Actionbot for the education sector
The University of Silesia in Katowice, one of Poland's leading and most innovative public universities, has recently implemented Actionbot, an advanced digital assistant, to improve the user experience on its website. At TUATARA, we noticed that the university aimed to provide a centralized point of contact for current, former, and prospective students, staff, and faculty across its online platforms. This digital assistant was designed not only to facilitate information access but also to create a bilingual communication option in Polish and English. This feature will support users in various tasks, including recruitment, applications, and inquiries about educational programs. In partnership with the University of Silesia, Actionbot was deployed as a cloud-based solution across all university websites. Care was taken to ensure that the virtual assistant's design aligned with the university's visual identity and complied with WCAG standards, offering six contrast options and three color schemes. The Actionbot team carefully developed dialogue paths and introduced tools to boost user engagement, such as concise messages and navigation prompts to help users navigate the university's web channels. In the first two months following its launch, the virtual assistant facilitated over 3,780 conversations. A substantial number of these interactions were with university candidates (39.7%), followed by students (36.1%) and staff (14.6%). Notably, the assistant successfully answered about 94% of the inquiries it received. This proactive initiative by Actionbot has greatly improved communication processes, ensuring that website visitors—whether employees, students, or candidates—receive accurate information. This innovative chatbot integration is part of the "Level up↑" project, which aims to enhance the University of Silesia's communication efficiency and promote a culture of openness within its community.