Digital Clarity Group Research Shows Higher Education Institutions At Risk with Slow Shift to Customer Experience Management
April 28, 2016, New York – Digital Clarity Group (DCG), the award-winning research and advisory firm focused on customer experience management (CEM), today released new insights on the state of digital engagement in higher education. The analysis, based on original research conducted by DCG, has been published in a new report entitled Digital Transformation in Higher Education: How Content Management Technologies are Evolving in the Era of Experience Management.
DCG’s analysis indicates that delivering experiences to education customers – rather than publishing content – remains aspirational for institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom. “Web managers, content strategists, marketers, and leaders know they should be doing more to engage prospective and current students, who are among the most digitally sophisticated audiences,” said Marianne Kay, DCG analyst for web content management. “But many teams are overwhelmed by the everyday tasks associated with maintaining their university’s current web presence. They find it difficult to evolve from content publishing to digital storytelling.”
Key findings from the research include:
- The lack of leadership in digital engagement is a critical gap within many universities.
- Institutions slow to adopt customer engagement practices are increasingly at risk in a highly competitive recruitment environment. Failure to meet the digital expectations of today’s education customers can impact the quantity and quality of students that universities attract and enroll.
- Technology is not an impediment to progress. Technology buyers in higher education have multiple options for content management solutions, many of which extend to digital marketing and related experience management capabilities.
- Digital agencies and systems integrators that implement solutions in the higher education sector are often underutilized. They offer services and expertise that are valuable to universities seeking to improve their digital competitiveness, but they struggle to establish long-term relationships necessary to make these initiatives a success.
DCG’s analysis of digital engagement in higher education is based on a unique 360-degree view of the sector. The research comprised inputs from leaders and content practitioners at institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom, from technology vendors with higher education customers, and from service providers that are active in the higher education vertical. The research was conducted in late 2015 and early 2016, with funding provided by Adobe, Acquia, Manifesto Digital, OmniUpdate, and Verndale. The report is now available as a free download from the DCG website.
About Digital Clarity Group
Digital Clarity Group is an award-winning research and advisory firm that helps organizations navigate the new world emerging from digital disruption. DCG works with business leaders who aim to transform the experience they deliver to customers, prospects, and employees. The firm delivers insight, research, and services focused on the content, technologies, and practices that enable world-class experiences. The DCG blog, team bios, reports, videos, and events are accessible on the company’s website.
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Contact: Mary Laplante, Vice President of Client Services
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