TAFE SA's Sitefinity-powered website upped its conversion rate with its 3.2 million yearly visits
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SitefinityChallenge
Considering changes in user behavior looking for more dynamic features, Australian vocational school TAFE SA was keen to create a contemporary look and feel to their website.Solution
Enable the site to capture the customer journey from when a prospective student first visits the site to when they click to apply.Result
Students at the vocational school have been found to be complimentary of the new, innovative website design, as it gained a student approval rating of 75%.Full Story
Challenge
Technical and Further Education South Australia, or TAFE SA, is a provider of vocational education programs and job training classes for those seeking further development in their careers. TAFE SA is one of the largest organizations of its kind, with locations spread out across South Australia, enrolling 65,000 students annually. TAFE SA’s website gets on average 3 million hits every year.
One of TAFE SA’s values comes from putting the students first. That includes creating unique and functional digital experiences that has information that’s easy to find, tailored to the student experience.
TAFE SA wanted to gain a greater insight into how the students feel about the site. After partaking in an intensive user research project, the organization’s staff were presented with interesting answers. One common objection was related to how their browser habits changed over the past years. Students were frequently using the mobile version as their preferred platform to access the TAFE SA website.
Through this user research project, both the marketing and information communications technology (ICT) teams found opportunities to improve upon the user experience for prospective students.
One of TAFE SA’s values comes from putting the students first. That includes creating unique and functional digital experiences that has information that’s easy to find, tailored to the student experience.
TAFE SA wanted to gain a greater insight into how the students feel about the site. After partaking in an intensive user research project, the organization’s staff were presented with interesting answers. One common objection was related to how their browser habits changed over the past years. Students were frequently using the mobile version as their preferred platform to access the TAFE SA website.
Through this user research project, both the marketing and information communications technology (ICT) teams found opportunities to improve upon the user experience for prospective students.
Solution
Gary Bowden, ICT Team Leader at TAFE SA, was one of the figureheads of this project, and chose to use the latest version of Progress® Sitefinity® to revamp the website. TAFE SA has been using every version of Sitefinity to manage its website for a little over a decade. So, the first thing to cross off their list was to upgrade to the latest version. The staff appreciates how easy-to-use the platform is, especially when it comes to updating content, and wanted to continue using it. By leveraging this trait of Sitefinity, the ICT team make tweaks here and there to improve the student experience.
Once the upgrade to Sitefinity occurred, the ICT team was eager to implement an enhanced customized student enrollment platform. With the existing primary goal of the site being to provide users with all the information, they need to decide to enroll as new students, the redesign focused on ensuring the user journey was uncomplicated. While this component of the refresh is focused on prospective students, the staff wanted to start capturing the customer journey to gain even more insight to improve the student experience ongoing.
“The refresh of the TAFE SA website focused on a modern design that delivered an enhanced user experience,” Bowden said. “Most websites focus on what they are offering rather than putting themselves in the mindset of their customers. TAFE SA approached the redesign by putting the student at the heart of all changes.”
Once the upgrade to Sitefinity occurred, the ICT team was eager to implement an enhanced customized student enrollment platform. With the existing primary goal of the site being to provide users with all the information, they need to decide to enroll as new students, the redesign focused on ensuring the user journey was uncomplicated. While this component of the refresh is focused on prospective students, the staff wanted to start capturing the customer journey to gain even more insight to improve the student experience ongoing.
“The refresh of the TAFE SA website focused on a modern design that delivered an enhanced user experience,” Bowden said. “Most websites focus on what they are offering rather than putting themselves in the mindset of their customers. TAFE SA approached the redesign by putting the student at the heart of all changes.”
Result
The result TAFE SA is most proud of is the improved student approval rating of 75% giving the new, Sitefinity-powered website a passing grade. TAFE SA found an increased amount of student applications, within six months of implementing the changes with Sitefinity, the conversion rate jumped from 4.3% to 5.8%, and shows no signs of slowing down.
To add to an already revamped customer experience, TAFE SA’s website now can play videos and animations within web banners. This was a brand-new feature to the website, as the marketing team was able to leverage Sitefinity’s design capabilities.
Since the redesign, TAFE SA has been welcoming students from all over Australia to attend in-person and remote classes. And when those students hop onto their computers, they are greeted with a well-put-together and functional website. TAFE SA staff are continually monitoring student activity and are making changes at key touchpoints to improve the student experience and increase the interest in new students. After all, the student experience is the number one priority.
About TAFE SA
TAFE SA is the largest provider of vocational education and training (VET) in South Australia. We deliver more than 1000 courses per year at our campuses across the state. We offer training across more than 80 activity and industry-related areas with a wide range of quality courses and flexible study options. We work closely with industry and business to deliver relevant, high-quality, vocational education and training to better link skills and training with job opportunities, ensuring sustainable employment
To add to an already revamped customer experience, TAFE SA’s website now can play videos and animations within web banners. This was a brand-new feature to the website, as the marketing team was able to leverage Sitefinity’s design capabilities.
Since the redesign, TAFE SA has been welcoming students from all over Australia to attend in-person and remote classes. And when those students hop onto their computers, they are greeted with a well-put-together and functional website. TAFE SA staff are continually monitoring student activity and are making changes at key touchpoints to improve the student experience and increase the interest in new students. After all, the student experience is the number one priority.
About TAFE SA
TAFE SA is the largest provider of vocational education and training (VET) in South Australia. We deliver more than 1000 courses per year at our campuses across the state. We offer training across more than 80 activity and industry-related areas with a wide range of quality courses and flexible study options. We work closely with industry and business to deliver relevant, high-quality, vocational education and training to better link skills and training with job opportunities, ensuring sustainable employment