Higher Education Student omnichannel experience: Leveraging Data Integration to Deliver Omni-Channel Student Experience in Higher Ed

Student expectations are evolving, and their demands are changing. Although they still go to college and university to expand their knowledge, their expectations for service, flexibility, and interactivity are entirely different than two decades ago. Forward-thinking organizations should already be thinking about creating Higher Education Student omnichannel experience to better their ratings in this area.

Unfortunately, high education institutions have been slow to evolve. Many of the institutions are currently burning the midnight oil to achieve digital transformation. However, in the majority of these institutions, most tasks are still completed manually.

Between large campuses and the many departments, student records are capture manually and recorded on paper for traditional file storage. Even in institutions that now use computers to capture and store records, the data often ends up scattered across multiple databases with different access permissions.

For instance, in one study by the Intelligence Group, a recent graduate recalls that his school’s email and phone conversations were logged in different locations.

This lack of consistency in data capture, storage, and access creates a recipe for chaos, rendering processes such as recruitment, segmentation, and selection very complex.

Higher Education Student Omnichannel Experience: Data Integration is the Solution

Schools need to be where their students are – always online. More importantly, learning institutions must find ways to streamline their data capture, storage, and access processes to allow students to interact with their peers and faculty conveniently and on the platforms of their choice.

A streamlined data collection and information access strategy would also allow students to select their courses and find the information they need to make various decisions more quickly.

The universities that meet this demand are ultimately the ones that will see a boost in enrollment in the years to come. You’re in an even better position if you can use the data and relevant tech solutions to improve the student experience. Satisfied students and alumni will automatically serve as ambassadors for any university that considers creating higher education student omnichannel experience.

Data Integration For Better Higher Education Student Omnichannel Experiences

In order to reap the full rewards of digital transformation in higher education and achieve better higher education student omnichannel experiences, a total system overhaul is required. In many learning institutions, data, processes, and channels are organized in silos, often leading to preventable inefficiencies, user frustration, and sometimes user abandonment.

These institutions must extract and integrate these silos to provide students and other users with a contextual, consistent, and relevant experience regardless of channel or device. Implementing the following five solutions would provide a good foundation for data integration at your institution;

1.      Employ CRM for higher education

The first step to data integration in this age is CRM adoption. SAP Cloud for higher education is a unique software product designed to help institutions manage student relations and the recruitment process. The CRM will help you capture vital student data, such as test scores, previous education history, social media profiles, and programs in which they’re interested, so you have a full picture of who you’re dealing with. The best part is that all this data is searchable and updatable.

2.      Leverage SAP Hybris Marketing

The term “hybris” in tech refers to an e-commerce platform that effectively allows consumers to sell in both B2B and B2C markets. SAP hybris marketing platforms are valuable in aggregating data from ERP and CRM systems, social media, and other channels. The platforms also enable data intelligence, allowing universities to track and support their marketing campaigns in real-time. You can analyze student behavior on multiple channels and segment the students accordingly.

3.      Consider stand-alone student profiles

Dynamic, stand-alone student profiles can be built by capturing their activity at each touchpoint from when they first appear within the institution’s radar. The insight gained can then be used to target offers in real-time throughout the student’s relationship with the school. You may even go as far as to use analytics and learning algorithms to continually enrich the student profile, add grades, complaints, etc.

4.      Use product content management (PCM)

Product content management (PCM) solutions are management databases that make information available to students round the clock on any device. The student can access course modules, course catalogs, course material, the curriculum, merchandise, tickets, books, and subscription products from a single portal. The platform also allows the institution to collaborate with stakeholders to build, manage, and publish valuable resources and products. It’s the kind of seamless omnichannel experience any organization needs.

Taking the next step in creating higher education student omnichannel experience

Achieving the desired level of data integration isn’t a walk in the park. You’ll need to work extra hard. However, with a positive mindset and full dedication, it’s all possible.

To move fast through the integration process, experts advise that you keep your eyes on the customer – in this case, the student if you want to win the battle on creating higher education student omnichannel experience. Remember that every single channel you’re integrating is a potential touchpoint for students. You want to make sure that the students are empowered to use each channel because when a channel remains unused for a prolonged period, the data therein becomes isolated, defeating the purpose of integration.