attendance. 

The number of attendees skyrocketed from 30 to an astonishing 300+ for each session. The info sessions were now standing-room only, showcasing a remarkable surge in engagement.

The real magic was in the simplicity. Courtney's team only spent a few minutes setting up the email from Packs. Because the emails and messages were already branded to TVCC and pulled in dynamic content for each student, set up and send only took a couple of clicks: “It was a campaign that I downloaded from Packs, changed two words, and added a picture. I mean, it took me two seconds!”

This straightforward process freed them from the worry of attracting attendees and crafting new communications, allowing them to focus on putting on a successful event. 

Courtney also touched on the power of another simple interaction. 

When Fall orientation numbers weren’t as high as she had hoped for, she sat down and, in ten minutes, had a text campaign ready to go that linked students to the event registration: “I had it segmented to all our Fall applicants and sent it out. Within 30 minutes of me sending that campaign, we had gone from 97 registered attendees to 256. I think that just goes to show you the power of one simple interaction and how much that can impact what we're trying to do as institutions. And using Element451 has given us that capability.” 

And this remarkable success hasn’t just been limited to events. The number of conversations between staff and students has increased by more than 1,000%, and the team has been able to increase their email outreach by 456%. 

These increased interactions have led to tangible student engagement at TVCC; the Spring 2023 graduating class increased by 18%. 

Redefining Accessibility

TVCC's partnership with Element451 empowered them to lead the charge in redefining education accessibility. In an industry where rural institutions often grapple with limited resources, TVCC's commitment to innovation stands out. 

Courtney and her team have leveraged Element451's AI-powered platform to embrace change, overcome shifting industry challenges, and emerge as an industry leader in the digital age of higher education.

From targeted campaigns and individualized portals to AI-powered support and personalized attention, TVCC's approach has proved that a student's journey is as important as their destination.