Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) saves 5+hrs of staff time daily with Unibuddy’s Assistant

Challenge: Addressing Rising Student Demand with Fewer Resources

In recent years, the international admissions and student services team has faced significant challenges managing the increased demands of their student population. With a small team, FDU needed a way to efficiently handle the high volume of inquiries coming through their website and improve the quality of engagement with prospective students. The team had already been using Unibuddy to support connections between prospective students and current students and staff, but they needed a way to capture and help the majority of students visiting their site who were seeking simple, basic information that was already available on the website, but not necessarily easy to find using the site’s search function.

Gayathri Attiken, Director of International Enrollment explains she sought a solution that “resembles a chatbot but maintains elements of human connection.” “We needed a tool that could provide immediate, reliable information and also foster meaningful connections, especially for those unfamiliar with the U.S. education system.”

Solution: Unibuddy’s Assistant—Balancing Automation with Authentic Human Connections

Earlier this year, FDU embraced the opportunity to trial Unibuddy’s Assistant. “The release of the Assistant was perfectly timed. We needed a method to triage requests from prospects, provide immediate answers to them via information on our website, and connect them with staff or students for that human touch if desired,” Attiken remarks.

With many chatbots emerging on the market, FDU’s International Enrollment team chose Unibuddy’s Assistant for its ability to automate parts of the team’s work, while not losing out on the human touch – plus the added benefit of streamlining the team’s tech stack and costs.

In under 24 hours, the Assistant automatically learned the content of FDU’s website. Once approved to go ahead with the Assistant, it took Unibuddy’s team just a few hours to embed it. Initially, the tool launched on FDU’s international admissions page and unexpectedly extended across all admissions pages, which accelerated its integration and opportunity for acceptance across departments.

“The release of the Assistant was perfectly timed for what we needed. I believe Unibuddy’s innovative culture will continue to provide an effective engagement platform for our prospective students,” shares Attiken.

Learning Curve: Updating web pages and ensuring accurate information

The responses shared by the Assistant are only as accurate as the information on the web pages, in which the Assistant pulls from. “Some technical errors in the early stages of deployment of the Assistant were quickly resolved.” Attiken reflects. “Any issues with the responses were reviewed by Unibuddy Support within minutes after they were reported. Such situations have helped us update our landing pages with clearer information, and provide the opportunity to improve the consistency and effectiveness of our website, and use of Unibuddy’s Assistant.”

Results: 5+hrs of Staff Time Saved Daily with Unibuddy’s Assistant

Within just five months of deploying Unibuddy’s Assistant, FDU has experienced significant operational benefits:

– Over 5 hours of staff time saved each day
– 7.5x times more students engaged
– 15% increase in more meaningful conversations with student ambassadors (where the depth and quality of peer-to-peer conversations improved because students had questions that couldn’t easily be answered by information on the website)

Unibuddy’s Assistant has not only met FDU’s initial requirements but has also exceeded expectations by enhancing the quality of student engagement and operational efficiency. The platform’s ability to balance technological solutions with human connection has positioned FDU to continue thriving in a rapidly evolving educational environment.

“The Assistant’s ability to swiftly answer simple questions frees up significant time for our staff and student ambassadors. This efficiency allows us to engage more deeply with prospective students during personal interactions,” Attiken concludes.