WhatsApp messages have a 98% open rate. For perspective, emails have an open rate of 20%. WhatsApp chatbots provide a transformative communication opportunity for educational institutions where no message goes unchecked.

Like any other industry, education also requires robust communication strategies with stakeholders. Students, teachers, alumni, parents and guardians, trustees, sponsors, etc., must stay informed about an institution's activities, events, progress toward goals, and other agendas.

WhatsApp can prove pivotal to any educational institution's communication strategies. For example, there is a growing need for student engagement and administrative process automation. WhatsApp chatbots in education can easily streamline such workloads and bridge communication gaps.

Let's read about the benefits of WhatsApp chatbots for education and understand how you can implement them.

Benefits of WhatsApp chatbots in educational institutions

According to Statista, WhatsApp has nearly 3 billion users today, making it the leading messaging platform with a wide outreach. You can connect with most stakeholders on a single messaging platform without making them sign up or migrate to new channels.

There are several benefits of WhatsApp chatbots for education:

1. Automating admissions and application

Applicants often have countless queries about the admissions process, application procedures, and other aspects of enrollment.

WhatsApp chatbots can automate this support system in the following ways:

• Responding to the basic queries regarding eligibility, program details, application deadlines, required documents, etc.
• Guide candidates through the application process by providing step-by-step instructions.
• Assist with document collection by gathering necessary documents like academic records and contact information.
• Notify candidates of their application status in real-time, including prompts to upload missing documents or complete the application process before deadlines.
• Act as virtual assistants and share videos and images about the institution, campus life, scholarships, events, etc.

2. Personalized learning support

You can integrate WhatsApp chatbots with AI tools to make them more useful for students. Such WhatsApp chatbots can easily pull information from your institute’s knowledge base and resources and answer students’ FAQs.

They are also capable of providing tutoring assistance through quiz sessions, bite-sized learning modules, etc. You can connect WhatsApp chatbots to analytics tools to measure student engagement and identify areas of improvement.

Additionally, they allow students to send feedback directly to the course conductor. Administrators can also circulate surveys and questionnaires on WhatsApp through chatbots, even while a course is in session.

3. Timely updates

WhatsApp chatbots simplify how you make announcements to your stakeholders. You can instantly deliver all the important information about deadlines, course changes, exam schedules, assignment reminders, event notifications, and updates straight to students' handsets.

They allow you to personalize these updates by crafting tailored messages for different receivers. For example, you can have different messaging for trustees and students.

Additionally, if a student is late for class, you can use the chatbot to send them reminders to check in or report.

4. Multilingual communication

WhatsApp chatbots can communicate in various languages. This allows you to engage diverse student groups in the language they are comfortable with.

For example, when a candidate reaches out through your WhatsApp channel, your chatbot can share a greeting in various languages and allow the candidate to choose the one they wish to converse in.

It helps enhance accessibility to your institute’s resources and keeps the students engaged in learning and institute updates.

5. Enhancing administrative efficiencies

WhatsApp chatbots eliminate manual work of query response and management by automating them. WhatsApp is now equipped with payments as well, enabling you to automate fee collection as well.

You can set automated reminders for important deadlines and events and have the chatbot communicate them to students. WhatsApp chatbots can also direct students to relevant resources by sharing the right links, drastically reducing call center workloads and the need for human agents in the loop.

Comprehensive use cases

As an instant messaging platform, WhatsApp is not seen as a channel educational institutes can utilize. Let these WhatsApp chatbot use cases prove otherwise:

Admissions and enrollment

Admissions and enrollment processes require exhaustive question-answering and paperwork. Here is how you can use WhatsApp chatbots:

1. Application process optimization

Use WhatsApp chatbots to answer student FAQs about the application process. Set up the chatbot to guide students through the application process, starting with sharing URLs from where they can download the forms.

You can configure these chatbots to collect application fees and necessary documents and organize them in company folders to streamline the process. With help from AI, WhatsApp chatbots can verify student documentation as well.

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2. Real-time information support

Use WhatsApp chatbots to set up a real-time support system during admissions and enrollment season. Students can access WhatsApp chatbots to get answers to questions about the institution, location or address of the premises, exam schedules, deadlines, campus life, facilities, scholarships, courses and programs offered, etc.

Chatbots can also provide prompt updates to students about changes in the application process, enrollment events, etc.

3. Personalized communication strategies

Use WhatsApp chatbots to gather applicant data and tailor personalized responses. You can keep the candidates updated on specific courses of their choice, removing the noise from the conversation.

Chatbots can use candidates’ background information, course information and goals to suggest suitable or augmentative programs. They can also provide personalized information about curricula, faculty, career prospects with the course, etc.

