Digital assistants are becoming an increasingly popular communication tool for higher education institutions. Conversational data make communication with prospective and current students easier and more personalized. While many of the most common benefits focus on providing real-time answers and improving the student experience, for forward-thinking schools, the advantages can also be more proactive. 

In addition to being a tool designed around providing answers and knowledge, digital assistants also collect data. That data, in turn, can become an invaluable tool to learn more about audiences and anticipate their needs in a variety of ways. 

The Conversational Data Collection Capabilities of Digital Assistants

On the front end, digital assistants are a powerful communications tool. On the backend, all of that data gets accumulated into a database that keeps a record of all conversations with consenting users. That data, in turn, can become an opportunity for insights that go far beyond measuring the value and success of an individual interaction.

Digital assistants from AtlasRTX, for example, collect tens of thousands of conversations every day. From individual search keywords to the topics discussed most frequently, those conversations provide hundreds of data points available at the fingertips of our academic partners. 

Through machine learning capabilities, digital assistants can assess the topics of individual conversations. This conversational data provides insights into what types of areas students and other audiences are most interested in. 

Of course, not every digital assistant is able to provide that capability. Simple live chat tools or other less sophisticated DIY solutions cannot access this type of data, making insights more challenging to dig out. But when the institution with the right approach finds the right digital assistant platform to complement its needs, the possibilities become almost endless.

5 Opportunities for Conversational Data to Improve the Student Experience

The quantitative data gained from the right digital assistant can be especially beneficial in the hands of institutions that know what they’re looking for. In the hands of proactive administrators with an eye to the future, use cases can range from recruiting and admissions to student services and even university advancement.

1. Leveraging Questions from Prospective Students to Improve Admissions Materials

Perhaps the most obvious use case of conversational data is using it to improve what is typically the highest-cost recruitment effort in a given cycle. We’re talking, of course, about the admissions materials like the printed viewbook and travel pieces that mail to prospects and that admissions counselors take on the road with them for college fairs and high school visits. 

Space in these materials tends to be extremely limited, which is why focusing on the messaging tends to become a negotiation. With the right data from conversational tools, that negotiation can go from political to empirical. Simply put, if you know the questions your prospective students are asking most frequently, you can orient your admissions materials in ways that answer these questions as efficiently as possible.

2. Finding Financial Aid Pain Points To Build Proactive Messaging Flows

Affordability is a pain point for most prospective students and families. In fact, a fall 2021 survey found that it has made a major enrollment impact for 70% of incoming students. As a result, colleges and universities that know how to address this sensitive topic can create a major competitive advantage in their messaging when looking to enroll students.

Through conversational data, institutions can learn about a number of affordability-related variables:

• What terminology do prospective students use
• What financial aid-related questions are the biggest pain points
• The timing of different questions, like scholarships in the fall and FAFSA questions in the spring
• And more.

Armed with that data, schools can build out more specific and proactive messaging flows. Financial aid counselors can be better trained, emails can be prepared, and text-based campaigns can help to address everything students may want to know.

3. Optimizing Timing of Messaging Based on Frequency of Questions and Keywords

Of curse, it’s not just about knowing what keywords and topics potential students are talking about. Just as important is knowing when they want to know the given information. The answer to that question can go a long way toward building a communication plan that’s optimized for the student journey.

The right digital assistant can help. Month-by-month keyword data allows institutions to learn more about that timing, allowing for more specific and customized messaging streams. The most relevant information at any given time can be given top priority, from website messaging to timely emails and even phone conversations by admissions counselors.

4. Optimizing Student Services Based on Frequently Asked Concerns

In today’s competitive higher ed environment, recruitment is at the forefront of most institutions’ efforts. But it’s important to realize that the benefits of conversational data go far beyond admissions-related topics.

Both prospective and current students can use digital assistants, and they will likely have questions about student services that range from Greek Life to the counseling center. Institutions who look closely at that data will be able to recognize the most important questions for students and build their student services accordingly.

For example, if most club sports-related questions come in between the hours of 5 pm and 6 pm, adjusting business hours for the office regulating club sports may be a wise decision.

5. Creating a Cradle-to-Grave Constituent Engagement Effort Through Conversational Data

Finally, don’t underestimate the potential impact of conversational data gained from digital assistants for university advancement. Increasingly, advancement offices have established a “cradle-to-grave” approach to alumni engagement, beginning to engage students as early as their freshman year in efforts to volunteer and help others. Parents are also becoming an increasingly important audience. 

Of course, it’s difficult to guess exactly what messaging is effective for students who are not yet ready for active fundraising campaigns. Conversational data can build that understanding, helping advancement offices create more natural and engaging campaigns to attract these new audiences by focusing on the topics they care most about.

In short, the “front door” benefits of digital assistants are only the beginning. The data gained on the backend can be just as valuable of a tool to optimize the student experience, driving more engagement, applications, and other KPIs in the process. Work with the right tool, and the data gained can become invaluable when planning your communications and outreach efforts.