Our partner schools are a source of constant inspiration for us at Kira. Each year, we see how our clients leverage the Kira platform to improve their admissions process and empower applicants to put their best foot forward. With all its unexpected challenges, 2020 was no exception.

The 2020 Client Experience Report provides insight into how schools around the world are using Kira to power their accessible admissions processes and how it’s helping them sustain growth through one of the toughest enrollment periods in recent years.

  1. The Kira enhancements that clients loved this year
  2. By the numbers
  3. Kira Client Success favourites
  4. Reports from other years

The Kira enhancements that clients loved this year

2020’s global shift online meant a lot of process changes and new technology for admissions teams. So when it came to Kira, we wanted to make sure that we were adding more value to a program’s admissions process, not more work. As we rolled out a ton of new features, we kept efficiency and ease-of-use top of mind.

Today, schools can add a Kira assessment to their admissions process in only a few clicks through our integration with Liaison’s CAS™. And with our new Applicant Pay feature alleviating budgetary concerns, it’s never been easier to get started with Kira.

This year we also launched new features and add-ons, such as Flexible Review, SimChek by Turnitin, and Advanced Insights, to help admissions teams evaluate applicants more efficiently and fairly.

Check out all the powerful new enhancements Kira added in 2020 

With these new tools in their toolbelt, our partner schools were able to deliver comprehensive and accessible admissions processes that kept applicants engaged - wherever they were in the world.

By the numbers

During a challenging year in the admissions space, we were incredibly proud to have partnered with new and existing client schools to help them solve problems with our video-based assessment platform. We’re even prouder that these schools continue to see the value of Kira, beyond just being remote-friendly.

Kira Client Report - 83 NPS

With a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 83, our clients are loving us even more than their Netflix (68 NPS) or Starbucks (77 NPS)! 

Jokes aside, as a platform built specifically for the higher ed admissions space, this feedback from our partner schools means the world to us here at Kira. 

We wanted to dig a little deeper to see what, specifically, our clients were loving about our platform. So, we surveyed our partner schools to find out how they use Kira and what they find most useful. Here’s what they had to say.

55% of schools interviewed every applicant with a Kira assessment  - without any additional time or resources.

This year, schools used Kira in more ways than ever before. Several schools switched to Kira to add efficiency to their evaluation process. By enabling them to send acceptances out to applicants faster, Kira helped these programs secure a higher applicant yield. 

Discover what applicants had to say about their Kira experience

Others were seeking greater flexibility and accessibility for both their applicants and reviewers. And for many, it was stemmed from an industry-wide push to incorporate more holistic practices into admissions decisions.

44% of respondents named “Effectiveness” as their top reason for using Kira.

Although effectiveness was the winner overall, we wanted to see how this differed across disciplines.

 

Effectiveness was most important for business schools

Several of our business school clients had other innovative reasons for using Kira, including as a means to award scholarships and bursaries, and to assess language proficiency.

Efficiency and effectiveness were tied as most important for Medical Schools and Health Science programs

Kira client graph - Medical schools and health sciences

Of the “other” responses shared by our medical and health sciences programs, most centered around Kira’s cost-effective structure. 

Effectiveness was most important for Public Policy/Law and Others

Some of the other reasons our social science schools used Kira was to assess applicants’ writing skills and explore any prior experience applicants may have in previous programs or with community involvement.

Kira Client Success Favourites

Outside of efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness, there’s one other Kira “feature” that our clients call out again and again. Our Client Success (CS) team. 

The Kira Client Success Managers are with our partner schools every step of the way, guiding them with best practices and answering any and all questions that arise. If it has happened on the Kira platform, our CS team has seen it! Here are some of the best uses of Kira they saw in 2020. 

Kira Client Report - Kana cartoon profileKana

“I loved how one admissions office included current students in their welcome video, Asynchronous Assessment questions, and closing video. We heard from applicants that seeing the friendly faces of their potential peers not only helped alleviate their stress but also provided a personalized experience that helped them imagine attending the program.”

 

Kira Client Report - Christian cartoon profileChristian

“The Kira platform offers a ton of different features to help reduce bias in the admissions process, and my favourite moment was seeing a client use every tool available. From detailed rubric criteria to reviewer analytics, it was great to see the school being so mindful of the effects of their unconscious biases on applicant selection.”

 

Kira Client Report - Keshini cartoon profile Keshini

“I love seeing how excited our clients get about all of our accessibility features (the Kira platform is WCAG 2.0 AA compliant). It speaks to how much they care about ensuring every applicant has a comfortable and fair experience with Kira!”

 

Kira Client Report - Niamh cartoon profile Niamh

“I love when clients get resourceful and find new and interesting ways to build their Kira assessments. One of my dentistry schools added images of teeth and asked the applicants to identify the issues they saw. This unique approach helped them stand out against competing programs or schools.”

 

Kira Client Success - Joe Joe

“A few groups that I've worked with have had each of their reviewers record a quick, personal introduction that played before the question that they presented. I loved how the applicants felt a sense of connection to the person who was evaluating their responses, as well as the school as a whole."

 

Click here to learn more about why we publish this data and how we collect and use client feedback

Reports from other years

Kira Talent Client Experience Report 2021