Chatbots can also provide personalized guidance to applicants with special requirements (such as scholarship student applications or applications for other student benefits).

Student support ecosystem

Students require support throughout their educational journey. You can use WhatsApp chatbots to set up a student ecosystem in the following ways:

1. 24/7 student inquiry management

Use WhatsApp chatbots to set up round-the-clock resource access for students. Let your students retrieve course information, enrollment procedures, institution guidelines and policies, and other details through the chatbot.

This way, students can access useful information without visiting offices or premises, saving time and energy.

Additionally, use chatbots to handle student inquiries on diverse subjects (courses, fees, deadlines, etc.) as they arise.

2. Academic guidance

Use WhatsApp chatbots to help students learn better. You can integrate WhatsApp with online learning platforms, allowing you to share learning materials, quizzes, and assessments through the chatbot via instant messaging. It helps make learning more accessible to students who don’t have reliable or consistent internet connections.

You can also use these chatbots to gather student feedback on the quality of a course or their learning experience.

3. Mental health and counseling support

Use WhatsApp chatbots to set up mental health support channels for students in your institution. All WhatsApp chats are encrypted from end to end, ensuring conversation confidentiality. Chatbots can provide students with resources and self-help options to support their well-being.

However, remember that a chatbot is not a licensed therapist; it is only a supplementary tool. You should have an in-house counselor to aid students’ life journeys.

4. Resource allocation

Use WhatsApp chatbots to provide students with personalized access to learning resources. For example, the same WhatsApp chatbot provides access to dedicated, relevant resources to a student of History and a student of Economics. The learners don’t waste time scrolling through the entire catalogue of resources to find what they need.

Marketing and engagement

Educational institutions must market their programs and courses to attract students and teaching talent. WhatsApp chatbots prove to be extremely useful here:

1. Targeted communication

Use WhatsApp chatbots to create targeted marketing messages delivered directly to students’ handsets. Educational marketing strategies operate under strict budgets. However, institutes must target new students every year with high accuracy to get the most conversions with each marketing campaign.

According to WhatsApp Business, WhatsApp delivers a 58% increase in leads, making chatbots the ideal educational marketing tool.

2. Event management

To manage educational events better, use WhatsApp chatbots as RSVP tools. For example, you can release an RSVP or attendee survey on WhatsApp chatbots to gauge the number of students attending, whether special needs students require accessibility aids and other such information.

Chatbots also help measure the public's general excitement towards an event.

3. Recruitment strategies

Use WhatsApp chatbots to mobilize your education recruitment strategies with more accurate targeting and personalized messaging. Chatbots engage your potential candidates in natural conversation and gather insights that inform your lead generation and conversion marketing strategies.

Additionally, you can use chatbots to nurture prospective students and teaching talent to join your institute. Send your prospects engaging videos and success stories using chatbots.

4. Alumni engagement

Use WhatsApp chatbots to re-engage your alumni and make them your advocates. Students trust the word of mouth more than any other form of research. Leverage chatbots to mobilize your alumni network during admissions and hiring seasons to get better turnout and conversions.

Operational efficiency

Educational institutions deal with truckloads of administrative work and paper management. WhatsApp chatbots can reduce that:

1. Administrative workload reduction

Use WhatsApp chatbots in the admission and application processes to relieve your staff of these workloads. Paper-based processes take longer turnaround times—a chatbot can drastically shorten that duration and make the process more efficient.
Delegate chatbots to automate document collection, verification, and approval responses.

2. Communication standardization

Use WhatsApp chatbots to turn your educational institution into a brand. Standardize all your communications and establish a consistent language that you identify with to give it a branded tone.

You can also integrate GenAI with WhatsApp chatbots to help create and templatize quick responses.

3. Performance tracking

Use WhatsApp chatbots to track how students, alumni, and other stakeholders respond to your broadcasts and communications. Measure metrics like open rates, conversions, etc., and get a true picture of how well your messaging strategies are paying off.

You should choose an analytical tool with data visualization capabilities to make insights more comprehensible.

Steps to implement WhatsApp chatbots

You can easily implement WhatsApp chatbots by following the steps below:

Step 1: Identify primary use cases and goals

Chatbots perform well when you clearly define their tasks and functions. These features depend on the primary use case and goals you want to achieve. Outline the current state of your institute’s communications and assess how you want the WhatsApp chatbot to transform the processes.

Your goals can include admissions assistance, document collection, institutional communication, etc. For example, you can use WhatsApp chatbots to collect student documents necessary to initiate the admissions process.

Step 2: Choose a no-code chatbot builder

Coding is no longer a challenge, even if you want to build a fully custom chatbot. Select a reliable, capable, no-code platform specializing in chatbots, like Gallabox. This platform allows you to create custom WhatsApp chatbots for educational institutions and integrate them with AI for natural conversations.

