Benefits

• Applicants’ demographics, quality are measurable, manageable
• Mailing and printing costs sharply reduced
• Improved administrative process works well for transient work force

Challenge

The recruiting department of a large university with an enrollment of 2,200 graduate students had no automated method for qualifying graduate-school applications. Internet-based requests for school literature coming in from around the world had grown at a tenfold rate over the previous year, and with it, the costs of printing and mailing literature to that vast, widely dispersed audience.

The recruiting administrator had several problems. In order to keep departmental expenses in check, he had to sort out the serious literature requests from casual ones. He also had to maintain a set ratio of U.S. to foreign applicants, which would require some reporting tool, but he had none.

In addition, improvements were badly needed in the internal process of identifying, selecting, and mailing the correct mix of informational packets to the various individuals requesting them.

Stratagem's Solution

Stratagem assigned an analyst and developer to assess the problems and provide solutions. He interviewed the recruiting administrator to determine the department’s requirements for a new database. He then drew up a database design to replace the old, imprecise decision-making model, one that relied on inference and intuition, with a cleaner, more automated process.

The consultant built a Web-enabled database that captured demographic information from on-line applicants. The database was capable of counting countries, and cities within countries, where inquiries originated, thus eliminating duplications and capturing response patterns. Counters interpreted statistical data, such as age, gender, and residence zip code, which helped create clear aggregate and subgroup profiles from the applicant pool.

The database also identified applicants who might need special materials. Foreign students, for instance, would need to demonstrate English-language skills and meet other stringent criteria. Ability to meet tuition costs was another field used to sort requests.

Stratagem’s consultant streamlined the process for mailing packets. By coding address labels, he helped a transient student-worker force adapt quickly to the literature selection/mailing process. He also trained them to generate reports and queries from the database.

Result

The recruiting department has replaced a paper-based system with an efficient, automated database reporting system. Graduate departments now have log-on capability to the database and can trace the number and status of qualified applicants to their respective programs.