Intake Administrative Assistant – Key Dates and More
Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5 – Part 6
Key Dates
As briefly discussed above, to ensure that the Intake Specialist is responsible for checking in with our approved clients every six months. The required check-ins are entered into each case file under a section called ‘Key Dates’. It is not your responsibility to enter these dates, however, you are responsible to checking the IPC homepage to confirm which check-ins are scheduled.
In addition to the six-month check-ins, there are a number of other reasons the Intake Specialist would need to speak with an approved client, which include the following: –
.
1: Six-month check-in
2: Birthday of the client or any of his/her dependents
3: Wedding anniversary of the client
4: Visa / Green Card renewal requirements
5: Citizenship eligibility
.
Remember, it is not your responsibility to speak to the client about any of the check-ins, but rather ensure that the individual is on the Intake Specialists calendar at the appropriate time.
How do you know when to book approved clients?
As you will see on the IPC home page, at the very bottom, the key dates are listed in accordance with when they are to be addressed.
.
Your attention will be primarily focused on the first two batches noting key dates due within 7 days and those due within 8 – 30 days. Ideally, you when you review the 7-Day dates, it should just to confirm that you have not missed anyone as they should already be scheduled.
Because this list will change each day, it is important to check this list on a daily basis. Not every client will be assigned to your Intake Specialist, so you need to speak with your Intake Specialist each morning to confirm which clients you will need to reach out to.
.
Intake Specialist Self-Assessment Report (SAR)
To ensure that the Intake Specialist and his/her Intake Assistant are completing all of the required activities that will result in regular sales, you will be responsible for completing a Self-Assessment Report, or SAR. You will be responsible for a portion of the Intake Specialist’s SAR, which will allow management to see your daily activity.
The SAR is a critical tool for management and it must be completed every single day. It is important that you set aside 30 – 45 minutes at the end of each day to ensure this is completed comprehensively.
As an Intake Assistant, you are required to complete the following sections of the SAR: –
.
Flash Intake Chart
The Flash Intake Chart allows management to see, at-a-glance, the progress the Intake Specialist is making in keeping their consultations. On a daily basis, the Intake Assistant is responsible for completing Lines 1 – 10 of this chart.
.
.
In each instance, we are looking for week-to-date numbers and month-to-date numbers. Let’s take each section and go through it one by one.
.
Line 1 – Leads Received Week to Date
As discussed above, you will be copied into each lead assigned to your Intake Specialist. These leads are graded for quality on the following scale:
.
A – Clearly Good
A Grade-A lead will be any individual who specifies the type of visa they are seeking. This could be an EB1, a Green Card by Marriage or an EB3. The visa type does not particularly matter as long as the client was specific regarding the application type for which they are seeking assistance.
B – Unclear
Many prospective clients will inquire with us but provide little information. They may say ‘I want to move to the US’ or “I am looking for a green card.’ These leads are considered Grade-B because we need to work with the client to get more information to determine how we can help them.
C – Clearly Bad
Clearly bad leads would include individuals who are not seeking US immigration. From time to time, we do get individuals asking about immigration to the UK or Canada. These are clearly bad. C-Grade leads also include individuals who have indicated they have a serious criminal history, visa overstays / bans or are seeking assistance for refugee, asylum or deportation cases.
With the above grading system in mind, you will be responsible for noting the total number of leads assigned to your Intake Specialist on a daily basis, and breaking down that total based on the grade of the lead.
.
Line 2 – Leads Received Month to Date
Bearing the above information in mind, you will also retain a running count of leads for the entire month. This will change slightly each day as you add the day’s leads into the total.
.
Line 3 – Total # of 1st Consults Scheduled this Week
Line 4 – Total # of 2nd+ Consults Scheduled this Week
.
By reviewing your Intake Specialist’s calendar, you will be able to count the number of consultations they have scheduled for. To allow management to ensure that the Intake Specialist is making a variety of calls and properly caring for the leads, we need to see the number of first consultations and the number of second consultation scheduled.
(Please note that this one of the reasons why it is so important to book consultations according to the format.)
The number should reflect all sales calls that have been scheduled, regardless of whether or not the call was completed. This should not include tentative calls that you may schedule. Call reflected in this section should only be counted when there was a reasonable anticipation that the client would be available to take the call.
.
Line 5 – Total # of 1st Consults Kept this Week
Line 6 – Total # of 2nd+ Consults Kept this Week
.
Once we have outlined the number of consultations that were scheduled, we then need to determine how many of these calls were kept. As the Intake Specialist makes their calls, they will put a notation of ‘Done’ upon completion.
Below you will see a calendar entry reflecting four sales calls scheduled, however only one of these calls was actually completed, and notations were made next to each call.
.
.
If the Intake Specialist has failed to make these notations, please chase them to do so in order for you to maintain an accurate record in the Flash Intake Chart.
.
Line 7 – Total # of 1st Consults Scheduled this Month
Line 8 – Total # of 2nd+ Consults Scheduled this Month
.
Bearing the above information in mind, you will also retain a running count of scheduled consultations for the entire month. This will change slightly each day as you add the day’s consultations into the total.
.
Line 9 – Total # of 1st Consults Kept this Month
Line 10 – Total # of 2nd+ Consults Kept this Month
.
Bearing the above information in mind, you will also retain a running count of kept consultations for the entire month. This will change slightly each day as you add the day’s consultations into the total.
.
