How to Improve Low-Resolution Conversations: Higher Ed Messaging Benchmarks

Not all messages land the same. Student engagement benchmarks show that some conversations in higher education consistently see lower resolution rates and more neutral or even negative sentiment than others.

Drawing on the latest insights from Mongoose’s State of Higher Ed Messaging 2025 Benchmark Reports, we’re taking a deeper dive into the role of resolution and sentiment in cross-campus engagement.

Plus, we’ll show why institutions shouldn’t neglect neutral conversations, and how higher education professionals can transform low-resolution conversations into meaningful, personalized interactions that build lasting student and alumni engagement.

Understanding the Impact of Resolution and Sentiment Insights in Higher Ed

Each conversation your institution has is a chance to build genuine trust with prospects, enrolled students, and donors. Yet, answering inquiries quickly or sending reminders is not enough to gain that trust. 

Universities and colleges also need to understand how students and alums feel during these interactions and if their issues are being resolved. That’s where AI-driven resolution and sentiment insights come in to help higher education professionals engage more meaningfully and drive better outcomes.

• Sentiment Analysis: Allows teams to determine the overall tone of conversations and track positive (joy, excitement), neutral, or negative emotions (anger, frustration) across topics. These insights enable institutions to make data-driven optimizations not only to their messaging strategies but also to on-campus support services.

• Resolution Outcomes: Shows how efficiently advisors and counselors address concerns or issues across campus. A conversation is marked as resolved when the student’s need is fully met, while unresolved conversations, whether due to student ghosting or a lack of follow-up, help highlight potential engagement gaps.

Low-resolution topics are often more complex or sensitive, requiring institutions to invest more time and resources until the issue is resolved. If not handled properly, these conversations can increase frustration and confusion, ultimately contributing to low enrollment, higher attrition rates, and missed fundraising opportunities. 

“It’s not just about sending information; it’s about creating conversations. Even if the student says ‘no,’ that’s better than no response at all because it lets us know where we stand.”

Tom Reburn, DIREctor of admissions at Minnesota State University Moorhead

When Engagement Breaks Down: Top Low-Resolution Conversation Topics to Address

Mongoose’s in-depth analysis of messaging data from 4-year and 2-year higher education institutions highlights admissions, student success, and donor engagement trends that campus staff can leverage to meet institutional goals. 

Among these communication patterns, low-resolution conversations present a high opportunity for universities and colleges to identify pain points, refine communication strategies, and deliver more personalized, timely support. 

“Mongoose helps us create conversations that truly engage students and show that we’re listening.”

Tom Reburn, DIREctor of admissions at Minnesota State University Moorhead

Admissions

• Scholarships and Financial Aid (78% resolved, 70% positive sentiment): These conversations involve multiple steps, document submissions, and eligibility questions, requiring follow-ups and back-and-forth communication.

• Applications (77% resolved, 64% positive sentiment): Students often need empathetic guidance and timely reminders at multiple stages of the application process, especially first-generation and international applicants.  

• Tech Support (61% resolved, 50% positive sentiment): Login issues, access errors, and platform bugs can arise at critical moments, such as during registration or application submission, generating the lowest sentiment across all categories.

Student Success

• Financial Aid (79% resolved, 61% positive sentiment): Lower resolution in financial aid conversations stems from the complexity of the process as well as the sensitive nature of the topic, which involves discussing personal financial circumstances.

• Technical Issues (70% resolved, 50% positive sentiment): IT departments can easily become overwhelmed by high volumes of requests, leading to slower response times, missed inquiries, and increased student frustration.

• Mental Health Support (61% resolved): Mental health conversations require empathetic, ongoing support from campus counselors, often leading to lower resolution rates. 

Advancement

• Major Gifts (39% resolved, 37% positive sentiment): Despite accounting for only 0.05% of all Advancement conversations, major gift engagement is an untapped opportunity for institutions to proactively build relationships with high-potential donors through meaningful, ongoing conversations. 

• Fundraising and Donations (55% resolved, 52% positive sentiment): These conversations reveal a combination of appreciation and frustration, showcasing valuable insights into donor intent. 

• Events and Reunions (62% resolved, 50% positive sentiment): While poor follow-up and planning can increase frustration and lower resolution, vague or non-committal responses can help staff get valuable insights into attendee interest levels.

2-Year Institutions

• Tuition Costs/Payments (60% resolved, 32% positive sentiment): Talking about billing and payment options can be stressful, especially as many students face financial concerns related to their education.

• Advising/Academic Planning (67% resolved): Many students juggle work, caregiving, and other responsibilities alongside their studies, needing consistent guidance on their path to graduation.

The Hidden Risks of Neutral Sentiment Conversations

While disengagement remains an ongoing challenge for higher education institutions, one overlooked contributor is the impact of so-called “neutral” conversations. Neither clearly positive nor overtly negative, these conversations represent danger zones where student disengagement can quietly wreak havoc, eroding trust and causing long-term attrition.

Contrary to expectations, opt-out rates tend to be higher in neutral conversations than in frustrated ones, reaching up to 2,5% compared to 1.2% for negative conversations and just 0.7% for appreciative ones.

This happens because unresolved or lukewarm responses often mask underlying emotions like confusion, uncertainty regarding the next steps, or feelings of dismissal. 

