Is disorganised data holding your institution back? Discover the hidden costs of siloed systems and how you can make your data speak a common language.
You're here because you know the struggle of mismatched student data. At institutions like yours, disparate systems - from SIS to LMS to CRM - create an unclear picture. But what if you can easily turn mismatched data into actionable student insights? This article explores the cost of disorganised data in education. It also shows how Salesforce Data Cloud harmonised your data, so you can support your students.
Data professionals spend eighty percent of their time just collecting and organising information. That's not analysis or gaining insights. It's simply getting data ready. And the cost is steep. Twelve point nine million dollars per year, according to Gartner.
Faced with this reality, education institutions strive for a clear view of a student's journey or alumni connection. But the view is fractured. The SIS speaks of grades, the LMS of online activity, and the CRM of donations. Each is a separate silo. There is no harmony and no truth.
Salesforce Data Cloud changes that by making data sing in unison.
Connecting systems is the first step. The real fight is for order. One system calls it "First Year." Another, "Year 1." A third system, "Undergraduate." Addresses are a jumble. Course codes are a puzzle. Application statuses, a battlefield of "Submitted," "Complete," "Pending." And without any order, it's hard to make any sense of the data.
But Salesforce Data Cloud gives order. It sets the rules. A single blueprint for students, courses and accounts. Each defined and adhering to the rules as "Enrolled," "Active," and "Registered" become "Currently Enrolled." Dates fall into line. Addresses are cleaned. New truths, like "Age" from "Date of Birth," are born and the data becomes clean. In fact, more than that. It becomes useful.
Then comes the question of identity. Catherine Smith becomes Kate Johnson. Emails change. Addresses become outdated, but Salesforce Data Cloud finds everything out of sync and cleans it. It uses sharp and clear rules to link the pieces together and create exact matches. Names become linked and identity resolution finds one person in many records.
It doesn't destroy. It connects. Each piece of information is a key. Data Cloud gathers the keys for each person onto a single ring and the Unified Individual Profile is born. This isn't a copy; it's a living link, a 360-degree view without erasing the past. The original data remains. The truth is revealed and identity resolution builds a complete understanding of individuals across the institution.
Now, institutions can ask the hard questions. How does a specific program impact student success? What patterns drive alumni giving? Which recruitment efforts bring the best students? The answers are there, clear and strong, cutting across the old divisions.
Now its not just raw numbers, but real insight. Complex data becomes simple, actionable truth. An "engagement score," built once, tracked easily, combining logins, visits, participation. Academic progress. Alumni connection. Enrollment potential.
This clarity changes everything.
The chaos has a cost. Wasted time, lost money and failed efforts. Salesforce Data Cloud offers a different way. Not just cleaner data, but the power to see clearly, to act decisively. To move from confusion to control.
Your institution has a choice, and the next move is yours.
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In our next article, we’ll examine how advanced segmentation can reveal hidden patterns within your data so you can create personalised experiences. Stay tuned!
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