The current challenge in higher education is well known. For freshmen coming on campus, navigating a bewildering series of portals, emails, and queries that are long delayed by support staff in the Registrar’s office is a common complaint. Recognizing the need for modernization, the university partnered with Avaamo to implement an innovative virtual assistant on the registrar’s website that guided freshmen through the multiple rites of passage in higher education: enrollment process, financial aid applications, and campus visits for the first time. The registrar’s office felt that freshmen derived a disproportionate benefit using Avaamo’s virtual assistant, as students could now ask the “stupid questions” they normally would not ask a human.

With an overwhelming 90% plus approval rating, the AI-powered Assistant offers suggestions for courses, enrollment reminders, and financial aid tracking, all rolled into an easy-to-use conversational interface. The Registrar’s office was able to handle the huge balloon in queries that accompanies the admission and freshman enrollment season, and students felt they received personalized, contextualized support.