Beyond the immediate loss of a single student, the failure to answer calls creates a broader, more insidious risk to an institution’s reputation. In an era of online reviews and social media, a single negative experience can be amplified and reach thousands of potential applicants. A prospective student who feels ignored is likely to share their frustration on forums like Reddit or with their high school counselors, creating negative word-of-mouth that deters others. This damages the university's brand as an institution that is unsupportive and difficult to communicate with. The impact of this reputational damage can be far-reaching, compromising future enrollment cycles and making it more difficult and expensive to attract high-quality applicants. Trust, once lost, is incredibly difficult to regain, and for a university, it is the foundation of its relationship with its student body.

A Hypothetical Horror Story: A parent of a prospective freshman calls a state university's financial aid office with a complex question about FAFSA forms. Despite trying multiple times throughout the week, they are consistently met with long hold times and are eventually told to call back during a different window. The parent, exasperated by the lack of human connection and support, posts a detailed, negative review on a popular college review site. The post, which describes the university as "impersonal" and "unhelpful," quickly gains traction. A high school guidance counselor sees the post and, as a result, advises several of her top students to consider other schools, recommending institutions that have a reputation for strong and responsive communication. The university's enrollment for that year suffers, a direct consequence of a poor initial experience that spiraled into a public relations crisis.