Mystery shopper research reveals improved university responses

The 2025 Enquiry Experience Tracker is based on a mystery shopping study of 103 universities and colleges in the major English-speaking destinations, developed by Edified in partnership with UniQuest, with students assessing institutions on criteria such as responsiveness, relevance and personalization.

Headline findings: The authors said that ‘negative encounters’ have almost halved over the last four years of research, falling from 33 per cent in 2022 to just 18 per cent this year.

Meanwhile, the share of institutions considered to be delivering ‘excellent’ responses to international students has increased from one-third to 58 per cent in the same period, “reflecting how intense global competition is driving universities to sharpen interaction with prospects”, Edified said.

Average scores by region and globally. Source – Edified.

The global average score across all institutions was 61 out of 100, which represented a 10 per cent improvement over the previous year and a four-year high.

Responses: Overall, there was a more complete response rate in this year’s research, with 86 per cent of mystery shoppers receiving answers to their enquiries, compared with only 79 per cent in 2022.

However, the study also demonstrated the importance of the content of replies. Students who received ‘warm and tailored’ responses were seven times more likely to continue engaging than those who received prompt, impersonal responses.

Elissa Newall, Senior Partner at Edified and EET Project Director, said, “Universities are putting our insights and recommendations into practice, and it shows. In just four years, we’ve seen negative experiences halve and a real push towards excellence. Students are the ultimate winners, getting warmer, more personal and more helpful guidance at a critical stage in their journey.”

Destinations: Institutions in Australia and New Zealand averaged the best ratings at 70/100, Edified noted, with UK institutions averaging 60/100 and North American schools scoring 53/100.

Four in five Australian institutions included bonus information in enquiry responses and 90 per cent guided students to a clear next step.

Australia/New Zealand institutions had the best response rate at 95 per cent within the allowed timeframe of the research (three weeks for email and 15 minutes for live chat channels), followed by those in the UK on 85 per cent. However, one in four respondents to a North American institution didn’t receive a reply.

Channels: The mix of enquiry channels to prospective students remains similar to previous years, the authors said. Most institutions researched had email and web form options, but only 70 per cent offered the opportunity to chat with current students, and just over half had live chat or chat bots.

University enquiry forms were the most reliable channel, the authors said, with only one in 10 going unanswered, compared to one in five by email.

Graphic source – Edified.

For the first time, WhatsApp was used as an enquiry channel in the study, along with email, enquiry form, phone, live chat and peer-to-peer tools.

Around a third of institutions in the global survey were found to be utilizing WhatsApp, with take-up highest in the UK, where half of the universities were using the platform.

The mystery shoppers rated WhatsApp as the most reliable channel, with 80 per cent of enquiries answered within two hours.

Jennifer Parsons, Chief Market and Partnerships Officer at UniQuest, said, “It’s no surprise WhatsApp rates so highly. Students are getting quick, personal responses on a platform they use every day. Our data shows it’s a channel that converts really well. Students come back again and again to continue the conversation as they move closer to enrolment.”

Institutions: James Cook University (JCU) in Queensland emerged as the top-performing institution globally in the research.

“Over the past three years, JCU has systematically used insights from EET to build a high-performing team and deliver high levels of student satisfaction – a significant competitive advantage for a smaller, regional university,” Edified said.

The University of South Wales ranked top in the UK and also had the highest-rated WhatsApp experience, while Justice Institute of British Columbia scored highest in North America. Meanwhile, UTS College in Sydney scored highest for phone experience and live chat experience.

A survey of institutions found that 65 per cent use a standalone CRM system, 20 per cent use a fully integrated CRM, and 14 per cent don’t use a CRM.