5 Core Reasons Why Chatbots Benefit Schools
Chatbots are finding their way into schools. Here’s a quick list covering the core reasons why.
1) Minimizes Risk with 24/7 Availability
People want answers when they are ready…morning, day, night. Nowadays, this is the expectation. Often, this is outside of a school’s standard 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. hours of operation. Chatbots provide feedback to parents, students, staff, and others at all times. By providing an angry parent with some kind of response at 11:00 p.m. via chatbot, it minimizes the risk and paves the way for a human touch the following day.
2) Saves Time
A human operator (generally the school’s secretary) can only answer one call at a time and answer one question at a time. However, a chatbot can answer thousands of questions at the same time. Thanks to the speed of the cloud, internet, and software, responses can be provided instantly.
3) Consistent Experience
There is always a chance that if you speak with two different people, you will get two different responses. Chatbots eliminate that possibility and create a consistent experience for all. Plus, the chats are recorded for a school to reference if needed. As the chatbot gets trained more and more based on conversations, the experience continues to grow in quality. Personalized chats are on the horizon (the ability to recognize a user from a previous chat and personalize the experience). Lastly, through these records, your school will also gain a greater understanding of the key pain points, personas, common questions, and action steps which need to be taken to put your school’s brand at the top.
4) Cost Savings
Schools are always in a budget crisis. Money is not free flowing in education and every penny needs to be accounted for. Yes, chatbots have a cost. However, they are far cheaper than an employee (salary, benefits, infrastructure to perform, training, etc.).
5) Increased Student Engagement
Students of today are digital natives. Generally, they don’t want to engage with humans. They live on their devices in a frictionless world. Chatbots actually drive engagement and behavior as they meet students where they are.