“Relevant information only comes into its own when it reaches the right recipient”

If you really want to inform schools well, start not with the message but with the right target group. Kees Dehl, senior consultant at DUO-Onderwijs, explains how, with the right data, you not only reach the right people but also build a lasting relationship with them.

How much of your information actually reaches the right person at school? Without realising it, more gets lost than you think. Your e-mail ends up in an inbox of a position that no longer exists. Your letter arrives at someone who left two years ago. Or the name is just wrong in it.

As a senior consultant at DUO-Onderwijs, Kees Dehl knows exactly what happens when organisations underestimate the importance of good data. “Data may sound complicated, but it really just means: do you know who you have in front of you? Do you know the name, position and (e-mail) address? And do you know whether that person actually wants to hear from you?”

On a small scale, it goes without saying: if you send one person a message, make sure the salutation and address are correct. “You are then embarrassed if you misspell the name,” says Kees. “But what happens when you approach 200,000 people? Then the bar shifts. You then quickly think: if 80% is correct from my data, that's good enough. Until you realise what that other 20% means: forty thousand people being wrongly targeted. Who receive something not intended for them, or are harassed with information they don't want at all.”

The intentions of clients are almost always good, Kees stresses. “Ministries, educational organisations and other parties want to inform, support and help schools move forward.” In practice, however, keeping your data up-to-date is far from easy. Even those who have a perfect database today may be behind the times tomorrow. People move, retire and switch schools. “About 10 to 20% of data changes every year,” says Kees. “That sounds manageable, but it means that without active maintenance, you'll find yourself with a considerably outdated database within a few years.”

So anyone who wants relevant information to reach the right person must have a well-maintained database. That is exactly what Kees and his team work on every day. “The aim is not simply to send information, but to build and maintain trust and commitment within the education field. We want to help our relations build and maintain a good relationship with schools. That is why we put a lot of time and energy into a complete and relevant education database.”
DUO-Onderwijs's education database has been built over 30 years. It contains extensive data on schools and education professionals, including locations, school types and contact preferences. “That volume is important,” says Kees, “But the timeliness and reliability of the data are crucial. That is why a specialised data team checks changes daily and fills in missing information. That way, we enable targeted communication.” When, for example, a knowledge centre wants to draw attention to a new study, it first sharply defines which target group is relevant. Data sets are then combined and cleaned up. “We make sure the right people get the right information,” says Dehl. “In doing so, a clear principle applies: data is only used for predetermined purposes. It is stored and managed within the EEA according to ISO standards and the AVG, with strict processor agreements and not passed on to third parties.”

For those who want to know how their own database is doing, DUO-Onderwijs has developed a concrete tool: the education data scan. The method is simple: “You provide a file and describe what you expect to provide. For example: all contact details of team leaders in primary education in South Holland.” Kees and his team then make a selection from their own education database and put it next to the supplied file. “The outcome is often disconcerting,” says Kees. “Some 20% of the contacts are missing an address. 20 to 30% contain spelling errors, function errors or wrong establishment details.”

The scan gives an honest picture of where you stand. Some organisations choose to get to work themselves: looking up addresses, checking functions, correcting errors. Others decide they would rather spend that time differently and use the data from DUO-Onderwijs. Then you can get on with a correct and up-to-date file the very next day. “That doesn't have to be a big step,” Kees explains. “People who respond to your mailing or letter can simply be processed in your own system afterwards. That way, step by step, you build a database that gets better and better.”

If you really want to reach schools, start not with the message but with the right data. How much of your information actually reaches schools depends on how well you know who you have in front of you. A name that is correct. An address that is still current. A function that still exists. “Not rocket science,” says Kees. “But something you have to pay attention to on a daily basis. The relationship with schools is the most important thing you have. And that starts with spelling the name correctly.”

Kees Dehl is senior advisor at DUO-Onderwijs

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