Since implementing Gecko, live chats needing to be handled by agents dropped by 80% overnight, and with further training and the adoption of ChatGPT, is now achieving 96% success.
Amarillo College, a vibrant community college located in Amarillo, Texas, has been utilizing the Gecko platform, including our Chatbot since 2022, and have recently upgraded their chatbot to use ChatGPT to further streamline their operations and enhance student engagement.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Maria Juarez, the Director of Enrollment Services, to delve into why and how they’ve successfully integrated Gecko into their call center. Maria shared some of the positive outcomes they’ve experienced so far, highlighting improved efficiency, better communication, and more focused student support.
Amarillo College faced several challenges with their previous communication systems. Prior to acquiring Gecko for their chatbot, all after-hours inquiries were received as emails sent to the college’s general inbox. “These emails are answered in 24-48 hours during normal business hours, so students were often having to wait to get answers to their questions,” Maria explains. The college also provided an FAQ page on their website, but the answers were not dynamic and sometimes outdated. As a result, students often chose to wait until they could call the call center to get assistance. “It was not responsive or student-friendly,” Maria adds.
In addition to these after-hours challenges, Amarillo College had issues with their old live chat system integrated into their call center software. It wasn’t very efficient because it disrupted call queues and forced agents to juggle between calls and chats, leading to suboptimal service. “Our live chats would actually just pop into our call center. It would be picked up by an agent and they would get a chat instead of a phone call,” says Maria.
Given their unique needs as a community college, Amarillo wanted a solution that could be customized to provide specific information relevant to their students, especially for handling detailed and complex enrollment steps and financial aid inquiries. They researched several chatbot options but found them too generic and not tailored enough for their needs. That’s where Gecko stepped in.
Amarillo College uses Gecko’s Chatbot to handle a significant portion of live chats, reducing the workload on human agents by answering common questions related to enrollment, financial aid, and other student services. This has massively reduced the number of live chats agents need to handle. As Maria Juarez explains, “Ever since we were onboarded with Gecko, the number of chats that we’re having to deal with has just dropped so dramatically, yet we’re answering more questions than we ever have before thanks to the bot. We were averaging about 500 live chats a week, now we’re only handling 100 to 150.”
To manage live chats effectively, the call center has a big screen that displays all incoming chats, making it easy for agents to keep an eye on conversations as they come in. This setup works alongside their individual monitors, so the team can quickly see who’s handling what and keep the communication flow smooth. Agents juggle multiple applications, including Gecko, such as their call center software, payment software, and the Student Information System (SIS). The big screen gives them a clear view of the chats, so they don’t have to keep switching between apps on their own screens. Maria says, “We’re at 96 percent of our questions getting answered by the bot. We’re barely even seeing chats anymore, and it’s not because we’re not getting chats, it’s because they’re being answered by the bot.” This setup has really boosted the efficiency and quality of service in the call center. In essence, the bot is operating as a full-time employee, working 24/7 without holidays or sick days – a level of availability that would be challenging and costly to achieve with humans alone.
Powered by ChatGPT, the AI bot keeps the information it provides to users up-to-date by automatically pulling data from the college’s website. This means the staff don’t need to spend time manually updating the bot as it’s always got the latest information available from the website. Maria notes “Students were wanting to get general information about our enrollment process, next steps and financial aid, and that’s exactly what the Gecko bot was able to deliver for us.” The chatbot’s ability to provide accurate, timely responses has not only saved the team time but also ensured that students get reliable information every single time.
The bot also creates a safe space for students to ask questions. As Maria puts it, “The bot helps students get answers to their questions. It doesn’t judge or care if you’re asking a question that you think most other people know.” This is great for students who might feel shy or embarrassed about asking questions in person, as it ensures they can get the information they need without any hesitation. It also means they can get answers quickly, even out of hours. By handling these straightforward inquiries, the chatbot allows the staff to focus on more complex and personalized issues, making it an essential part of Amarillo College’s communication strategy.
Amarillo College initially turned to Gecko for its powerful chatbot capabilities, but they quickly realized how much more there was to gain from having a comprehensive student engagement platform. While the bot efficiently kept information up-to-date, the real win was the holistic capabilities of Gecko as a whole. From automated text messaging and email campaigns to creating custom landing pages, the platform provided solutions that went way beyond their initial expectations. Maria recalls, “We had the conversation with Gecko about the full platform and that sold our IT department. Our IT department was like, ‘Oh, we get this texting feature too and we get this ability to email students and so much more.'”
Now, Amarillo uses the Gecko platform to boost communication and engagement with their students. They send out text messages and emails to keep students informed with reminders, notifications, and detailed updates. Maria explains, “I use it a lot for text message outreach. We’re using the texting feature to reach out to prospective students, students who are eligible for specific programs or scholarships.”
Instead of traditional PDFs, Gecko allows Amarillo College to create custom landing pages to guide students through processes like setting up payment plans or understanding advising procedures. Maria highlights the benefit of this approach, saying, “Our website is not really easy to get any updates done. We used to have access to our web pages to make our own edits, but the new process means that all of that goes through our formal marketing team.” This makes it easier and faster to share important information without needing to get the main website updated. “The landing pages help us to create our own material and still make it accessible to students without overburdening our marketing team,” Maria adds.
These pages and the chatbot act as a vital support system for staff during training and on call with students, Maria explains “We tell our agents, use the bot. All that is information that will help you learn and to provide support to students.” This strategy allows for quick onboarding, delivers consistent information, and provides real-time guidance to agents. It helps Amarillo maintain top-notch service quality without relying on lengthy training sessions or deep institutional knowledge, even when staff changes are frequent.
In just a short time, Amarillo College has seen incredible benefits from integrating Gecko into their operations. The platform’s ability to streamline communication, automate updates, and provide accurate information has transformed their approach to student support. What started as a solution to manage live chats efficiently has evolved into a comprehensive tool that enhances the overall student experience.
With the chatbot handling routine inquiries, the staff can now dedicate more time to complex issues, ensuring personalized and effective support. The additional features of Geck’s platform, such as text messaging, email campaigns, and custom landing pages, have also proven invaluable, allowing the college to communicate more effectively with students and provide relevant information seamlessly.
As Amarillo College continues to explore the full potential of Gecko’s platform, they’re excited to see how these tools will further enhance their ability to connect with students and provide top-notch service. Whether it’s through keeping students informed about important updates or guiding them through enrollment processes, Gecko has become an integral part of the college’s communication strategy. We look forward to catching up with Amarillo College in the future to hear about the continued impact and success of their Gecko integration.
