Some nurseries have already reopened with fewer children and in some cases, this is already forcing them to reduce the working hours of staff to help balance the books.
Nurseries need to plan and develop strategies to maximise their occupancy levels. If you have spare capacity in your nursery, you are not realising your potential.
If you have parents/guardians visiting the Nursery who are not turning into paying customers, as a starting point, you need to look at how you can improve your conversion rate from visits.
Nurseries need to plan and develop strategies to maximise their occupancy levels. If you have spare capacity in your nursery, you are not realising your potential.
If you have parents/guardians visiting the Nursery who are not turning into paying customers, as a starting point, you need to look at how you can improve your conversion rate from visits.
Checklist for Visits
1. During the pandemic, visits should by appointment only and should be arranged outside of operational hours.
2. Parents will need reassurance that your safe distancing and hygiene arrangements meet their expectations of safety for their child. Providing PPE would be beneficial.
3. Spend time preparing visitors' packs containing: details of the nursery, the service and fees you charge and a visitor information form for visitors to fill in; this form needs to have a tick box section which says they would be happy to receive communications from you. This gives you their consent for you to email them enabling you to adhere to GDPR Regulations.
4. Have a pre-planned route around the setting to be used as standard by nominated any fully trained show-around staff.
5. On arrival to the setting, ensure parents read the rules for visitors and ask them to sign the visitors' book - This will emphasise the security of the setting. Check the visitors' book to ensure previous visitors have signed out, otherwise the exercise is contradictory.
6. Greet the parents/guardians and offer them refreshments on arrival. This should be catered to by another staff member so you are not leaving them alone.
7. Your staff should be aware of the visit and be prepared, ensuring the environment is clean and tidy.
8. Find out the name of the child/children and use their name throughout the visit as if it is accepted that they will be joining you.
9. Take the visitor somewhere peaceful, where there will be no interruptions from staff or children.
10. Discuss the provision of your services and identify their requirements. This reassures them that their needs and expectations will be met and encourages the potential client to join your nursery at the earliest opportunity.
11. Highlight during the tour the wow factors of the setting, if you don’t have any create some. Explain as you go round how each area and activity benefits children.
12. If you have CCTV in the setting use this as a major selling point emphasising the monitoring of children in the setting. This reassures parents/guardians of the level of security and monitoring. If you have no CCTV installed, you will have to reassure them of your monitoring policy. (Remember, CQC the care home equivalent of Ofsted have given the go ahead for relatives to install secret cameras in care homes. The last thing you want is for parents/guardians to use secret cameras in your setting as this would be a serious safeguarding issue).
13. Ensure the parent/guardian completes the visitor information form. The more you ask, the more you can demonstrate your knowledge of the child and their needs when you make your follow up call.
14. To end the show around resolve any outstanding questions, do not leave them wondering what to do next.
15. The day after the visit, the same show around person should make a follow up call with a thank you, relate their conversation to the child by name, take feedback and record it on the visitor form.
16. Place the details on your database and send them updates/newsletters about your events and activities.
17. Review every visit. What worked well? What can be improved?
18. When lock down is fully lifted, consider holding open evenings so both parents can visit your setting. When holding evening events, why not combine the event with a recruitment drive? You may not have current vacancies but it is always good to have a pool of potential employees. Ensure that all of your staff have designated roles for the evening such as; refreshments, trained meet and greeters, a careers person, and an event coordinator to ensure the evening runs smoothly. After the event, examine what worked well and what needs improving.
19. Remember you are building up a data base of possible customers.
It is very common that both parents/guardians cannot visit the setting at the same time due to work commitments. You will probably find that they have short listed a number of nurseries to look at so your show around must step up to the mark and impress. Virtual tours of your setting allow both parents/guardians and the child to view your setting from the comfort of their sofa at home on your website. The child could be sold and excited at the thought of joining your nursery even before they visit you.
Educational sessions for potential clients are also a great idea, we have seen this concept used to good effect. Perhaps bring in guest speakers for evening events such as breast feeding and anti natal classes to attract potential parents to visit you.
Educational sessions for potential clients are also a great idea, we have seen this concept used to good effect. Perhaps bring in guest speakers for evening events such as breast feeding and anti natal classes to attract potential parents to visit you.
What else could you consider doing?
Newsletters
Make use of the database you have built. Nominate staff members with flair to contribute stories. If you have animals at the nursery, name them and describe their ongoing adventures.
Gardens are probably the most productive, educational and exciting activity for children in a nursery. Gardens offer good story lines and pictures from seed to harvest to the table. These ongoing story lines make good reading on your website.
Staff and Existing Client Involvement
During the tour, your staff will be judged by their presentation, conduct and caring attitude towards the children. The day to day performance of staff will determine the number of referrals your nursery receives. Parents should be involved and encouraged to introduce new parents.
How many staff do you employ? Because this is the number of potential sales people you have promoting the setting. Ask your staff what they do for a living. They will probably respond by saying something along the lines of 'I am a child care practitioner'. The response you want to encourage would sound more like ‘I work at a wonderful day nursery, we have so much fun with the children. I just love going to work there each day. If I had children they would go there.’ Get your staff involved in selling the setting with enthusiasm.
You could consider rewarding your staff and existing parents for introducing a new client. Perhaps a cash incentive or voucher payable once the new parent has paid their first month’s fee.
Free sponsored in house Safeguarding Training after Lockdown
We offer free 1 hour 15 minute in house Safeguarding training sessions for staff, managers and owners. This includes supportive documentation and a certificate for the setting confirming safeguarding compliance training and a safeguarding quiz to confirm staff understanding after the training. These sessions are held once the children have left the nursery for the day.
To book a training session for the future or view the agenda, please email [email protected]