"Teens and Technology"

University of South Dakota turns to Instant Rapport

October, 2006 - The future is here and has left email behind with phone calls, “snail mail” and other conventional forms of communication. As teens shift to instant messaging, so do the schools trying to recruit them. Another school, the University of South Dakota, has joined the ranks of schools adopting to that change. To make instant messaging a viable recruitment tool they have implemented Instant Rapport – Leepfrog Technologies’ managed instant messenger.

The University of South Dakota recognizes that prospective students prefer to communicate via instant messaging and believes having that available for recruitment is crucial. Jama Christopherson, Assistant Director of Admissions at USD says, “Our staff is excited to use Instant Rapport as a new means of communicating with prospective students not just in our immediate area but from around the world. It will be very helpful to us by connecting our campus with students we often would not have had contact with.” Instant Rapport will work anywhere for anyone with an Internet connection.

Those with Internet connections are preferring to speak through instant messaging. According to PEW’s report “Teens and Technology”, (07/27/2005), “email is still a fixture in teens’ lives, but IM is preferred.” Email has maintained its popularity among the young and the old but, as technology changes, teenagers are reserving email for formal conversations. 75% of online teens use instant messaging with almost half using IM daily. Even the adults are following the advancing popularity of instant messaging; 42% of online adults use the technology.

Instant Rapport enables a team of experts to work as a single point of contact within a high volume information center. “The Smartest IM on Earth” seamlessly integrates with existing software, retrieving information from Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPS). This ability creates a lighter workload for the departments because, as IMs are received, the student’s information is displayed along with any previous IM conversations held with that student. In addition, the departments can easily IM with multiple students at a time and with each other without detracting their attention from other work.

Leveraging eleven years of experience, Leepfrog Technologies is known for their solid software designs, outstanding customer service and holds true to their mission to aggressively serve their clients through the development of industry leading, relationship building Internet solutions.