Gradschools.com/cPulse Survey Reveals That Content is King For College Student Web Surfers
Chester, PA, March 13, 2000 -
A recent survey conducted by Gradschools.com, (http://www.gradschools.com), the leading online directory of graduate school programs, revealed that when surfing college Web sites, more students are interested in access to valuable content, rather than e-commerce and entertainment.
The survey data was tabulated by cPulse LLC, an Internet customer satisfaction monitor. Gradschools.com began the survey in August 1999. Out of 10,080 students presented with the survey, 3,101 answered the questions. The response rate was 31%, an unusually high response for an online research effort.
"Using cPulse, we found that content, more than anything else, is a priority," said Mark Shay, president and founder of Educational Directories Unlimited (EDU), "Users want to have plenty of information on schools, different programs and what it takes to get into those schools."
According to the survey, the most important attribute of Gradschools.com is the ability to contact schools of interest. The cPulse data also revealed that the quality of the site's information and the ease of locating that information are very important to users. Least important to users was the overall site appearance, uniqueness of the site's concept and customer support. Using a scale from 1 to 9, where 1 was least important and 9 was most important, the ability to contact desired schools ranked 8.24, usefulness of information ranked 8.08, site appearance ranked 6.06, and uniqueness of site concept ranked 6.14.
Open comments also revealed the desire for detailed listing information on schools, information on admissions' requirement and financial aid.
"More businesses than ever are realizing that customer satisfaction is about evolving your Web presence according to the customers' desires," said Jody Dodson, executive vice president, marketing and research for cPulse, "In a rapidly expanding Internet world, this will be the only way to succeed."
About cPulse
Based in New York, cPulse LLC, a GartnerGroup company, was established in November 1998 to develop and market customer satisfaction solutions for Internet businesses. A spin-off from CLT Research Associates, Inc., a leading Manhattan-based custom research firm, cPulse's mission is to help e-businesses transform themselves into customer centric c-businesses. Today, the cPulse satisfaction network is the only subscription-based, online monitoring service that can produce Internet satisfaction benchmarks across all site types and industries. It unites real-time, actionable reports, with a fully customized and branded data collection solution. A majority share of cPulse was purchased by GartnerGroup in November 1999. FreeRide Media owns a minority share of cPulse.
About Educational Directories Unlimited
Educational Diectories Unlimited (http://www.edudirectories.com) is a unique college-oriented marketing firm that achieves a dynamic blend of academic purpose and commerce. EDU offers several comprehensive directories: Distance.Gradschools.com; Gradschools.com; Studyabroad.com, English.Studyabroad.com and Studyabroadworldwide.com. The company also focuses on reaching college students and prospective students through a variety of marketing vehicles. Through all of their professionally managed services, EDU continues to grow as a leading on-line college marketing service, connecting students with programs. For more information on the affiliate program, or on EDU's services in general, please contact Mark Shay by phone at 610-499-9200, via e-mail at mshay@gradschools.com.
Media Contact:
EDU Media Contact: Matt Ulmer, e-mail: mulmer@edudirectories.com