University of Herefordshire

The Challenge

Clearing, where universities get to fill up any vacant spots on their courses, is among the busiest and most vital periods in the education calendar. For the University of Herefordshire, this already high-pressure time was further complicated by the shift to remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Traditionally, clearing relied on large, in-person teams handling calls in dedicated spaces made up of workers from all departments, supported by on-hand decision makers. Replicating that model remotely - while maintaining the same level of service - proved to be a significant challenge.

The university needed to:

Manage large volumes of clearing calls remotely

Provide a high-quality, responsive experience for prospective students

Provide staff with the tools and information they need to work efficiently from anywhere

Gain a better understanding of demand in real time to manage peaks effectively

The reporting dashboards are far superior to those we had before. They allow us to better monitor call volumes and identify trends through insights. While they don’t reduce demand, they enable us to facilitate a smoother customer journey. They also enhance the university’s image for prospective students, as the staff triaging and managing queries about the course are better equipped to assist callers effectively
Mark Partridge, Head of Student Information Service and Student Records and Enrolment, University of Hertfordshire

The Solution

To support remote clearing at scale, the University of Hertfordshire implemented Liberty Converse by Netcall, an omnichannel, cloud-based contact centre solution.

Intuitive, easy-to-use interface

The platform was rapidly adopted by teams due to its modern, intuitive interface - similar to that of a smartphone. This allowed staff to get started quickly, even in a high-pressure clearing environment.

Supervisors especially benefit from clear, customisable dashboards, which provide the visibility needed to make informed operational decisions in real-time. Features like call history playback support ongoing training and development for workers, while the ability to adjust agent skills helps teams prioritise resources across different queues. Scheduled reporting with activity codes also assists in identifying trends and areas for improvement.

Flexible working with softphones

Software-based phones (softphones) enabled staff to make and receive calls directly from their laptops or desktops, without requiring additional hardware, from any location with an internet connection.

This removed location restrictions completely, allowing teams to work remotely or in a hybrid setup while ensuring consistent service for prospective students. The flexibility has also positively enhanced staff experience, offering a better balance between on-site collaboration and the convenience of remote working.

Improved reporting and insight

A major advantage of Liberty Converse was the significant improvement in reporting and management information. With access to real-time reporting, customisable dashboards, activity codes and data exports, the university gained a much deeper understanding of demand. This level of insight facilitated monitoring call volumes, tracking performance and responding swiftly during peak periods.

Proactive demand management

With improved visibility, the team could adopt a more proactive approach. Spikes in specific enquiry types could be recognised early, enabling the university to respond with targeted communications and minimise avoidable contact.

At peak times, features such as the call-back option helped manage high volumes more effectively, giving callers an alternative to waiting on the line and improving the overall experience.

Seamless integration with in-house systems

Liberty Converse was integrated with the university’s in-house clearing system via a bespoke application developed internally.

This allows the platform to recognise incoming callers and automatically present key student information to agents, including name, email address, phone number, UCAS number, and points, pre-populated as calls are received.

By removing the need to switch between systems, agents can focus fully on the conversation - saving time and enabling faster, more effective support for prospective students.

The Results

The new approach transformed how clearing calls were handled - improving both efficiency and the experience for prospective students. Key results included:

More calls answered, with reduced wait times

University staff could work from home or their normal desk at work

Removing location restriction allowed more staff to work on clearing calls

Call volume reporting via the Converse supervisor dashboard

Ability to act on real-time management information and manage volume effectively

Converse deployed as business-as-usual solution, using more features like the softphone

Faster, more informed conversations with students

A smoother, more consistent experience during a high-pressure period

Increased capacity to handle peak clearing demand

The solution proved so effective that it has continued beyond clearing as part of business-as-usual operations.

What's next?

The University of Hertfordshire is continuing to build on this foundation by expanding the range of supported channels and is always exploring ideas to achieve efficiency savings or to create happier students. Although most interactions in the contact centre are voice calls, the aim is to incorporate email interactions into Converse, allowing the same team to manage the enquiry.

Future plans also include integrating online forms and live chat, so teams can handle all enquiries in one place and provide more accessible, responsive support to students.

University of Herefordshire