How academies can answer every admission enquiry, even at 11 pm

Every academy owner knows the pattern. Results come out, a new session starts, and the phone fills with messages: "fee kitni hai?", "9th class ka batch kab start hoga?", "MDCAT ki classes online hain?" Most arrive in the evening, when parents are home from work and the front desk has gone. By the time someone replies the next morning, many of those parents have already spoken to the academy down the road.

This guide is for tuition centres, entry-test and IELTS academies and computer institutes. It covers where admissions are lost, the questions every parent asks, a reply that keeps the conversation going, and a follow-up routine that turns enquiries into enrolments.

Where admissions are lost

• Late replies. A parent comparing three academies gives the most attention to the first one that answers clearly.
• Replies that don't answer. "Please visit the academy for details" to a parent who asked the fee is a lost lead more often than not.
• No follow-up. Many enquiries are from people who are interested but not ready. Without a second message or a call, they drift away.
• Enquiries scattered across phones. The owner's WhatsApp, the front desk's phone, the Facebook page, walk-ins written on a register. Nobody sees the whole picture.
• Peak-season overload. The weeks after board results or before entry tests bring more messages than the staff can answer well.

The five questions every parent asks

Look through last season's chats and you'll find the same questions again and again. Write your answers down once, so whoever replies (or whatever replies) gives the same, correct answer:

1. Fee: per month or per course, admission fee, any sibling discount, how to pay.
2. Timings and batches: morning, evening or weekend, start date, and seats left.
3. Subjects and teachers: what is covered, class size, teachers' experience.
4. Where and how: address, online or in person, transport.
5. Trying first: demo class, refund policy, test schedule.

A reply that keeps the conversation going

A good first reply answers the question, gives one useful extra detail and asks one question back. For example:

"Assalam o alaikum! 10th class (Science) ki fee Rs 6,000 mahana hai. Evening batch 5 se 7 baje, aur 4 seats baqi hain. Bachay ke kaun se subjects chahiyein? Aap chahein to kal demo class bhi le sakte hain."

Notice what it does: the fee is stated, the timing and the scarcity (seats left) are clear, and the question at the end keeps the parent talking. Then capture the details you'll need to follow up:

• Student's name and class or course
• Subjects
• Preferred timing, online or at the academy
• A phone number for the call

Ask for these one at a time, in the flow of the chat, not as a form. People answer a single question far more readily than a list.

A follow-up routine that fills batches

The academies that fill their batches aren't always the cheapest. They are the ones that follow up. A simple rhythm:

When	What
Same day	Reply with fee, timings and one question; offer a demo class or a visit.
Day 2–3	A short message or a call: "Ali ke liye evening batch mein seat rakh dein?"
Day 7	Last friendly nudge, with a reason: batch starting, seats filling, demo class this week.

Give every enquiry a status (new, contacted, visit or demo booked, enrolled, not joining) and a rough temperature: hot (ready to join, asked about start date or payment), warm (interested, comparing), cold (just asking). Call the hot ones first.

Know which efforts bring students

Count three numbers each month: enquiries, visits or demo classes, and enrolments. Note where each enquiry came from: the banner's QR code, the Facebook page, a WhatsApp status, a referral. After one season you'll know which banners and posts are worth paying for, and where your follow-up is leaking.

What to look for in an enquiry tool

• Answers only from your own course list and FAQs, never invented fees or timings.
• Understands Urdu, Roman Urdu and English, typed or as voice notes, at any hour.
• Captures the student's details and suggests batches with seats left, without over-filling a full batch.
• Scores enquiries and alerts you to hot ones.
• Gives you a daily follow-up list and one-tap WhatsApp messages.
• Hands the chat to a person whenever the parent asks.

How Lafzoo's admissions desk helps

Lafzoo's admissions desk answers from your own courses, batches and FAQs, in the parent's language, day or night. It asks for the student's details one at a time, suggests batches that fit with the seats left, scores each enquiry hot, warm or cold, and alerts your phone for the hot ones. Every morning you get a follow-up list with ready-to-send WhatsApp messages. Parents reach it through your enquiry link or the QR code on your banner and prospectus; enquiries that arrive on WhatsApp can be forwarded in one tap until the direct WhatsApp connection is live.

Ask it a question the way a parent would on the live demo.

Questions people ask

What should we reply when a parent asks only “fee kitni hai?”

Give the fee for the class or course they need, the batch timings and the seats left, then ask one question back (the student's class or course) and offer a call or a demo class. A one-line “please visit the academy” reply loses many of these parents.

How quickly should we follow up an enquiry?

The same day if you can, and again after two or three days if they haven't joined. Most academies lose enquiries not because the fee is wrong but because nobody calls back.

Should we show our fees publicly?

Either works. Showing fees saves you the call for people who were never going to join; keeping them on request gets you more conversations. An admissions desk lets you choose per course.

Can it handle walk-ins and phone calls too?

Yes. Front-desk staff type a short note (“Ahmed, 10th class, math, 0300…”) into the desk chat and it becomes an enquiry on the same follow-up list.