Virginia Community College System
VCCS deployed digital assistants across 23 colleges at a minimal cost of $1 per user to provide 24/7 student support with over 90% accuracy
Summary
The Virginia Community College System (VCCS), in conjunction with their partner Gideon Taylor, deployed a digital assistant using Oracle Digital Assistant (ODA) with PeopleSoft. This solution was tailored to address the unique challenges faced by VCCS students, such as balancing work and education by providing 24/7 access to critical information and support. This high level of accuracy has built trust among students; authenticated user conversation volume has tripled since last year.
Customer comments
The Virginia Community College System (VCCS), in conjunction with their partner Gideon Taylor, deployed a digital assistant using Oracle Digital Assistant (ODA) with PeopleSoft. This solution was tailored to address the unique challenges faced by VCCS students, such as balancing work and education by providing 24/7 access to critical information and support.
The digital assistants were deployed in waves over 18 months across 23 colleges and completed at the end of 2023. Deployment of the digital assistants has resulted in:
- 24/7 student support: Ida provides round-the-clock assistance, significantly reducing the dependency on traditional help desks. More than 50% of interactions occur outside regular office hours, ensuring students receive timely help whenever needed. After login and verification, students even receive specific account-related answers based on their student information system account.
- High accuracy and trust: The digital assistant boasts an accuracy rate of over 90%, thanks to extensive custom training and continuous improvement efforts. This high level of accuracy has built trust among students; authenticated user conversation volume has tripled since last year.
- Cost-effective solution: The federated model allows each institution to benefit from cutting-edge AI technology at a minimal cost of $1 per user, making it a sustainable solution for VCCS.
- Quantifiable benefits: Since implementation, one VCCS college has experienced a 40% reduction in help-desk call volume and a 60% decrease in email inquiries. With the addition of live chat, these reductions have enabled staff to focus on more complex and personalized student issues.
- Enhanced cloud adoption: This project has also facilitated VCCS's transition to cloud-based solutions, demonstrating the benefits of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and encouraging further cloud adoption across the system.