Aug 21 2025
How Montcalm Community College Gets Higher-Than-Average Reply Rates With Coach-Led Texting
How Lake Land College Tripled TRIO Participation With Smart Messages
TL;DR
Students act on texts written for their group, in their language, about the program they care about. Lake Land College, a public two-year college in Illinois, has used Mongoose two-way texting since 2021 across Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Life, and academic programs. For its TRIO program, a first campaign of 3,000 texts drew a 2 percent response; a follow-up of 1,785 texts, rebuilt with Smart Messages and tailored outreach, reached 6 percent participation, three times the earlier rate.
- 3x TRIO participation
- 1,785 texts, 6% participation
- Texts in Haitian Creole, French, Spanish
- Teams adopt it without long training
Download the Full Case Study
Lake Land College’s first texting campaign for its TRIO program sent 3,000 texts and drew a 2 percent response. The team rebuilt the next one around Smart Messages and outreach tailored to each group of students. That follow-up sent 1,785 texts and reached 6 percent participation, three times the earlier rate.
Lake Land College is a public two-year college in Illinois with a diverse student body and a mission of affordable, accessible education. Since adopting Mongoose in 2021, it has used two-way texting across Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Life, and individual academic programs.
“Mongoose is incredibly user-friendly, even for non-techie users. It enables us to segment students and communicate in a more targeted way, which has been particularly effective for our adult education and TRIO programs.”
Peighton Hinote, Coordinator for Student Communication and Initiatives, Lake Land College
Why One-Way Messages Weren’t Reaching TRIO Program Students
Before Mongoose, Lake Land struggled to communicate with students, especially adult learners and students in the TRIO program. Messages mostly went one way, so they rarely sparked a conversation or got students to act.
The college needed more personal, engaging communication that also met texting regulations, so it wouldn’t risk non-compliance.
How Lake Land Moved From Broadcasts to Conversations
Lake Land shifted from broadcasting information to two-way conversations. Smart Messages, automated replies, and Segments let each team tailor outreach to specific student needs, and custom fields let staff group students by criteria like the language they speak or the program they’re interested in.
Best-practice templates and AI-assisted messaging help staff write texts that feel personal, and built-in compliance features keep Lake Land’s texting within legal requirements. The platform is easy enough that teams across campus adopted it without extensive training.
“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
What Changed Across Lake Land
TRIO Participation Tripled
Over a five-month stretch of TRIO outreach, the first campaign of 3,000 texts drew a 2 percent response. After the team added Smart Messages and tailored outreach, a follow-up campaign of 1,785 texts reached 6 percent participation, a threefold increase. Lake Land says targeted outreach has been especially effective for its Adult Education program, too.
Texts in Students’ Own Languages
Lake Land segments students by language and sends reminders and information in Haitian Creole, French, and Spanish. For a diverse student body, that improved both the reach of its outreach and student satisfaction.
Targeted Follow-Up After Events
Teams text students based on their interests and enrollment status. After events, they follow up with students interested in particular programs, which has lifted conversion for those initiatives.
Faster Financial Aid Communication
Financial Aid texts scholarship recipients award details and deadlines quickly, so students act in time and don’t miss out on aid.
What Other Community Colleges Can Take From Lake Land
When a campaign underperforms, look at who it’s written for before you send more. Lake Land got three times the participation from fewer texts by segmenting students and tailoring the message. Smart Messages help here, too; here’s why Smart Messages earn more replies. For two-year benchmarks, see what 646,000 conversations reveal about community college student success, and for teams stretched thin, why capacity shapes retention work at community colleges.
Other two-year colleges have seen similar results. Dutchess Community College grew admissions texting 133 percent while opt-outs fell, and Gwinnett Tech supports 13,000 students with Text and Web Chat and a four-person call center.
Looking Ahead
Lake Land plans to connect Mongoose with Ellucian CRM Recruit to track and manage communication with prospective students, explore WhatsApp for international students, and expand Web Chat to more departments to streamline student questions and support.
“We appreciate how Mongoose adapts to our needs and continuously improves. It’s an essential tool for our student communication strategy, and we would recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their outreach and engagement.”
Peighton Hinote
Download the Full Case Study
For a two-page summary of Lake Land’s results to share with your student success and TRIO teams, download the Lake Land College case study (PDF).
Want to see what targeted texting could do for your student programs? Book a demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Lake Land College triple TRIO program participation?
Does Lake Land text students in other languages?
Which departments at Lake Land use Mongoose?
Is Mongoose easy for non-technical staff to use?
What is Lake Land planning next?
