Ownership
Who responds to each enquiry, who covers when they are away, and where the next action is recorded.
Enquiry & tour follow-up
Turn more enquiries into tours, enrolments and starts.
If families are enquiring but not enrolling, more advertising is rarely the first fix. We help your team respond faster, book and run better tours, and follow up in a way families appreciate.
Rather talk to someone? Call 1300 853 704
In short
The work between an enquiry and a first day.
Every enquiry passes through several stages before a child starts. Each one can lose families for a different reason: a slow reply, a tour that is hard to book, a no-show nobody follows up, or a visit that ends without a clear next step.
We map how your centre handles each stage today, agree who owns what, and put a simple, consistent process in place. It is often the most cost-effective improvement a centre can make, because it gets more from the enquiries you already receive.
This work is led by Martin Niedenfuhr, who has more than 15 years of sector experience growing childcare centres. About Martin
The journey
Six stages, each worth tracking.
- 01
Enquiry
A family gets in touch by form, phone, email or social message.
- 02
Response
Someone replies personally, answers their question and offers a tour.
- 03
Booked tour
A time is agreed and confirmed, with a reminder.
- 04
Attended tour
The family visits and meets the team.
- 05
Enrolment
The family confirms a place and completes enrolment.
- 06
Start
The child begins attending. This can be weeks or months later.
What we work on
The parts of follow-up that make the difference.
Contact preferences
Asking families how they would like to be contacted and respecting it. Some want a call, many prefer a text or email.
Tour booking
Offering specific times, confirming them and sending a reminder, so fewer booked tours are missed.
No-show recovery
A kind, same-day message offering another time. Many missed tours are simply busy families, not lost interest.
Post-tour next step
Every family leaves knowing what places are available, how to enrol and when you will be in touch.
Records and reporting
A simple way to see each stage, so you know where families are dropping out and whether changes are working.
Example sequence
A follow-up rhythm you can adapt.
This is an illustrative starting point, not a fixed script. The rhythm is built on proven tactics for following up without pestering: each step has a purpose, respects the family's preferences and knows when to stop. We adjust it to your team, your systems and each family's situation.
- Same dayPersonal reply by the family's preferred method, answering their question and offering two or three tour times.
- Day before the tourA short reminder with the address, parking and who they will meet.
- If they do not attendA friendly message the same day offering another time. No pressure, and one follow-up is often enough.
- Within a day or two of the tourThank them, answer anything left open, and explain clearly how to enrol and what places are available.
- About a week laterOne check-in if they have not decided. After that, leave the door open rather than chasing.
How we measure it
Clear definitions, matched comparisons.
Enrolments and starts are counted separately. Improvements are judged by following the same group of enquiries through each stage.
- Response time
- How long from enquiry to a personal reply.
- Enquiry to booked tour
- The share of enquiries that book a visit.
- Tour attendance
- The share of booked tours that happen.
- Tour to enrolment
- The share of attended tours that lead to an enrolment.
- Enrolment to start
- Enrolments that become a child actually attending.
What your team contributes: honest notes on how enquiries are handled now, access to your enquiry records, and a named person to trial the new process with us.
Common questions
Questions centres ask us.
Do we need a new CRM?
Not to start. We can begin with the tools you already use, whether that is a childcare management system, a spreadsheet or a shared inbox. If a CRM or automation would genuinely help, we scope it separately and check it works with your systems before recommending it.
Won't more follow-up annoy families?
Not when it is done well. We use proven, repeatable tactics for keeping follow-up welcome: every message has a reason behind it, families set how they prefer to be contacted, and anyone can say they are not interested and have that respected. Handled this way, families experience it as helpful, not annoying.
How do you measure improvement fairly?
By comparing matched groups: for example, what happened to enquiries received in one period versus a similar period after changes, followed through to tours, enrolments and starts. Counting all starts in a month against that month's enquiries is misleading, because the start may come from an enquiry months earlier.
Who should own enquiries at our centre?
Ideally one named person per shift or day, with a backup. Unclear ownership is one of the most common reasons enquiries wait too long.
Can you help with the tour itself?
Yes. We look at how tours are booked, what families experience on the day and what they are told about next steps, and suggest practical changes your team can keep up.
Want a second opinion on your follow-up?
Tell us how enquiries are handled today and we will point out where families are most likely slipping away.
Rather talk to someone? Call 1300 853 704
Related services
Other ways we help.
Want to see where families are dropping off?
The free Occupancy Health Audit scores follow-up, tours and conversion from your answers and shows your results straight away.
Instant results. Optional personal video. No obligation.
Free Occupancy Health Audit
Find out where your centre is losing enrolment opportunities.
Answer a short questionnaire about your centre and see your results instantly.
- See your results straight away, no contact details needed
- Optional personal video review from Martin within 1–2 business days
- Free, with no obligation
Rather talk to someone? Call 1300 853 704