How Lynn University Elevated Student Engagement with Context-Aware AI

Lynn University has always prioritized innovation in student engagement. But as expectations for personalized, real-time communication grew, the team sought a way to scale their efforts without compromising quality. That’s where Halda came in.

With smart AI Phone and SMS agents and behaviorally triggered, 1-to-1 emails integrated with Slate CRM, Lynn was able to scale their outreach while keeping it personal. The results speak for themselves—25% email click-through rates and 45% higher site re-engagement. Now, Lynn has a future-proof, student-focused communication system that runs 24/7 and delivers real results.

The Challenge

Enrollment teams have it tough. Students want schools to connect with them on their favorite channels—phone, SMS, and email—with messages that feel personal and relevant. But keeping those messages consistent across channels while remembering each student’s unique history? That’s no small task.

At Lynn, the goals were clear:

• Personalized Engagement, Not Spam: Students are over the one-size-fits-all approach. Lynn wanted every interaction to feel intentional—tailored to what each student needed, preferred, and what their next step should be. 
• Seamless Communication Across Channels: From web to phone to SMS, Lynn needed messages to flow naturally, so students felt supported no matter where they engaged. 
• Efficient Use of Resources: With a focus on smart growth, Lynn looked for a solution that could amplify their efforts without adding complexity or overhead.

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The result was a need for a more student-centric experience, while keeping operations efficient and sustainable.

The Solution

The Lynn team’s forward-thinking mindset made them the ideal partner to pilot Halda’s AI Student Recruiter. The collaboration focused on building upon Lynn’s existing strategies to deliver more responsive, data-informed communication:

• AI Phone and SMS Agents: Halda’s intelligent agents became "context-aware", holding full histories of recent student contacts, preferences, and questions. Whether a student reached out on a phone call or sent a late-night text, the AI responded with customized guidance in the moment, even after hours.
• Behaviorally Triggered 1-to-1 Emails: Halda’s integration with Lynn’s existing Slate CRM allowed for dynamically generated, behaviorally triggered emails. These communications reacted to signals that can often get buried in data (e.g., a student visiting a financial aid page but not taking next steps).
• Student Choice, Student Power: Students could opt for phone, SMS, or email and switch seamlessly between them, picking up conversations at any time, on their terms.
• Rapid Implementation, No New Knowledge Bases: Halda’s approach to implementation is uniquely efficient. Unlike competitors who rely on additional knowledge bases, we can deploy AI Student Recruiter quickly—often within a week—because it seamlessly taps into an institution's primary source of truth: your existing website. This eliminates the need for new platforms or extensive onboarding, saving valuable time and resources.

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This wasn’t just layering automation on top of the status quo. It was a reimagining of student engagement, powered by context, choice, and next-gen AI.

The Result

Lynn University’s use of AI Student Recruiter delivered measurable improvements in both student engagement and operational efficiency:

• Unbelievable Engagement: Lynn achieved a 25% email click-through rate (CTR)—that’s five times the industry average. 
• Boosted Website Activity: Students who received behaviorally-triggered Halda emails revisited Lynn's site 45% more often than those who didn’t. 
• Support When Students Need It: A whopping 70% of student-AI interactions happened after hours, cutting wait times and giving students the freedom to act on their own schedule. 
• Real Conversations: 
  
  • SMS had an average of 4 questions per student, with 74 unique conversations and 567 messages exchanged. 
  • 33 AI-assisted phone calls averaged just 2.5 minutes each, solving issues quickly and smoothly.
• Real Student Feedback:
  
  • “It helped me figure out what to do next. Thank you for this feature.”
  • “I received answers on my time without waiting for a response or needing to schedule an appointment.”
  • “It was quick and helpful.”
  • “Got my answers quickly!”

Conclusion

Lynn University’s collaboration with Halda demonstrated how AI can elevate an already innovative approach to student engagement. By seamlessly integrating with existing systems and strategies, Halda helped Lynn deliver more personalized, scalable communication—without adding complexity. The result? A future-ready engagement model that puts students first and delivers real results.