CRM software provider Element451 recently launched an AI-powered chatbot designed to help students navigate college websites.
The new tool, called Bolt Discovery, is a natural-language application that can be embedded onto any educational instution’s website. Using generative AI and grounding in that institution’s data, Bolt Discovery can act as a concierge for students browsing the site, quickly answering questions and providing links to sources.
“This innovative tool provides instant, accurate answers and anticipates student needs, offering a seamless and intuitive search experience,” said Element451 CEO Ardis Kadiu in a prepared statement.
College sites tend to be frustrating for prospective students, Element451 argues, because they don’t offer ready information about popular topics like residence halls, dining options, or registration deadlines. Instead, students often find themselves having to pore over page after page before they find the information they were looking for. Often, they run into information that’s contradictory or outdated.
Bolt Discovery addresses this problem by providing a simple chat interface for students that quickly surfaces relevant data, complete with source links and recommendations for likely follow-up questions. Institutions can ground Bolt Discovery on whatever data they choose, including website data, course catalogs, and other sources.
Besides text-based results, Bolt Discovery can also respond to student questions with relevant videos and other media. Students can then share these conversations with others.
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