In mid-2022, as part of our ever-evolving features to better serve students digitally, we released a Chat AI in the Student Portal. Understanding the challenges faced by new or international students, the Chat AI was designed to be inviting to help students search through an extensive knowledge base. It was multilingual with language detection so it could always serve the students in the language in which they’re most comfortable.
The chat was designed to be welcoming and unintrusive—students could dismiss the chat completely to enable a full view of their personalized dashboard on the student portal.
Problem
New and international students often struggled to navigate university processes and find information quickly—especially outside regular office hours. Staff resources were also stretched thin responding to repetitive inquiries.
Solution
We developed a friendly, intuitive chatbot that provided 24/7 support through a robust, searchable knowledge base. It automatically detected the user’s language preference and was integrated seamlessly into the student portal, ensuring minimal disruption to the user interface.
Impact
- Improved Student Support: Instant, accurate responses in the student’s preferred language increased satisfaction and accessibility.
- Operational Efficiency: Freed up staff time by automating repetitive inquiries and processes.
- Data-Driven Improvements: Chat data revealed common user pain points, informing continuous portal improvements.
- Cost Savings: Reduced manual workload allowed reallocation of resources to higher-impact areas.
