I was blessed to attend the EDUCAUSE annual conference in #Chicago on October 10, 2023, and the people I met sold me on the possibilities of working in the #HigherEd#EdTech space!
So many #vendors and #universities are realizing that…
Data Integration ▶ Improved Student Analytics ▶ Personalization ▶ An Improved Student Experience ▶ Student Success, Engagement & Retention
Students are used to #personalization from Amazon, The Coca-Cola Company, and Spotify. It’s only natural that they expect it from colleges, too – and not just at the admissions stage.
My prediction is colleges that don’t adapt and don’t emphasize the #ROI of attending will not be around in the future.
What does that mean for #EdTech?
1️⃣ Companies are merging – like Anthology Inc and Blackboard merged so they could offer an #LMS, #SIS, and #CRM system that all talk to each other. I highly enjoyed meeting Heather Woods, Jonathan Hart and Wade Weichel from Anthology Inc!
2️⃣ Companies are expanding their offerings – like Technolutions offering Slate CRMs for Student Success and Advancement in addition to their popular Admissions CRM. ClassLink is expanding its Single Sign-On offering from K-12 into HigherEd. I loved meeting members of their teams like Stephanie Shukis, Benjamin Szabo, M.A., Vincent Haass, Joseph Bernard, APTD & Rodney Turner.
3️⃣ There is an increased market for / interest in #studentengagement portals enabling students to go to ONE SPOT to access university resources, book appointments, view curated events personalized to their interests, and connect virtually with fellow students. Some favorites I visited at the conference included:
RahRah – Brian Baute
Ready Education – Antoine (Andy) Kearney
Salesforce / Gerent consulting – Katherine Zozos- Pliagos, Julia Taylor
4️⃣ So many players are eager to help universities develop a unified #CustomerDataPlatform, mine useful insights from that data, and use those insights to enhance communication and the student experience – from juggernaut hyper-scalers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) to companies that don’t immediately make me think of data like Twilio / Terazo, and Mongoose. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Josh Badal, Kristi Wellington-Baker, Ed.D., Victoria Flood, and Dave Marshall from those companies.
5️⃣ Having a strong integrations/partnerships team is ESSENTIAL. If your product and its data don’t integrate seamlessly with other platforms and their data, you are at a major competitive disadvantage. I enjoyed meeting partnership warriors like Elton Carneiro and Patrick Devanney who strengthen those relationships and make sure the data will fit together.
So, what now?!?
I’m still #opentowork in #scaledCS, #dataintegration, and #personalizing the #customerjourney in any vertical, but I am eager to connect with more #EdTech minds and see how I can contribute my #HigherEd, #StudentRetention, #MarketResearch#Innovation AND #CustomerSuccess expertise to this important revolution!
