Consent & Preference Management for Higher Education: from complex to simple
Posted: November 2, 2022
Why Higher Education Institutions need Consent and Preference Management
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Regulation mandated throughout the European Union since the 25th May 2018.
GDPR’s position on consent and preference management impacts all HEI customers differently: depending on their customer state (i.e. Prospect/Applicant) and if they are currently studying (i.e. Active Student/Alumni).
As a result of the stricter conditions under GDPR, HEIs will be reliant on gaining consent to be able to market to prospective students. Without this permission, their ability to engage with potential customers and convert them into paying students will be severely impacted.
Maintaining this marketing relationship, in its fullest form, is a key driver for HEIs to adopt a Consent Management Platform (CMP).
What happens when HEIs don’t have a CMP?
They become legally vulnerable:
As education providers, HEIs’ primary objective is to deliver the best learning experience possible, whilst protecting the private data of their customers.
Failure to comply with the new data protection regulation (GDPR) could see HEIs fined up to 20 million euros (or 4% of turnover). This will in turn, diminish their reputation and credibility.
Customers are also more likely to take legal action against their chosen university if they discover their data is being misused.
Revenue targets aren’t achieved:
Without a dedicated CMP, HEIs cannot efficiently manage the complex nature of their data relationships (i.e. databases for minors or when dealing with delegated consent).
This means HEIs won’t be able to keep up with their growing student enrolment, which will have a significant impact on their annual revenue.
How does this impact their customers?
Whether it’s a prospective student looking to learn more about a university or a new student going through the enrolment process, if consent isn’t collected correctly, it can have a negative impact on their educational journeys.
From potential HEI customers being overwhelmed with numerous marketing emails and personalised social media ads, to newly on-boarded students feeling frustrated by having to provide the same data repeatedly.
In more serious cases, failure to collect consent efficiently could lead to a student not being admitted to their dream university, due to a registration error.
It’s crucial that HEIs opt for a CMP solution that not only complies with the legislations that protect all their customers, but meets their evolving expectations.
Choose Cassie for trust, flexibility and scalability
Cassie represents an excellent solution for HEIs from both a capability and cultural perspective:
Cassie helps HEIs achieve compliance whilst giving their customers control over their consent and preferences.
This seamless solution enables HEI marketing teams to capture clear, unambiguous consent across multiple channels (i.e. e-mail, telephone, post, SMS, digital).
Regulations may change, but the expectations of HEI customers will evolve.
Cassie goes beyond technical capability. Its function is to deliver consent and preference solutions that truly meet the needs of all internal and external customers.
Increase acceptances with Cassie
Discover our guide to Higher Education Consent Management for enhanced student relationships.
In this guide, explore:
- The value of consent and preference management in education
- Leveraging granular preference management for recruitment success
- How Cassie drives universities to exceed compliance and amplify student engagement.