How students search for and decide for a university has grown more complex: the search process and the consulted channels have multiplied. UNIspotter conducted a study among 86 students (business; interested in pursuing a Master) to observe how they search, where they search and what they search for when deciding for a study program. We discovered that the search process follows a pattern (4 stages): - Browse universities (50+ programs) - Narrow down the option (15-25 programs) - Detailed Research: Compare (10 programs) - (Pre-)Decision: Apply (on average 5 programs) However, not all the touch points are considered equally relevant for the final decision. The university of the future needs to attract top-talent in a rapidly changing market and needs to manage the information that impacts the future students' decision. But: most of the time you are not even aware that potential students make decisions about you. Google calls this "The Zero Moment of Truth" - customers researching about you on the internet before they decide to buy a service. How do students consider university rankings, accreditations, search engines, online portals and the direct contact with universities? We want to provide you an insight into what we found out. And input on how you can identify the customer journey your students have had as well as a check-list on how to find room for improvement. We would be very happy to have your feedback about it!

1. THE STUDENT CUSTOMER JOURNEY
➡
➡
➡
how and where students look for a university (program)
critical factors influencing their decision
trends in user behavior
The customer journey
has grown more
complex: the search
process and the
consulted information
channels have
multiplied
Crucial to understand in
order to know where
your efforts will have the
biggest impact
Education is a highly-
involved decision and
one that requires many
different touch points on
the way.
COMPLEXITY IMPACT TOUCH POINTS

2. Background of the survey1
Search process2
3 User Behavior & Trends
4
Student Customer Journey5
Do-it-yourself test. Take action.6
Conclusion7
Customer Journey: Zero Moment of Truth

3. Background of the survey1
WHY we did it? To understand how we can create value.
We want to share our insights on the new education decision journey.
For Universities: During talks with university representatives we noticed their
interest in our findings. While many universities ask their own
(current) students no comparison with other students is possible.
-
-
the search process itself
channels and their power of
influence
information needs
trends in user behavior
-
-
What we researched
How we researched
- Qualitative interviews with
86 students
◉Master students in the business field
◉last year of a (business) bachelor program looking for a master
◉or recently (last 12months) decided for a master
Who is NOT our target group:
- bachelor or PhD students (show significantly different criteria in
their study choice)
- students from other fields (no tech, natural sciences, etc.)
Who? TARGET GROUP

4. #1 stage
BROWSE
50+ universities
#2 stage
NARROWITDOWN
15-25 programs
#3 stage
DETAILEDRESEARCH
10 programs
(pre-)decsion
Apply to 5
Search process2
The search process is divided into 3 stages and the (pre-) decision. Currently the
problem starts at the beginning of the funnel. There is no structured approach to start
the search process.
The next 2 slides illustrate the search process in greater detail - how students search
and what needs they have in every stage.

5. Search Engines: „general
keywords" (e.g. HR Master
Spain)
Study Guides & Fairs: get
inspiration vs. get
overwhelmed
Rankings: form of
credibility (mostly FT)
Friends & family:
experiences/suggestions
Online Portals: browse
options
#1 stage
BROWSE
NEEDS
Research options:
what’s available &fits my
general criteria?
50+ universities
University website:
programs &application
requirements
Social media presence
(especially videos)
#2 stage
NARROWITDOWN
NEEDS
Detailed information:
Most important information
searching for:
1. Application
requirements
2. Program start
3. Deadlines
4. Curriculum
15-25 programs

6. Search for social proof:
search for university + program
name
Reviews, recommendations
& rankings:
- Blogs, Forums
- Search Engines (long-tail
keywords)
- Alumni
- Campus Visits
- Rankings/Accreditations
#3 stage
DETAILEDRESEARCH
NEEDS
Compare &
Consult:
Do they keep
what they
promise?
10 programs
(pre-) decision
Often:
accepted to multiple universities -
process not finished!
Apply to 5

