Case Study: Haute École de la Province de Namur

More participants than ever at the shadow and hands-on days

The Haute École de la Province de Namur (HEPN) is a university college in the heart of Wallonia. With a compact communication team of two people, the institution faced a challenge familiar to many: how do you communicate in a targeted way with prospective students during their educational journey when your current method is simply not designed for it?

“Hippocampus is truly developed for higher education, unlike other CRM systems that are overly complex and primarily focused on data management. From the first consultation, we knew: this is going to change our way of working.”

— Bérengère Pirson, Head of Communications, HEPN

No data, no control

HEPN had hardly any data on potential students, as there was no central registration during information sessions. Therefore, there was no basis for targeted communication. CRM systems that were considered provided no solution: insufficiently comprehensive, inflexible, and not designed for higher education. However, the goal was clear. It was time to accompany the entire educational journey of the future student with targeted communication.

Recognition from the first moment

When Hippocampus was presented, the team immediately recognised the difference. While other systems offered generic solutions, Hippocampus matched the daily realities of higher education. The versatility was striking: not just registration or data management, but a platform with which you can run campaigns, track prospective students, and personalise communication. Even during the first consultation, it was clear that Hippocampus was going to change the way we work.

Quickly operational

The speed of implementation was a pleasant surprise. HEPN had events planned, so everything needed to be operational quickly, and it succeeded. The software was set up swiftly, and the team could get started immediately. The interface was instantly perceived as intuitive and user-friendly. In addition, the Hippocampus support team was always ready with prompt and direct support, which made the implementation run smoothly.

Growing enthusiasm

At the moment, two members of the communication team are working daily with Hippocampus. They are deliberately building their own expertise first before rolling out the platform more widely within the university college. However, the enthusiasm is already present. They are pleased with the software and expect that the results will also convince the other teams.

The focus is clearly on the future. With a much more accurate picture of all data and targeted communication follow-up, HEPN can, for the first time, effectively guide student recruitment. Not reactively, but proactively. Not generically, but personally.

First step in Wallonia

HEPN is Hippocampus's first client in Wallonia. This is not a coincidence. The French-speaking higher education sector in Belgium faces the same recruitment challenges as Flanders and the Netherlands, but until now had few specialised tools for this. With HEPN as the first reference, Hippocampus demonstrates that the platform works language-independently and also delivers immediate value in the French-speaking market, including fast implementation, intuitive use, and personal support.