How Radboud University reaches thousands of national and international students

Radboud University uses various communication tools for prospective students with questions. For example, there’s a Central Student Desk where new students can go, and there’s a dedicated email address and phone number for questions.

Over eight years ago, Radboud University decided to use WhatsApp functionality in Spotler for prospective students, supplementing email and phone contact options. Since November 1, 2024, the university has also been using Spotler’s Live Chat functionality.

Why Spotler?

Reasons for Radboud University to use WhatsApp and Live Chat via Spotler include the ability to allow multiple people to answer questions simultaneously from a single dashboard and the ease of retrieving a prospective student’s question history.

Additionally, it’s possible to add tags to questions, so Radboud University knows which questions are asked most frequently. Live chat in Spotler is also a more affordable option than the chat application the university used before Spotler.

But the most important consideration was ease of use: with both WhatsApp and Live Chat, users receive relatively quick answers to their questions, thanks in part to the large team of employees working with WhatsApp and Live Chat daily and the user-friendliness of those features in Spotler. WhatsApp is also the most widely used messaging platform in the Netherlands, with millions of users. A few years ago, it was a logical decision for Radboud University to adopt WhatsApp as a communication channel.

WhatsApp and Live chat setup

What does the WhatsApp and Live Chat setup look like for Radboud University?

One WhatsApp number, but two streams in Spotler

Radboud University has a single, centralised WhatsApp number for questions from prospective students. However, questions are segmented behind the scenes in Spotler. Since Radboud is an international university, the university has configured Spotler to have a separate stream for questions from Dutch prospective students and a separate stream for international students.

This way, questions are immediately directed to the appropriate Study Information desk. The relevant streams are also only accessible to Study Information staff, not to administrators of other Spotler accounts.

Ensure sufficient staffing

Radboud University points out that if you’re considering using WhatsApp and Live Chat, you should ensure sufficient staffing levels. It’s not user-friendly to suggest that visitors can ask questions via WhatsApp and/or chat, and then leave those unanswered, or only respond after a long time. For this reason, the Student Information team is heavily staffed.

Number of incoming questions

Over the years, the number of questions received via WhatsApp has grown significantly. From over 3,600 questions for WhatsApp NL and almost 2,300 questions for WhatsApp International in 2018, to almost 9,500 questions for WhatsApp NL and over 10,800 questions for WhatsApp International in 2024.

WhatsApp International receives relatively more inquiries than WhatsApp NL. The university has been using live chat in Spotler since November 1, 2024. More than 2,500 conversations have been handled there through May 31, 2025.

Response time

On average, 77% of questions on WhatsApp NL are answered within 2 hours. For WhatsApp International, that average is 51%. The average response time for Live Chat is 7.5 minutes for both the Netherlands and International versions.

Response times depend on the workload at different times of the year. For example, during Open Days or during grant application deadlines, the volume of inquiries increases, and despite the high staffing levels of the Study Information team, it generally takes a little longer to receive a response.

Frequently Asked Questions

Because Radboud University tags messages, it gains insight into the most frequently asked questions. This information can then be used to adjust the information provided on the website. For example, by (temporarily) featuring the Open Day prominently on the homepage. WhatsApp NL primarily receives questions about Open Days; WhatsApp International primarily receives questions about scholarships and admission requirements.

Impact

Given the high volume of inquiries via WhatsApp, Radboud University has seen the adoption of this messaging channel as a positive step. The university has also seen a shift in usage in favour WhatsApp compared to other communication tools. For example, nearly 20% less email has been sent by prospective students in recent years. Phone call volume has remained the same and even increased slightly.

GDPR

Finally, privacy is quite rightly an important issue to consider, especially in light of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Radboud University explicitly requests that you do not share personal information, such as citizen service numbers (BSNs) or account numbers, via WhatsApp and Live Chat.

Furthermore, the university has configured Spotler to automatically delete WhatsApp and chat messages after the statutory retention period, so that messages are not stored unnecessarily for too long.

Conclusion

As long as there are enough staff members to answer incoming WhatsApp and chat messages, Spotler’s software can quickly answer a large number of questions. Radboud University reaches thousands of prospective national and international students this way. These new students receive quick and efficient answers to their questions. With the app and chat capabilities, Radboud University creates a great first impression among a new generation of students.