Advancement · School Operations

Short inquiry forms,
fast personal replies

An admissions inquiry form should ask only what you need to reply, say what happens next and say how you will use what families write. Build one per point of contact, print the paper card or the field list for your online form, then log each family by code and see who has a reply, how fast it came and who booked a visit or applied.

Add an inquiry formWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the School operations toolkit, $49 for 56 items.

Inquiry forms

The worked example is made up: a fall open house card with quick replies, a website form that asks too much and a school fair card with replies still waiting. Family codes only. Saved on this device only.

Loading the inquiry form form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · School Operations$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per inquiry form: school, where it is used, top line, questions and required questions, privacy line, and a log of family inquiries by code with entry grade, inquiry and reply dates and stage; counts of questions, replies within two days and visits or applications; a printable inquiry card and an online field list.
Who it is for
Admissions and enrollment staff, heads of school and marketing staff at independent, charter and private schools.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per form. Prints the inquiry card, the online field list, the record, every form in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the School operations toolkit ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The School Operations space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Name the school and the event.
  2. Pick the questions; require few.
  3. Write the top and privacy lines.
  4. Print the card or field list.
  5. Log each inquiry and reply.

Add an inquiry form

Why short forms and fast replies

From a card to a campus visit1Ask littleName, a way to reply, thegrade2Say what happens nextA reply within two days3Say how you use itOne privacy line4Reply personallyWithin a day or two5Offer a visitTwo or three dates6Track the stageNew, replied, visit, appliedFrom a card to a campus visit1Ask littleName, a way to reply, the grade2Say what happens nextA reply within two days3Say how you use itOne privacy line4Reply personallyWithin a day or two5Offer a visitTwo or three dates6Track the stageNew, replied, visit, applied
Families reach out to several schools at once; the one that answers first and personally is the one they visit.

Every field costs answers

Each extra question on an inquiry form gives a busy parent a reason to stop. Ask for a name, one way to reply and the grade; the rest of the story belongs in the conversation and the visit. Mark required only what you truly need, and put a one-line privacy statement next to the button.

The reply is the real form

A family that fills in a card has usually contacted other schools too. A personal reply within a day or two, from a named person, with two or three visit dates, does more than any brochure. Log the inquiry date and the first reply so you can see how fast your office answers after each event.

Sources

  1. National Association of Independent Schools. Admission and enrollment management resources (nais.org).
  2. Enrollment Management Association. The State of the Independent School Admission Industry report (enrollment.org).
  3. Nielsen Norman Group. Website forms usability: top recommendations (nngroup.com).
  4. Federal Trade Commission. Protecting personal information: a guide for business (ftc.gov).

The worked example is made up, including the school and family codes. The two-day reply, seven-question and four-required thresholds are working rules stated on the page. Follow your school’s privacy policy. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.