Case Study: Seabury Academy achieves uninterrupted community communication during COVID-19 with Olark

How Seabury Academy saw Olark as a way to keep communicating with their community during the pandemic

Seabury Academy, the only independent college preparatory school in Lawrence, Kansas, serves about 200 students from a diverse, tuition-based population. When COVID-19 forced the campus to close, phone inquiries stopped and the school—without the institutional supports of public or parochial systems—needed a fast way to stay connected with current families and prospective students about enrollment and other questions.

They deployed Olark live chat across their website within a day, with the Admissions Director handling chats and using features like visitor page tracking and away messages to answer questions, route contacts, and even assist delivery drivers. Early results include sustained engagement with prospective families, improved connection to the right staff, actionable insights for website changes, and plans to keep Olark as a permanent communications tool.

Seabury Academy

Leslie McCaffery

Admissions Director