Send the invitation with a tracked RSVP link in GoHighLevel, keep a list of families who clicked, and call the families who did not. Text and email reminders can go to everyone who has not RSVP'd, and a task can assign each non responder to an admissions officer. The bottom line: an open house is one of the strongest admissions touchpoints, so a non response is a reason to call, not a reason to give up.
Why the tour matters
A private school marketing agency's benchmark post reports that NAIS marketing research identified individual tours and group open houses as the most effective admissions touchpoints, and that strong schools convert 40 to 50 percent of inquiries into tours. The Enrollment Management Association's admission.org says tours, open houses, and interviews cluster from October to December, ahead of deadlines in mid December to mid February, with January 15 the most common date. Those are vendor and association sources, but together they say the same thing: the open house sits in the window when families decide.
How the tracking works
GoHighLevel's trigger links overview says when a contact clicks a trigger link the system records it on the contact's activity timeline and can fire a workflow, that the link must be placed in the message body, and that a workflow Wait step can wait for a click. A Trigger Link Clicked trigger can filter to one link. A click shows interest, not attendance, so a second step can confirm the RSVP on a form.
| When | Step |
|---|---|
| Invitation | Email and text with the RSVP trigger link |
| 3 days later | Reminder to families who have not clicked |
| 5 days before the event | Task for admissions to call each non responder |
| Day before | Reminder with parking and schedule to those who RSVP'd |
| After the event | Thank you, and a tour link for those who missed it |
Build it in GoHighLevel
- Create a trigger link that points to your RSVP form, and name it for the event.
- Send the invitation from a workflow with the link in the message body, to a list of inquiry families.
- Build a workflow with the Trigger Link Clicked trigger that adds the tag RSVP clicked.
- Create a Smart List of contacts in the invitation list without that tag.
- Add a Wait and an If/Else on the RSVP clicked tag, so only non responders get the reminder, and add a task for admissions to call each of them.
- Add a workflow with the Custom Date Reminder trigger on the event date, 1 day before, that sends the day before message to RSVP'd families.
GoHighLevel's Custom Date Reminder page says the trigger fires before, on, or after a date, that in contact based workflows you can choose supported contact date fields and supported opportunity date fields, that it does not fire for a contact whose date field is empty, and that a workflow can hold two triggers, one before and one after the date. It also describes a Match on the year option for reminders that repeat every year, so read that setting's description in your account and test it with a real date field.
What the workload looks like
For example, if 150 families are invited and 60 click, that leaves 90 to call (150 minus 60). At 5 minutes a call, that is 7.5 hours of calls (90 times 5 divided by 60), split among admissions staff.
Mistakes to avoid
- Counting clicks as attendance. Confirm on the RSVP form.
- Skipping the call. Many families respond to a person.
- Sending the raw link as a custom value. It will not record clicks.
- Inviting after the tour season. Send early.
How this was handled before
Schools mailed invitations and counted the RSVPs, and the director called some families when time allowed. Email made the invitation cheaper and the follow up more important. A tracked link shows who opened it, so the calls go to the right families.
What to measure after launch
Track invitations sent, clicks, RSVPs confirmed, attendance, and tours booked from calls. Compare attendance for families you called with those you did not, and use the difference to decide how many calls to make next year.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. Parents are the contacts, so record which parent agreed to texts. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Can I see who clicked the RSVP link?
Yes. GoHighLevel records trigger link clicks on the contact's timeline.
Does a click mean the family will attend?
No. It shows the link was opened. Use the RSVP form to confirm.
When do admissions events happen?
admission.org says tours and open houses cluster from October to December.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.