Constructing Application Yield Sustainability Consistent with Resource Efficiency and Flexibility Peace Corps Presentation University of Chicago Consulting: Bain Competition April 2011 Vrushank Vora, Vincent Yu & Mike Zhang
Feb 25, 2016
Constructing Application Yield Sustainability Consistent with Resource Efficiency and FlexibilityPeace Corps PresentationUniversity of Chicago Consulting: Bain CompetitionApril 2011
Vrushank Vora, Vincent Yu & Mike Zhang
Objectives
• Focus on financial link between recruiting activities and yield creation
• Develop understanding of how to:• Create yield through recruiting activities• Develop more relevant metrics to capture
yield value of recruiting activities• Generate synergy between strategic
contacts, recruitment sites and regional recruiters
• Utilize multimedia tools to increase recruitment efficiency and flexibility
Key Findings
• Recruiting activities create yield along three areas:• First and Second Tier Growth• Return on Third Tier and No Tier Coverage• Increased clarity and consistency with strategic
contacts• Beliefs regarding correlation between regional
visits and Third Tier individual nomination yield are inconclusive
• Opportunity for alternative recruitment activities to increase coverage yield while saving resources• Multimedia communication methods• Increased usage of strategic contacts
Current Inhibitors
• Low Third-Tier-Yield-to-Cost ratio• Second-Tier Untapped Growth Potential•Unrecognized coverage potential
How effectively are we using our resources?
Inefficient usage of
resources in producing application
yield
Highly productive first-tier application yields relative to resources
spent
Relatively productive second-tier application
yield relative to resources spent
Unproductive third-tier
application yield relative to resources spent
*Schools with strategic contacts are excluded
How effective are regional visits per tier?
Suggests more effective
utilization of resources could be used while maintaining
applicant yields
After running regression, weak correlation was found between
third-tier regional visits and
application yields
Strong correlation was found between
second-tier regional visits and application yields
No statistically significant
difference between virtual visits and
actual visits
Solutions to Inefficiency
Eliminate Third-Tier, Airplane Travel
Visits
Replace with Multimedia Virtual Calls and Student
Ambassadors
Save estimated nearly $6,000 in re-investment capital while maintaining applicants’ yield
Multimedia Conferencing versus Regional Visits
Virtual Conference• $330 per session
• No trip costs• Maintains facial
consistency and familiarity
• Promotes similar nomination yield
Regional Visits• $1000 per session
• Overnight stay and airplane trip costs
• Time-to-travel hinders coverage
Student Ambassador
s in Third-Tier Schools
Integrate with nichë
community service
organizations
Market virtual information sessions on
campus
General support at the virtual information
sessions
Prepared to answer
questions about
program year-round
Compensation plan based on stipend
and number of referral-
nominations
Untapped Growth Potential
• Amongst Second Tier, strong correlation was found between frequency of visits and number of nominations
• If all recovered capital were redirected towards campaigns to Second-Tier schools• Increase yield of Second-Tier schools by
over fifteen percent• Create stronger synergy between
Second-Tier schools and recruiters
Solutions to Inefficiency
Eliminate Third-Tier, Airplane Travel Visits
Replace with Multimedia Virtual Calls and Strategic
Contacts
Save estimated nearly $6,000 in re-investment capital while maintaining applicants’ yield
Increased Campaigns to
Second-Tier Schools
15% Increase in Second-Tier Yield
Production
Coverage Potential
• If recovered capital were redirected towards expansion of third-tier schools• Increased spheres of influence in no-tier schools• Exposure to 17 more schools if video-conferencing tools were
expanded upon
Coverage Growth
Eliminate Third-Tier, Airplane Travel Visits
Replace with Multimedia Virtual Calls and Strategic
Contacts
Save estimated nearly $6,000 in re-investment capital while maintaining applicants’ yield
Increased Campaigns to
Second-Tier Schools21% Increase in
Third-Tier Coverage
Contingency Plans
• Objectives: • Increase
recruitment versatility without affecting yield or overall efficiency during low-budget times
• Maintain a Peace Corps presence with fewer Peace Corps recruiters
• Outcomes: • A model that
minimizes traveling costs and replaces third-tier high-cost schools with student ambassadors and virtual conferences• Assign virtual
schools to recruiters with less ground to cover
With 16 Recruiters
• Redistribution: • Bowling Green and Toledo moved to KAS and OH FBR team • University of Chicago/DePaul under IL and MO Team • Virtual school third-tier, high cost teams to MI and WI/ND teams
• Results: • IN/KY and IL/MO teams have relatively more physical universities
and student population to recruit.• MI and WI/ND teams would have both physical and virtual
campaigns to run
With 15 and 14 Recruiters
1 Less…• Transfer WI Team physical university responsibilities to MI
and redistribute the virtual, student-ambassador contracts
2 Less...• Combine the two IN teams physical campaigns and
redistribute their virtual campaigns evenly
Conclusion: • Contingency plans become more flexible by splitting
the physical responsibilities across FBRs and evenly distributing the virtual campaigns across the remaining recruiters