The Numbers (April-September 2024)
Total chats handled by chatbot: 701/709
High confidence answers generated: 1,366
The Organization
AACSB International is the largest business education network and global standard-setting body for business education. It connects educators, students, and businesses to achieve a common goal: to create the next generation of great leaders.
AACSB accreditation is recognized worldwide as the highest level of excellence a business school can achieve, representing 1,000+ accredited schools and more than 5 million learners globally. Its network inspires innovation and connection through learning, thought leadership, and principles-based accreditation standards. In more than 100 countries, AACSB-accredited schools have addressed significant societal challenges, positively impacting the economy, biosphere, society, and more.
The Challenge: Limited Support Availability for a Global Audience
While AACSB has global offices, it serves a membership that spans 100+ countries. This led to a series of challenges delivering efficient communication, culminating in an unpleasant customer experience:
Prolonged Response Times
Historically, AACSB managed all inquiries through email, resulting in slow response times and inconsistent service quality. Members frequently experienced delays of 24 hours or more, particularly during busy periods like conferences and accreditation cycles.
Without a dedicated support team for real-time assistance, AACSB needed a solution to enhance member support.
Suboptimal Query Routing and Tracking
Another challenge was the absence of a standardized process for routing inquiries to the relevant AACSB departments. Uncertain about the correct point of contact, members frequently sent emails to multiple individuals, leading to redundant efforts and potential misunderstandings.
This decentralized approach also contributed to varying response times, depending on the department involved.
Limited Resources to Address Repetitive Support Queries
The support team faced a high volume of repetitive inquiries about accreditation and membership, such as application processes and deadlines. These routine questions took up significant time, leaving staff less available for complex or high-priority tasks.
The Solution: 24/7 AI-Powered Support
AACSB deployed Comm100’s AI chatbot, which provides immediate answers to common inquiries. Here’s how our higher education chatbot helped AACSB tackle growing demand:
Improving User Experience with Timely, Contextual Assistance
The AI chatbot, integrated with AACSB’s website, taps into a comprehensive knowledge base of over 1,000 pages, ensuring users can access relevant information.
This real-time support significantly enhanced the user experience for AACSB’s global members, eliminating the need to wait for business hours and ensuring prompt responses regardless of time zones, while ensuring excellent support through quality-monitored answers In the event the chatbot doesn’t satisfy the visitor’s query, it can escalate it to an agent.
“With the bot, we were able to offer instantaneous answers to people, regardless of the day or time.”
Travis Sweet,
AACSB’s Manager of Business Applications
Efficient Inquiry Routing for Improved Support
Comm100’s intent-based routing has optimized AACSB’s support process by accurately categorizing and routing complex queries to the appropriate departments, minimizing duplicated efforts and ensuring consistency.
“The bot guides users to the correct contact, helping us maintain a more streamlined process that avoids members ‘fishing’ for the right answer across multiple emails.”
Ginger Ausloos,
VP of Technology Solutions and Data Strategy
Multilingual Support
Recognizing the diversity of its global membership, AACSB configured the Comm100 chatbot to support multiple languages, allowing users to engage in their preferred language. This ensures that users from different regions can engage with the chatbot, enhancing the overall user experience.
Deploying a Custom Chat Bot for Accreditation Support
“With the accreditation bot, our members can get consultative answers to complex accreditation questions on their own time."
Ginger Ausloos,
AACSB’s VP of Technology Solutions and Data Strategy
For members engaging in the rigorous accreditation process, AACSB created an additional, specialized chatbot to provide targeted support on their secure accreditation platform, MyAccreditation.
This bot draws from a library of 150 accreditation-specific documents, offering guidance on policies, standards, and interpretive materials, enabling members to find critical resources independently.
The Bottom Line
AACSB has transformed its support model for members by leveraging Comm100’s higher education chatbot solution. By automating routine inquiries and providing timely, consistent assistance, AACSB has significantly reduced response times and enhanced member satisfaction.
Additionally, the centralized inquiry management system has streamlined operations and enabled specialized support for accreditation processes.
As AACSB continues to explore the potential of AI-driven technology, they are continuing to monitor and enhance chatbot answers to streamline support. This strategic approach will further elevate the quality of service and solidify AACSB’s commitment to its members, while keeping support costs under control..