Analysis of Flash Intake
The next page of the SAR features an analysis of the flash intake. In this section, you will use the number provided above to give management a quick analysis of your Intake Specialist’s activities.
.
.
Again, we will take this section-by-section.
.
Conversion of Leads into Booked Consultations
In this section, you will transfer the information from the appropriate lines in the Flash Intake Chart and provide a percentage.
For example, if the Intake Specialist received 9 Grade-A leads for the month, and has scheduled 4 first consultations, then they have booked a total of 44%. The same goes for the second consultations.
Though this is not an exact science, as the numbers cumulate, it will provide management with data to plan for the future.
.
Conversion of Consultation Bookings into Kept Consultations
Again, this will require the transfer of data to be converted into a percentage. For the purposes of explaining this section, let’s use the following calendar entry as an example: –
.
.
In this section, we can see that Lindsey had two first consults scheduled, and one was kept. That would equate to 50%. Of course, these numbers will be completed on a month-to-date basis, and updated everyday, but this should give you an idea of how to prepare this chart.
.
Follow-Up Proficiency
To ensure that the follow-ups are being properly maintained, you will need to note how many follows-ups have been completed month-to-date, and update this each day. The number booked should increase each day, as well as the number completed. If you fall behind, that is ok, but by the end of each week, the % completed should be as close to 100% as possible.
.
Lead Register
The next step in the Intake SAR is the Lead Register. Again, it will be important to complete this each day to ensure that it is kept up to date and you do not fall behind. Once you start falling behind, a simple daily activity can turn into a big project quickly.
There are specific instructions provided for the formatting of the Lead Register, but let’s walk through exactly how you update it. In the following example, please direct your attention to Lead # 21, Solly.
.
.
From this chart, we can clearly track the prospective client from her initial inquiry through to her retainer. This gives a great deal of good data, including the following: –
A: How long between the inquiry and retainer
B: Whether or not the Intake Specialist is completing the post-consultation reports
C: Whether or not the client has been provided with a second consultation
(This will also be a good tool for you in filling up the Intake Specialist’s calendar as you will be able to see which clients never received a second consultation.)
As you are copied into the post-consultation reports, you will need to update this chart accordingly.
.
Adding Leads to the Lead Register
Each day, you will be required to add the new leads to the register. You will not be able to add the consultation dates at this point, but we want to be sure that the register properly identifies all of the leads the Intake Specialist is responsible for.
.
Key Dates
So that the Practice Manager can ensure that the Key Dates are properly attended to, you will need to add the scheduled key dates to this page.
.
.
As you review the Intake Specialist’s calendar, you will be able to see if the calls were completed as scheduled. Only when the call is completed will you put the date into this chart.
Once you have completed all of the above sections for the SAR, you will need to save it and send it to the Intake Specialist, who will prepare the rest of the sections.
.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, if you succeed, your Intake Specialist will succeed, as will the Intake Team, and ultimately the entire firm. If you are able to help your Intake Specialist reach a minimum of 6 retainers per month, you will be contributing significantly to the success of the firm. Sales is a team effort, and the Intake Specialist will not be able to achieve these goals without the support of the Intake Assistants and the Practice Manager.
The Intake Team is what keeps the practice alive and thriving, and it is through the efforts of this team that we will be able to continue growing within the industry. Ultimately, the success of the Intake Team is what will equal the success of the firm, so it is absolutely crucial that the team follows the above-outlined structure. This structure was designed to create long-term, predicable success through building relationships and maintaining diligence in the follow-up.
The Firm’s executive and management staff will be working to increase the number of leads from current sources as well as develop additional sources for new business. As this grows, the team members’ ability to maintain the above systems will be increasingly important to ensure each prospective client receives an elite level of service.
.
Appendix A – Templates for Follow-Up Emails
The prospective clients under your care and that of your Intake Specialist will have inquired about a variety of visa types. Below are some templates letters to be used in sending follow-up emails. These will not be appropriate in every situation, so please be sure to double check with your Intake Specialist if you are unsure.
—
EB1
Hi Parthsaradhy,
I hope you are well! About a month ago you inquired with us about how you could get back to the United States. We outlined some information about the EB1 green card, as this could very well be an option for you, but never heard back. I wanted to touch base and see, if you had a few moments, if you could sent through a copy of your resume. From there I would be happy to set us up with a free consultation. Please do let me know how I can continue to be of assistance.
—
Green Card by Marriage
Hi Aaron,
I hope you are well. Recently, you reached out to us with some questions regarding the green card by marriage. I know that you had some plans and decisions to make, and I wanted to check in with you to see if we could be of further assistance or perhaps offer a free telephone consultation to discuss your options further.
Please do let us know if we can help!
—
EB3
Hi Kashif,
I hope you are well. You recently requested assistance securing employment so that you could apply for an EB3 green card to the United States. Though we cannot help you find work, we can certainly help you with immigration paperwork once you have secured employment. Please do let us know how we can continue to be of assistance.
—
Immigration Maze
Hi Kumar,
I hope you are well. You recently inquired with us about immigrating to the United States, and we can certainly help if we are able to get additional information. We recommended our video series called The Immigration Maze – https://www.breakthroughusa.com/ – and I wanted to see if you had a chance to review it. If so, please do let me know which visa types you may be interested in.
Once I have a better idea of which process you are interested in, I would be happy to set us up with a free consultation to discuss further. Please do let me know how I can continue to be of service.
——