7. User Behavior & Trends3
Student Customer Journey: complexity increases.
93% of customers inform themselves online before purchasing a product/service. (1)
10.4 sources influence the purchase decision.(1)
92% trust recommendations from friends. 70% trust customer opinions posted online. (2)
+
Shift to MOBILE
50% of youtube videos: watched on a mobile. (2)
50% of search queries: on a mobile. (2)
150 times/day: how often a persons look at mobile.(2)
(1)Ipsos, our mobile planet, May 2013 (2)Nielson Global Trust inAdvertising Survey, Q3 2011

8. The search process follows a certain pattern and depending on the stage
different channels and different information are relevant to students’ decision
The role of Search Engines: at the beginning & the end of the search
The right information. At the right time.
FT Ranking(s): Are you ranked? NOT: which rank!
#1 stage
general search terms like
„Human Resource Master UK“,
„Entrepreneurship MBApart-
time“ (field/discipline in combination
with a specific set of requirements)
or questions as a whole
#3 stage
specific (so called long-tail keywords)
„[university name] + [program name] + jobs“
„semester abroad + [university name] + [program name]“
„how is it like to study at [university name]“
„what jobs can Iget after studying [program name]“
„should Ichoose [university X]or [university Y]
100% of students knew the ranking(s)
34% said it played a role in their decision
—> if university was listed (notrankitself)
—> „It shows some sign of credibility“
„Future employers might have a look at it“
Which stage of search?
European Business Schools: at beginning to identify popular universities
(lack: no information on a specific program)
Finance &Management Ranking: in later stage again
82% didn’t know the underlying criteria
Survey: The Student Customer Journey, UNIspotter2015

9. The right information. At the right time.
Accreditations
However, the majority of students did not remember the individual names, could not differ between them or knew the
underlying methodology.
Online Portals: #1 STAGE
Students are hardly aware of the name of these portals - find them while using search engines.
Usability weaknesses: user experience, design and navigation rated low.
32% of students know the concept of accreditations (AACSB, EQUISand/or AMBA)
46% of students come across online portals
Contact with universities: low before application
Search Process: Stage #2 &Stage #3
The majority only contacts a university if questions arise that cannot be answered with help of the university website/the internet.
Main reasons for not reaching out to universities:
- afraid it sheds a bad light on them in the further application process if they ask something that they could have found out
themselves
- feel as if they would bother university
- prefer to stay anonymous
Survey: The Student Customer Journey, UNIspotter 2015
17% of students seek contact before applying

10. Information relevant for decision
List of the most important student questions
Content
Syllabus: what will I learn?
Can I choose electives?
How does it relate to my future jobs?
Teaching
Who is going to teach me? Will it be interactive?
What background do my profs have?
What will the interaction in class be like?
How many students will be in my class?
How do I get assessed?
Are there connections to companies, case studies other
practical projects?
Job Prospects
What are my career prospects afterwards?
Which companies are recruiting?
Is there a career center - which services are offered?
Can I write my thesis for a company?
Which career paths are other alumni pursuing now?
How strong is the alumni network?
How is the program perceived by future employers?
Internationality
How many internationals will be in my class?
How is the mixture of nationalities? (From which
countries, how many different ones?)
Is there the opportunity to go abroad?
Does the university have partner universities?
Are double degrees offered?
Interestingly, student life (associations, extracurricular activities, student city, ..) and university infrastructure (learning areas,
library resources, classrooms, ..) were considered but not relevant for choosing one university over the other.

