IrelandEducation2020 – ongoingUniversity College Dublin
Charley WhatsApp chatbot for Student Desk enquiries
University College Dublin's Charley chatbot answered routine student questions around the clock
Problem
UCD's Student Desk wanted to answer routine questions outside office hours and reduce enquiries requiring staff intervention.
Approach
UCD procured Webio's chatbot service in 2020 and piloted Charley through WhatsApp in summer 2021. Staff reviewed unanswered questions and clarified its limits around personal enquiries. An improved version went live in February 2022.
Results
No published figures
Takeaway
UCD reported that Charley met its availability and simple-question goals. Pandemic-related changes in enquiry patterns prevented it from quantifying the reduction in staff intervention.
Categories
- Industry
- Education
- Business function
- Customer service
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Conversational and voice AI
- Adoption
- Partner co-development
- Evidence
- Company's own claim
Sources
Source summaries
UCD Registry described procurement, the WhatsApp pilot and the revised chatbot. It reported successful routine responses and continuous availability, while leaving workload savings unquantified.
Full details are in the original sources.