What to Do Differently: Actionable Tips for Improving Low-Resolution Conversation Outcomes 

Messages that lack personalization or use a transactional tone are not only a major cause of these feelings but can amplify them, leaving students unsure of where to seek help next.

That’s why institutions should make even neutral conversations feel helpful and personal, helping students remain engaged and motivated to move forward on their academic journey.

Here’s how your campus teams can turn low-resolution conversations around with messaging strategies that drive meaningful interactions.

General Recommendations 

• Use Timely Replies and Follow-Ups: The timing of a message plays a crucial role in engagement. Customize your messaging based on audience behaviors to increase response rates and reduce drop-offs.

• Choose Connection Over Transaction in Emotionally Charged Interactions: Using an empathetic approach rather than a transactional tone when dealing with sensitive topics, such as mental health support, financial aid, and tuition payment, can help foster genuine connection and increase trust and engagement.

• Personalize Communication When It Matters Most: Targeted communication ensures students feel valued, understood, and supported at every stage of their academic journey, increasing graduation rates.

• Speed Up Conversation Resolution with Smart Messaging: Mongoose’s Smart Messages greatly outperform traditional batch messaging across all institutional types, leading to higher response rates, higher efficiency, and stronger engagement across audiences. 

“Mongoose really helped one transfer student from an accessibility standpoint, as communicating via phone call was very challenging.”

Alex Galbreath, director of admissions at Oregon State University – Cascades

Admissions

• Best times and days for messaging: In the afternoon (1-2 PM) and late evening (8-9 PM) on Mondays and Thursdays 
• Use empathetic language and keep messages under 100 characters
• Focus on optimizing response times and message clarity to increase application completion rates
• Improve financial aid and application support, as these conversations have high student engagement yet low resolution rates

“When we focus on building relationships, the response rates are stronger, and students engage more meaningfully.”

Brandon Wente, associate director of admission at concordia college

Student Success 

• Best times and days for messaging: In the early morning (7 AM) and mid-afternoon (2-3 PM) on Sundays and Wednesdays
• Use short messages under 150 characters
• Prioritize career and graduation conversations, which have the highest resolution rates and the strongest positive sentiment 
• Address unresolved financial aid and tech support issues through clearer guidance, better staff training, and proactive follow-ups
• Improve mental health support response strategies by ensuring empathetic, well-informed replies and referrals to the relevant campus resources

“Instead of just sending out information, we’re able to engage students in real conversations. This capability is invaluable for building trust and connection.”

Peighton Hinote, Coordinator for Student Communication and Initiatives at Lake Land College

Advancement

• Best times and days for messaging: Late at night (8-10 PM) and mid-morning (10 AM-12 PM) on weekdays
• Send short messages under 150 characters
• Tailor messaging to donor history and specific interests to reduce communication fatigue
• Maintain goodwill and enhance brand reputation by focusing on university updates and data corrections 
• Reframe unresolved conversations as opportunities and use proactive, multi-touch strategies to build long-lasting donor relationships 
• Provide clearer logistics, expectations, and timely follow-ups to reduce confusion and increase event/reunion turnout

“We assumed people wouldn’t want texts, but the response was overwhelmingly positive. Donors engaged in personal conversations, shared their reasons for giving, and appreciated the direct communication.”

Lori Apicella, Director of Engagement, Duke Children’s Development at duke university

2-Year Institutions

• Best times and days for messaging: late mornings (10 AM-12 PM) and early afternoons (1-3 PM) on weekdays
• Use short messages between 50-100 characters
• Focus on topics that drive the highest engagement, such as orientation and career guidance
• Use automated Smart Messages to proactively check on students’ academic progress and registration needs
• Actively promote access to mental health resources, disability support, and general assistance across campus

“[Mongoose has] been a fantastic tool for engagement, and has allowed us to build stronger connections with our students.”

Dustie hamilton, Director of Enrollment Systems at mclennan community college

Build Meaningful Connections with the Conversation Intelligence Dashboard 

Newly launched, Mongoose’s Conversation Intelligence Dashboard provides on-campus departments with real-time AI-driven insights into the sentiment, resolution status, and engagement levels of each conversation across the student journey. 

The dashboard is designed to help staff address commonly unresolved conversations in higher ed and improve student communication by aligning outreach with what contacts truly need.

Here’s how you can leverage the Dashboard.

1. Spot Low-Resolution Topic Categories in Real Time

Use the resolution status panel to see at a glance if conversations are resolved, responded to, or unresolved, so no student or alum inquiry gets overlooked.

2. Track Sentiment Shifts by Topic or User Group

Get an accurate overview of how students and alums feel. Easily monitor whether conversations are trending positive, negative, or neutral and uncover the topics driving the most engagement or opt-outs. 

3. Prioritize Follow-Ups Based on Resolution Gaps

By identifying areas with lower resolution rates, teams can strategically allocate resources to address unresolved issues, ensuring timely and effective support and increasing student and alum satisfaction.

4. Ensure Engagement Growth Over Time

The new dashboard allows teams to track follow-up conversation frequency, monitor audience engagement trends, and quickly identify areas of growing momentum across the institution.

Download the Full Reports

Want the full breakdown? Download the free 2025 Mongoose Higher Ed Messaging Benchmark Reports, below.

Or book a demo to get a closer look at how the Conversation Intelligence Dashboard works and find out where you can improve resolution and engagement at your institution.

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