How Effective Student Success Teams Drive Retention with Conversation Insights

One third of students leave their programs before graduation due to emotional stress, personal mental health issues, or tuition costs, as reported by the Lumina Foundation-Gallup 2025 State of Higher Education study.

Among students who stopped out, mental health conditions (74%), loneliness/isolation (60%), school-related financial challenges (59%), coursework amount (56%), and work pressures (50%) were the top five sources of emotional stress. 

What does this mean for student success professionals or for higher education institutions aiming to improve retention in a complex socio-political and economic climate?

A student success team serves as the hub for academic, personal, and financial support, collaborating across departments to keep students enrolled. So, mitigating the attrition risks mentioned above would fall on their shoulders. 

Yet despite their critical role in retention, student success teams are frequently expected to do a lot with too little. Equipping them with tools like Mongoose’s Conversation Intelligence Platform can help staff proactively identify and address student needs, streamline case management, and make better use of institutional resources.

One Team, One Goal: The Strategic Role Of Student Success 

All departments and staff involved in student success, from advising and academic support to counseling, financial aid, and career services, work together with the same goal in mind: improving student satisfaction and retention. 

Their coordinated efforts center around identifying at-risk students who may face academic, financial, or personal challenges and connecting them with the right resources, services, or follow-up support at the right time. And much of this work relies on standardized forms and processes.

With these frameworks in place, student success teams can stay aligned, track student interactions across departments, and ensure students receive consistent support throughout their university experience. Or at least, that’s the purpose.

Many higher education institutions, however, still wrestle with time-consuming manual student data entry, static CRMs that fail to capture real-time issues, and siloed communication systems that lead to information gaps and duplicate work. And when student success teams are stretched too thin to respond, disengagement grows undetected, silently driving students to drop out.

“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

Helping Student Success Teams Turn Conversation Data into Retention Outcomes

If there’s one idea worth repeating, it’s this: student success teams have never just been a support function, they’re a critical investment in institutional health. 

Student success initiatives directly impact retention, enrollment rates, and ultimately the university’s long-term financial sustainability. However, to deliver on this role, student success teams and advisors need more than dedication or extra hours – they need tools that make their work smarter and more scalable.

Mongoose’s Conversation Intelligence Platform provides these tools, enabling your institution to:

• Leverage sentiment analysis to empathetically address concerns: Better understand when students are frustrated, stressed, or disengaged and respond with appropriate support recommendations.

• Use Smart Messages for personalized, timely follow-ups: Free advisors for high-impact interventions by sending automated reminders, check-ins, and next-step guidance.

• Optimize case management with shared and personalized inboxes: Increase team collaboration and accountability while giving staff control over their one-to-one conversations.

• Regularly refine messaging strategies with data-driven insights: Track which student interactions drive engagement and make adjustments based on conversation trends and resolution status.

• Centralize student communication across multiple channels: Manage student emails, texts, and in-app messages in one single platform so that no inquiry gets overlooked.

Real-World Impact

At Montcalm Community College, building stronger student relationships was central to the institution’s success coaching strategy. Traditional outreach methods weren’t delivering results, but switching to Mongoose’s text messaging and automation tools allowed coaches to have meaningful, personalized conversations across campus and provide prompt, targeted support. 

“We focus on the relationship. Texting through Mongoose feels personal and consistent—students know there’s a real person on the other end.”

LISA GARDNER, DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUCCESS AND ADVISING

Stay Ahead of Student Challenges 

With Mongoose’s Conversation Intelligence Platform, universities and colleges can spot early signs of student disengagement, provide empathetic, personalized support, and help students stay enrolled and on track with their academic goals. Book a free demo today to see how you can maximize the impact of your institution’s student success team.

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