The University of Sheffield is a research university with a global reputation: the South Yorkshire-based institution is a member of the Russell Group and one of 24 leading UK universities for research and teaching. It was also recently voted best Russell Group in the NSS 2023, and currently holds the number one spot on our live league tables. More than 30,000 students from over 150 countries come to attend the University of Sheffield every year.
Understanding the importance of reviews in achieving their strategic objective to cement themselves as a “world-class university at the heart of an extraordinary city”, Sheffield engaged with StudentCrowd in March 2023, and we were delighted to contribute towards their goal.
At A Glance
Challenges
- Low student engagement on the University of Sheffield StudentCrowd profile
- Lack of confidence in responding to reviews
- A tendency to avoid less-than-favourable reviews
- Not able to engage with prospective students via responses
- Not able to demonstrate how important student feedback is to Sheffield
Benefits
- Increase in student engagement
- Students are now able to click through to their website via embedded links, boosting referrals
- Answering questions from students who are seriously considering applying to the university, resulting in better qualified leads
- Demonstrating to students and parents how much Sheffield value the student experience
A Hub for Students
How did Sheffield transform their StudentCrowd page into an invaluable resource for students, improving their credibility?
Their first step was recognising the value of engaging with prospective students. Review responses are imperative to establish trust and generate highly qualified referrals. Sheffield understood this, and that’s why they connected with us.
We supported Sheffield in optimising their review strategy through our profile package, giving them enhanced functionality such as the ability to embed links in review responses.
We also hosted consultative webinars with Sheffield, sharing profile building and rich response advice as well as best practice examples.
Leveraging the Student Voice
Armed with new tips and tools, Sheffield built review responses into their strategy, with fantastic results. This strategy included:
- Rich responses
Sheffield’s responses are detailed and helpful. - Linking
Relevant landing pages are linked, encouraging referrals. - Responding to Negativity
Research shows that negative reviews, if handled appropriately, actually engender increased trust. Sheffield don’t shy away from less-than-favourable reviews, reinforcing their authenticity.
Why is Review Management so Important?
UCAS research shows that, after its own website and university open days, students rely on reviews to help them evaluate where they study. Therefore staying on top of your review strategy is key to attracting and engaging with students.
A digitally savvy demographic, students expect reviews to be recent, relevant and authentic. To that end, we built a sophisticated algorithm to rank higher education providers in our league table based on the ongoing number (variety of voice), recency, and authenticity of reviews. Our league tables adjust in real time, reflective of current student sentiment. That’s why our platform attracts over 1.9 million unique user sessions every year. It is also why it is so critical for universities to continually monitor, respond to and generate reviews.
Final Thoughts
With our guidance, Sheffield’s new-and-improved strategy of rich responses, addressing of mixed or negative reviews, and strong hyperlinking has transformed their profile.
Sheffield have now built a valuable hub for prospective students to learn more, and for current students to have their say. The result is an invaluable feedback loop of insights to improve student experience and attract new students.
Contact Us
To find out how we can help you succeed, please get in touch on our website and a member of staff will get back to you as soon as possible.
