Why childcare enquiries are not turning into enrolments

Not every enquiry should become an enrolment. A family may need different days, a different location, a different service model or support the centre cannot currently provide. The goal is not maximum conversion; it is a clear, respectful process that helps suitable families make a decision.

Break the journey into stages:

1. enquiry received;
2. suitability reviewed;
3. useful response sent;
4. tour offered or requested;
5. tour booked;
6. tour attended;
7. place offered;
8. offer accepted;
9. enrolment completed.

For each stage, count the number progressing and record the main reasons for stopping.

Common causes differ by stage:

• Before a response: missing information, unclear ownership or slow handling.
• Before a tour: no suitable vacancy, unclear fees, inconvenient tour options or low confidence in the service information.
• After a tour: mismatch in expectations, quality or environment concerns, another service chosen, or no clear follow-up.
• After an offer: attendance pattern, start date, cost, paperwork or a change in family circumstances.

Do not invent an industry benchmark. Establish your own baseline by room, enquiry source and month. Compare similar periods and allow for seasonality.

Ask families for a brief, optional reason when they decline. Keep the categories useful rather than defensive: days unavailable, start date, fee, location, chose another service, changed plans, service fit, or other.

The ACCC’s childcare inquiry found that affordability, accessibility and availability interact in family decisions. ^R1 A “conversion problem” may therefore sit outside the website or follow-up process.

Practical next step: audit the last 30 suitable enquiries and identify the single stage with the largest avoidable loss. Fix that stage before increasing advertising.

Related guides

• How to follow up childcare enquiries without losing track
• What makes a childcare enquiry useful to a centre?
• How to make childcare tours easier to arrange