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How conversational experiences make college life easier on students and educators
Now that we’ve been living in the digital age for some time, many think it’s time our devices got a little more human. And that’s where conversational experiences come in.
We’re beginning to see a shift in the way organizations and brands interact with their audience through devices. Exhibit A: Alexa, order me an Uber.
The most effective conversational experiences, however, are happening where more people are — in the world’s most popular messaging app on our most popular device, smartphones.
Big brands like CNN, Sephora and Kayak are connecting with their audience through custom-built conversational experiences in Facebook Messenger, the app 1.3 billion use every day.
Companies employ conversational marketing and e-commerce to automate common answers to questions, set appointments, sell inventory in the app to increase sales and more.
Why? They’re doing it because engagement is off-the-charts. Email marketers would more readily believe in unicorns than 85% open rates and 57% click-through rates.
But what can conversational experiences do for higher education?
Here’s the bottom line: conversational experiences put people first — in the ways colleges and universities always have, but brands have only claimed to do.
Step one in finding the perfect college is scouring dozens of websites to find the perfect fit. If you were me, you might’ve entered the following into the search bar: “creative writing major, a plethora of scholarships, at least 25 study abroad options, small class sizes and no temperatures below 30 degrees.”
Any college website would tell me, “No results.” But a conversational experience in Messenger would guide me to the answers I need through automed chat, menus and quick replies based on my responses.
Make it easy on your audience
Much to the chagrin of professors everywhere, we read less and hit Ctrl + F more. We want the right information, right away — delivered instantly on the device that’s always in our pocket. That’s what conversational experiences do.
Educators are using conversational experiences to save themselves time and make students’ lives easier by communicating with them instantly through the app they already know and love. No learning curve required.
Here’s what else you can do through a conversational Messenger experience:
Set appointments
Current students can schedule classes, office hours or extracurriculars while prospective students can schedule campus tours.
Gather feedback
Survey students about classes, teachers or other experience where through Messenger, where they’re most likely to respond quickly.
Send mass messages without a database
Professors can quiz, poll or group message entire classes without entering 200 email addresses. Schools can send emergency alerts.
Target donors
Schools or athletic departments can send out exclusive content for certain donors, and learn what matters to them most to hyper-target in ways mass emails can’t.
Chat with us
We’re nerds who think conversations are important. So we spend our time creating conversational experiences for higher education and beyond.
Reach out to us if your interested in building your own Conversational Experience: dom@irrigatemsg.com
