Dr. Ron Owston is a Research Associate, AI in Higher Education at Contact North | Contact Nord – a not-for-profit organization that increases the number of underserved Ontario residents who take online programs and courses from Ontario’s colleges, universities, indigenous institutes, and other providers while remaining in their community.
They recruit and provide free support services to students in 1,500+ communities, in person at locations across the province, or by phone, email, live chat or virtually. Contact North | Contact Nord manages websites like:
- studyonline.ca
- e-channel.ca
- teachonline.ca
- contactnorth.ca
These websites support 1.7 million+ page views and 375,000+ visitors per year.
Ron and his team, which includes Michael La Riviere, Contact North | Contact Nord’s Enterprise Web Architect, faced a significant challenge. Despite the availability of online courses from Ontario's educational institutions, many potential learners, especially in remote areas, hesitated to plunge into online education. They lacked the guidance and support needed to navigate the complex world of online learning.
“We aimed to help students avoid the process of manually searching through lists of tips on various college and university websites.”
They needed a different approach. The team explored the various applications of Generative AI and decided to apply it to the non-profit sector. Their vision was to create a smart and friendly AI Assistant on their website and to build an app, offering students a centralized source for quick tips on improving their study skills.
The team sought a solution that could efficiently address learners' inquiries and provide study tips in both English and French, as they were committed to delivering a personalized experience for the students.
After thorough research on Google and exploring various AI Assistant options, they discovered Quickchat AI.
“Quickchat had everything we needed: ease of building the Knowledge Base, user-friendly interface, multilingual abilities, and responsive customer support. We also appreciated the trial offer to sign up.”
Right from the start, the team felt confident about the solution. They could use the preview window to test the Assistant’s different responses based on the custom Knowledge Base they provided before deploying it as a widget on their website and app.
"Our experience with the solution was seamless from the beginning. We didn't have any worries or objections, from setting up the website and app to tracking interactions and user satisfaction. We felt comfortable from the outset."
Contact North | Contact Nord’s team conducted multiple tests with confidence. They particularly liked the customization options of the chat icon, white-labeling, quick response time, API access, and the ability to monitor and export conversations.
"Our soft launch was headache-free and Quickchat’s team was quick to respond to our questions."
The implementation of Quickchat AI technology brought significant success to Contact North | Contact Nord. The chatbot efficiently answered learners' questions in both English and French, enhancing the overall user experience.
To date, Contact North | Contact Nord has recorded over 2,000 chatbot interactions with a 100% user satisfaction rate.
“Our team is pleased to be incorporating AI into what we do for online learners. We plan to keep building on this success to help more underserved Ontarians access online programs and courses.”
Contact North | Contact Nord now feels better equipped to fulfill its mission. The team's success has inspired the organization to continue improving its services, optimizing responses, and reaching even more underserved Ontarians to help them achieve their educational goals.
View their website at www.studyonlinequicktips.ca
