This article is designed for Staff Ambassadors chatting to prospects and incoming students using your university's Unibuddy Chat platform.
It outlines practical tips and best practices to help you engage prospective students, build trust, and boost interest in your institution - all the while remaining authentic, supportive, and informative.
Your Role as a Staff Ambassador
As a Staff Ambassador, you provide an invaluable avenue into life at your institution, as well as practical advice that will help a prospective student along their way to enrolment. Your role is to:
Provide accurate, helpful information about your institution
Offer reassurance and clarity during decision-making moments
Represent your university's values, culture, and support systems
Encourage next steps (such as: applying, attending an open day, or further exploring an area of study)
You are not expected to have all the answers - but you are expected to guide students to the right ones.
Below are some tips and tricks for making the most out of every interaction.
1. Start with a warm, personal welcome
First impressions matter, and a conversation with you might well be this student's first impression of your institution! A friendly opening sets the tone for the rest of the conversation.
Unibuddy best practices:
Use the prospective student’s name
Introduce yourself and your role clearly
Acknowledge the student’s interest or question
Here's an example:
“Hi Alex! Thanks for reaching out 😊 I’m Sarah, part of the admissions team here at {Institution Name}. Happy to help - what would you like to know?”
Avoid copy‑paste responses that feel robotic or overly formal. If your institution has this enabled, you are able to customise the automated welcome message that is sent to a student when they sign up to chat with you. You can do this in your Ambassador Dashboard, under Edit Profile. We'd recommend a friendly, approachable message, that clearly explains your area of expertise and what you can help with.
NB: If you don't see the option to edit this or customise your own welcome message, contact your University Unibuddy Admin to have this feature enabled.
2. Lead with curiosity, not information overload
Rather than overwhelming students with long explanations and a dump of information, start by understanding their needs.
Ask open questions such as:
“Which course/program are you considering?”
“Where are you applying from?”
“What’s most important to you in a university?”
This helps you tailor your response and makes the conversation feel personal and relevant to each prospect you chat with.
3. Be clear, honest, and human
Students value authenticity over perfection!
Unibuddy best practices:
Share accurate, up-to-date information
Be transparent if policies vary or change
Say when you’re unsure - but also offer a solution. Perhaps you could offer to find out, or transfer to an Admin or other Ambassador who would know the answer
We'd recommend avoiding:
Over‑promising outcomes (e.g. guaranteed offers, visas, jobs). This is especially something to be wary of during UK embargo
Using internal jargon or acronyms without explanation
Here's an example:
“That will depend on your qualifications, but I can explain the typical requirements -and I’ll also link you to the official page to double-check.”
4. Highlight value, not just features
When talking about courses/programs, services, or facilities, focus on how they benefit the student - try to see the services and facilities your institution offers from the perspective of a prospective student - what's in it for them?
Instead of:
“We have a careers team and employer partnerships.”
Try:
“Our careers team works closely with employers, which means students often get help securing internships and placements during their studies.”
Connect institutional strengths to student goals whenever you can.
5. Share real examples and stories
Concrete examples help prospective students to really imagine themselves at your institution.
Unibuddy best practices:
Common student pathways or outcomes
Popular support services used by students
Typical first‑year experiences
Here's an example:
“Many first‑year students tell us that the smaller seminar groups really help them settle in and ask questions more confidently.”
Of course, if you are using real-world examples, remember to keep them general and anonymised.
6. Encourage action - but don't be pushy
A great conversation on Unibuddy often ends with a clear next step - a next action for the prospect to take which helps them along their journey to application or enrolment.
Helpful prompts include:
Linking to programme pages or FAQs
Suggesting an open day, webinar, or virtual tour
Encouraging students to chat with a Student Ambassador next
Explaining how and when to apply
Here's an example:
“If you’d like to explore this further, I’d recommend joining our virtual open day next week - I can share the link, if that's helpful?”
Avoid high-pressure language; the goal is confidence, not urgency.
7. Keep responses timely and manage expectations
Reply as promptly as possible during your assigned availability - at Unibuddy, best practice is 24 hours
If a full answer will take a little more time, acknowledge the message first
Let students know if you’ll follow up later
Here's an example:
“Great question - I want to double-check that for you. I’ll come back to you shortly with a confirmed answer.”
8. Know when (and where) to signpost
Some queries are best handled by specialist teams - you might be a Staff Ambassador representing the Res-Life team - but that doesn't mean you won't be sent the occasional query about Engineering entry requirements or scholarships!
Unless any of the below are your specialist subject matter, you should signpost to the relevant team or contact when questions involve:
Admissions decisions or individual eligibility
Fees, funding, or visas (where applicable)
Disability, wellbeing, or safeguarding concerns
Unibuddy best practice:
Explain why you’re signposting to a different team or contact
Share the correct contact or link
Stay supportive, not dismissive
9. Stay professional and compliant
Always communicate in line with institutional and Unibuddy platform guidelines.
Remember to:
Protect student privacy and personal data
Avoid sharing personal opinions that conflict with official policy
Keep your tone respectful, inclusive, and non‑judgmental
Never request sensitive personal information via Unibuddy Chat. If you need
10. End on a positive, open note
Close conversations in a way that keeps the door open.
Here's an example:
“I hope that helps! Feel free to message again if any other questions come up, we’re always happy to help.”
A positive ending reinforces trust and encourages future engagement.
Final tip: be yourself!
You don’t need to sound like a brochure or prospectus for your uni. Of course, it makes sense to be professional, but students also appreciate interactions with Staff Ambassadors who are approachable, knowledgeable, and genuinely supportive.
Every helpful conversation contributes to a student feeling more confident about choosing your institution.
Thank you for being part of their journey!