No-code chatbot builders also offer lead-generation features, workflow automation, and much more.

Step 3: Customize chatbot templates

Templates are purpose-built workflows that you can utilize to create custom chatbots. They shorten the development time and give you a head start. You can select templates based on purpose (lead generation, student support, etc.) and features (AI, automation, etc.).

Remember that advanced features aren’t always necessary for every use case. Evaluate your needs thoroughly before selecting a template.

Step 4: Test your chatbot

Testing helps identify functionality errors, verify the accuracy of responses, and streamline the backend. Conduct the following chatbot tests to ensure chatbot integrity before launch:

• Ad hoc: To test the chatbot using real-life, spontaneous scenarios instead of using a set testing plan.
• A/B: To compare 2 chatbot versions to see which one performs better.
• RPA: To check that the chatbot effectively integrates with and automates your business processes.
• Usability: To assess the chatbot's ease of use and overall UX through real user interactions.
• Security testing: To identify vulnerabilities in the chatbot like data encryption, authentication, etc.

Step 5: Launch and monitor

Launch your chatbot to the target users and monitor it closely. Gather and track its performance through total interactions, average chat duration, Goal Completion Rate (GCR), missed utterances, human takeover rate, etc. This will highlight the chatbot’s effectiveness in solving the purpose it was designed for.

Tips for maximizing effectiveness

Introducing a chatbot in your WhatsApp channels is a major move towards student facilitation. It helps to create awareness about the chatbot before launching it, including following certain other best practices.

Here are some tips to maximize its impact and effectiveness:

• Create a buzz: Promote the chatbot across all your channels, such as websites, social media, etc. It will create a buzz around the new support tool and excite students to try it on launch. The initial interactions will create momentum for future use of the chatbot.
• Set goals and train your staff: Train your staff to manage the chatbot’s interactions effectively. You need to define the chatbot’s objectives clearly and identify your target audience to design interaction workflows properly.
• Upgrade and maintain: Keep your chatbot updated with the latest information and technology upgrades. This enables the chatbot to give accurate responses to students’ queries and provide the best service it can.

How a purpose-built WhatsApp chatbot platform like Gallabox can help you

Traditionally, only expert coders could build custom WhatsApp chatbots, making them a high-investment support tool. However, with Gallabox’s no-code chatbot builder, you can build your own chatbot any day.

Gallabox helps you scale student experiences without hiring new developer teams. More compelling features make Gallabox a competitive choice to design custom WhatsApp chatbots for educational institutions:

Gen AI integration

Humanize every interaction with natural conversations using the power of ChatGPT integration. Gallabox provides a ready connector to merge ChatGPT with your bot in a single click.

Conversation workflow automation

Automate conversation workflows using drag-and-drop actions. Leverage predefined templates and media to quickly create a relevant, accurate outreach message for your target audience. It helps you save time and enhance productivity.

Shared team inbox

Gallabox features a WhatsApp shared inbox with real-time context and holistic views of student interactions. It helps you share live updates with team members and improve collaboration using mentions and notes. You can manage chats as teams to simplify organization and access.

Multilingual bot

Gallabox’s chatbots can converse in 60 languages, offering great flexibility when making your communications accessible to diverse target users.

Furthermore, Gallabox is a Meta tech partner powered by official WhatsApp Business API. You can trust Gallabox’s no-code WhatsApp chatbot builder with your eyes closed.

Reinforce your educational operations with a WhatsApp chatbot

WhatsApp chatbots have greater outreach potential than any other messaging app or channel. Additionally, education institutions need to scale student communication and manage student enquiries, admissions, and course support better.

By accessing support over WhatsApp, students don't have to download additional apps or sign up for more channels to participate in the institution's broadcasts.

Integration with AI enhances a chatbot's capabilities tremendously, empowering you to scale your communication operations without worrying about manpower.

Partner with Gallabox today to access its robust no-code WhatsApp chatbot builder for educational institutions and experience the ease of developing custom chatbots. Try for free today to learn more!

FAQs

What is the cost of deploying a WhatsApp chatbot for schools?

The cost is variable and depends on the no-code platform you select and the add-ons and feature enhancements you choose for your chatbot.

Can chatbots handle sensitive data like fee payments securely?

Yes, WhatsApp is encrypted end-to-end, making all the data and transactions safe. You can secure all financial transactions over WhatsApp with strong authentication processes.

How long does it take to set up a chatbot for an institution?

Traditional chatbot development takes anywhere from a few weeks to months to finish. However, with Gallabox, you can set up your customer chatbot within minutes using the no-code builder.