TAP’s Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer Nik Higgins discussed the platform’s strategic importance, integration with IDP and its role in shaping the future of peer-to-peer engagement in the education sector.
TAP’s Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer Nik Higgins discussed the platform’s strategic importance, integration with IDP and its role in shaping the future of peer-to-peer engagement in the education sector.
The IDP Education and The Ambassador Platform are reshaping the landscape of higher education marketing and recruitment through their pioneering approach to peer-to-peer engagement, allowing universities to connect with prospective students on a profound level.
IDP Education, a global education services provider, recently announced the successful acquisition of The Ambassador Platform, a technology company based in the United Kingdom.
TAP’s Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer Nik Higgins discussed the platform’s strategic importance, integration with IDP and its role in shaping the future of peer-to-peer engagement in the education sector.
“Speaking to other students, learning from other students, engaging with current students is a key part of the decision-making process for prospective students,” Higgins told MSM Reporter.
“Traditional marketing channels often fall short in providing an authentic insight into the university student experience. That’s where the TAP Platform comes in, bridging the gap and meeting the demand of future students,” he said.
Higgins explained that the platform facilitates connections between prospective students and current students through group chats, one-on-one peer chats, and immersive video experiences.
He added that universities can establish personalized connections that cater to every student’s recruitment journey, whether they are exploring options, contemplating an application, or in need of English language assistance.
“Research and usage data consistently demonstrate the strong demand from prospective students to interact with ambassadors and gain firsthand experiences. Universities utilizing our platform at critical stages of the recruitment journey witness increased conversion rates, especially for international students,” he noted.
In their latest report, “Unlocking the secrets of peer-to-peer,” a survey highlighted the importance of peer-to-peer connections in student recruitment.
The results confirmed the invaluable role of such connections and the potential consequences for institutions that fail to prioritize them.
Prospective students heavily rely on peer-to-peer connections when making decisions about their education. Institutions that overlook the significance of these connections as part of their recruitment strategy risk losing out to competing universities.
Recruitment teams that actively facilitate connections between prospects and current students, utilizing student ambassadors as an integral part of their approach, experience higher conversion rates throughout the recruitment funnel.
“Prospective students working with IDP will have access to enhanced peer-to-peer capabilities, tapping into the world’s largest and most trusted student placement service. For non-IDP customers, TAP will continue to provide increased support and services, thanks to our growth as a company,” said Higgins.
A spokesperson for IDP stated that the acquisition aligns seamlessly with the company’s long-term vision and goals of creating a connected community that guides individuals on their journey toward lifelong learning and career aspirations.
“The Ambassador Platform is a strong strategic fit for IDP and supports our vision to build a connected community to guide people with global ambitions on their journey to achieve their lifelong learning and career aspirations,” the spokesperson told MSM Reporter.
“Both IDP and The Ambassador Platform focus on ensuring students are well-informed, have positive study outcomes, and are supported at every step,” he added.
IDP highlighted that the TAP platform’s sophisticated features, including its ability to facilitate one-to-one and group chats, live streams, and the collection and promotion of user-generated content, along with its comprehensive reporting and insights for institutions, were key factors that attracted them to make the strategic acquisition.
Incorporating peer-to-peer engagement into IDP’s portfolio enables the company to offer a distinct advantage to students and universities alike.
While IDP’s acquisition of TAP positions it as a wholly owned entity, TAP clarified that it will continue to offer its services independently to universities worldwide.
“The integration with IDP will be an additional option for our customers who choose to work with both entities. Joint products and services will enable universities to showcase their ambassadors and content across IDP Connect’s digital real estate, enhancing their reach and engagement with prospective students,” Higgins said.
Future developments
Looking ahead, TAP plans to enhance its ambassador management and incentivization features, empowering universities to seamlessly collaborate with their student ambassadors.
Additionally, the platform’s product team is exploring the integration of artificial intelligence to improve the user experience for both ambassadors and university administrators, ensuring a cutting-edge platform for peer-to-peer engagement.
“Our vision extends beyond the education sector,” said Higgins. “As peer-to-peer engagement becomes increasingly vital in decision-making processes, TAP and IDP are well-positioned to drive its adoption as an industry standard. By providing prospective students with a better experience during their university research and selection, we aim to transform the higher education landscape,” he said.
Through TAP’s group chats, future students can connect with current students and engage in meaningful conversations about academic programs, campus life, and student support services.
Recognizing that students place immense trust in their peers’ advice when making transformative decisions like studying abroad, the platform expands IDP’s network by connecting prospective students not only with institutions, services, agents, and counselors but also with alumni and current students.
The acquisition sets the stage for several key milestones and developments for both IDP Education and The Ambassador Platform. As the integration progresses, the two entities plan to jointly develop and collaborate on additional product features that will provide more value for clients and further unleash the power of the student voice in the recruitment process.
“Alongside our on-the-ground agent network, we are continuing to revolutionize the way we use technology to enable students to get quicker, more personalized, and more transparent information on their study options and match them with the right course, and The Ambassador Platform will help IDP achieve this,” the IDP spokesperson said.
The successful acquisition of TAP by IDP Education positions both student customers and university clients to enjoy enhanced benefits through the incorporation of peer-to-peer engagement into student placement.
