A course enquiry can be answered and still be lost. The learner may await a timetable, an adviser a reply, or an application may exist elsewhere. As enrolment closes, those differences matter more than open-chat totals. Build one deadline-aware view, give every active enquiry a truthful state and choose the next useful action. Keep each relevant question, promise and application step visible to an owner.
Put one cohort deadline on the board
Start with the authoritative closing date, time and time zone for one course or cohort. If applications are reviewed until a different time, record that too. Do not copy an old brochure date; name the person or system that confirms changes.
The wider adult education journey includes discovery, trial classes, applications and learner support. This board covers people with a current question, promise or next step for this cohort. Another intake needs its own list.
Give every enquiry one visible state
Use states that describe evidence, not optimism. New means no useful answer yet. Answered means the current question was addressed. Application started and enrolled require evidence from the institution's formal process, not enthusiastic wording in chat.
- 1Confirm deadlineUse one authoritative cohort close.
- 2Set stateRecord evidence rather than optimism.
- 3Assign actionName an owner and next checkpoint.
- 4Stop correctlyEnd after enrolment, decline or opt-out.
| State | Evidence to record | Next queue decision |
|---|---|---|
| New | Source and unanswered question | Assign an adviser and response time |
| Answered | Useful answer and promised follow up | Wait until the agreed checkpoint |
| Waiting on learner | One clear request or decision | Avoid unrelated reminders |
| Application started | Verified application record | Route formal help to its owner |
| Enrolled | Confirmed institutional outcome | Stop prospect follow up |
| Closed | Decline, wrong intake or no next step | Record reason and close |
| Opted out | Clear stop request | Suppress promotional contact |
Keep chat notes proportionate. The course enquiry privacy guide separates an enquiry from a formal application. Do not copy certificates, identity documents or sensitive background into a queue note.
Keep the application system authoritative
The shared inbox shows conversation history; it does not prove that an application was submitted, accepted or paid. Choose the admissions system that owns those facts and define how staff verify them before changing the state.
If a connection is configured, test late events, duplicates and failed updates. Otherwise use a documented manual check. The approved course knowledge guide follows the same boundary: live availability and admissions decisions need an authoritative source or person.
Review the queue while action is useful
Review the board at a fixed time each working day and more often near the deadline. Sort by unanswered questions and promises due today, not by the oldest marketing lead. Give every active row one owner, next action and checkpoint. A shared inbox can make ownership visible, but the team must define each state and who may change it.
Resolve contradictions first. A learner marked waiting may have applied, another team may own the application, or a reply may have arrived after a reminder was queued.
Send only the message the state supports
Resolve the current uncertainty: send the requested timetable, explain the formal next step, or say that an adviser is checking. Do not invent urgency with an unreserved place or an unofficial deadline.
Use the open day follow up guide for event leads and the trial class follow up guide for booked experiences. Neither state should be treated as general enrolment intent.
The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in for subsequent contact, respect for stop requests and approved templates outside the 24-hour customer service window. Approval does not make an irrelevant reminder useful. Check permission, state and ownership before business-initiated follow up.
Close the item without losing the decision
Remove an enquiry when the learner enrols, declines, chooses another intake, asks to stop or has no agreed next step after the documented process. Keep the limited operational reason, then follow the retention rule. Review closed reasons after the cohort starts. Repeated fee questions may expose a page problem; repeated handoffs may expose unclear ownership. That is process evidence, not proof that more reminders would have converted anyone.
Frequently asked questions
Should every unanswered course enquiry receive a deadline reminder
No. Check whether the person agreed to follow up, whether the message answers the current question and whether the team can act on a reply. Silence is not permission for an endless sequence.
Is a chat reply proof that someone applied
No. A message can show intent, but application started and enrolled require evidence from the formal process. Link the records without pretending they are the same record.
What should a manager check each day
Check unanswered questions, promises due, ownerless enquiries, state conflicts, queued messages after a new reply and approaching deadlines. A small accurate board is more useful than a large list labelled active.
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