11. First Moment of Truth: Original Concept by Procter & Gamble, 2005
Zero Moment of Truth: Google, 2011
Illustration: http://www.hadeninteractive.com/the-zero-moment-of-truth/
Customer Journey: Zero Moment of Truth4
Search Watch Videos
Read
Reviews
Ask your
network

12. (1) 2012 study conducted by Google and market analysts Compete Survey: The Student Customer Journey, UNIspotter 2015(2) Google, Nielson: 2011(3)
KEY FACTS: Zero Moment of Truth
The Internet has changed
how we decide what to buy
A new purchase-habit: Zero-Moment-of Truth
= online decision-making moment (1)
9 in 10 enrolled students
research universities online (2)
FMOT greatly displaced by ZMOT: students making decisions based on their initial online
research
32% 4x
of students apply to six
schools or more. (2)
of education search queries:
on a mobile device. (3)
increased use of videos by
education seekers to gather
information about schools
(2011-2012) (1)
40%

13. Student Customer Journey5
= take a walk in your prospects’ shoes to identify & improve gaps in performance
2 31
Understand your personas
The audience you are most likely
to attract and convert.
Identify university-student touchpoints:
Use this report as a starting point. include
specific points, e.g. your social media
channels.
How do students hear about your school,
research it, engage online and contact you?
(We recommend qualitative interviews.)
Feedback on interaction and
information sources:
What resources have they accessed?
Which points were critical for decision
&at which stage of the search
process?
Touchpoint
Web search
(search
engines)
University/
Program
Website
Rankings Attended Fairs Online Portals
Recommendat
ions from
friends &
family
Online
Comments
(Reviews,
Blogs,
Forums)
Interaction
with
admission
Experience
Found out
about program
over study
guide.
Specifically
searched for
university.
Difficult to
find the
price.
Application
procedure
not clear.
Great
pictures.
Looked at FT
ranking.
University
was listed -
can’t
remember
rank.
First contact
with university
at
„Master &
More“
exhibition
Used at the
beginning
Did not
know
anyone
who
studied
there
Searching for
reviews -
would have
been
important; no
quality ones
found
Called - friendly
& informative,
E- Mail: took 3
days to answer
Importance for
decision
1 5 3 4 2 4 3 4
EXAMPLE:
3

14. Do-it-yourself test. Take action.6
Feedback about the customer journey:Ask a few students about their touch-
points.
Ask students that you admitted but didn’t enroll.
(Be aware who in your team/externally completes the task.)
How many clicks does someone need on your website to find
๏
๏
application requirements & deadline✓s (best case: on one page/closely linked)
the program descriptions?
Have you covered the essentials about your programs:
content, teaching, preparation for job, internationality? (see slide: info relevant to
decision)
Ifyou want to connect with your students:
How inviting is it? Do you mention the name, picture, office hours of contact
person?
Do you know your online reputation if you google your school/ the individual
programs and what is said about you on forums, social media?
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓

15. Conclusion7
1
2
Quick, gamified &simple - the most important info:
Search for suitable programs needs to be more fun.
An increasing shift to mobile. New way of scanning through options quickly.
➡ NEED: Instead of having all information - having the most relevant information. On a
mobile. Tools that are in line with changing customer behavior.
Wish to interact with current or other future students. Especially figuring out who in my
network has been at this university or knows someone from there.
"The key is to engage potential students in the right mindsets, on the right channels, and to enable
them to experience all the great things your school has to offer.“
The Zero-Moment of Truth makes it more difficult to reach your audience before they decide.
Your online appearance therefore is crucial.

16. Feel free to contact us for further questions!
Verena Maria Mai, MSc
verena@unispotterapp.com
+43 650 3663529
Christoph Trost, BA
christoph@unispotterapp.com
+43 664 9142613
www.unispotterapp.com

17. google: Winning the ZMOT (Zero Moment of Truth): https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/interviews/
winning-the-zero-moment-of-truth-ratings-and-reviews- word-of-mot.html
google: The customer journey to online purchase in jobs & education https://
www.thinkwithgoogle.com/tools/customer-journey-to-online-purchase.html
Gartner (2015): Digital Education Movement: Tap into the extended education ecosystem to improve the student
college selection process
Gartner (2014): Digital Education Moment: The Enrollment Opportunity
Gartner (2013): The Coming of Age for CRM in Higher Education
google analytics - but be aware of your metrix (long page visits may also be a sign that your visitors are lost)
interesting combination with google Attribution Modeling Tool
tracking of mouse-movements of your visitors: http://www.crazyegg.com
Additional Resources