How Universities Can Improve Entire Student Journey With Conversational AI

A student’s entire academic experience relies on the kinds of services and resources available at an institution. However, many students feel unaware of those resources in the absence of on-demand navigation assistance.

To tackle this challenge, higher education institutions are now looking at the untapped opportunities of conversational AI. Artificial intelligence has come out as the only practical way of building a well-connected resource network at a campus for students.

Blending personalized conversations and transitions into traditional models

By integrating conversational AI into existing models, universities can offer interactions on an individual level. AI assistants can figure out the context and intent of a student and respond with appropriate information or perform a suitable task.

Whether a student wishes to request a leave, get a book from the library or receive the event calendar, every request can be fulfilled right on the same platform. It is this contextual ability of conversational AI that makes it more advanced than generic chatbots. It can:

• Use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to decipher student intent in real-time.
• Map a student’s journey based on the resource or action he/she is looking for.
• Leverage real-time analysis of current and previous data to fulfill requests.

AI assistance right from the first student contact

At the center of students’ journey, conversational AI serves as a competent virtual assistant at every stage from searching for institutions, courses, application assistance, fee submission, on-campus assistance, and more.

• Outreach, admission, and counseling

The academic journey of a student begins with the first search and contact made with a university. An AI assistant integrated on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Social Media, Websites, and other touchpoints can make this journey more fruitful for prospective students.

Universities can run conversational marketing to capture and qualify student leads with instant engagement 24*7. A high level of personalized assistance can help them find relevant information, complete the admission process and receive counseling to smoothly move to the next phase of education.

• Academic and on-campus assistance

During the academic journey, AI assistants can support students to ensure a productive and satisfying experience. Students can simply use their phones to connect with the on-campus AI for library assistance, information from various departments, emergency assistance, hostel needs, and others.

• Alumni and university event assistance

Conversational AI can also be included in the strategies around managing alumni relationships and university events. Alumni engagement, placement events, and admission events are some of the areas where AI assistants can increase efficiency and reduce hassle for the organizers.

Key takeaways

• The massive size of a university’s service models can restrict students’ progress if not managed with centralized technology.
• Artificial intelligence can provide students with 24*7 available assistance, so they can utilize all required resources on their own.
• AI-managed interactions improve student journeys and make campus professionals more productive.

With the education sector changing rapidly, it’s high time for leaders to deploy AI for a futuristic student engagement environment on campus.

ORAI has partnered with renowned universities, colleges, and higher education institutes to implement a conversational AI platform connected with all channels for omnichannel student experience.