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AI assistants provide continuous support for common student inquiries, from admissions questions and course registration to tuition payment assistance and campus services.
Use Case
Conversational AI for Higher Education
Conversational AI University Program
We support institutions end to end: assessment, training, consulting, and building student- and staff-facing conversational AI. Our education-first approach, combined with industry-grade best practices, helps higher education institutions future-proof operations, enhance student experience, and improve operational efficiency.
Our education-first approach, combined with industry-grade best practices, helps higher education institutions future-proof operations, enhance student experience, and improve operational efficiency.
Industries
Functions
Conversational AI for Higher Education
Today, students expect immediate, seamless service across every part of their university experience. At the same time, many universities face growing administrative burdens, resource constraints, and rising service expectations. Conversational AI offers a powerful way to meet these challenges.
The business case for Conversational AI
Higher education is under increasing pressure to do more with less: streamlining operations, improving student engagement, and delivering round-the-clock services, all within tight budgets. Conversational AI helps you meet these demands by automating routine interactions, reducing administrative load, and improving access to critical information. It enables you to operate more efficiently while delivering the responsive, personalised support today's students expect.
24/7 student support
Accessible information sharing
Conversational AI simplifies access to critical information, such as application deadlines, financial aid options, academic policies, and campus event schedules, all delivered in an intuitive, student-friendly format.
Automate student services
Automate processes like admissions document submissions, accommodation requests, course change applications, and internship registrations. Reduce bottlenecks, lower staff workload, and improve overall service speed.
Operational efficiency and cost savings
By automating routine student and staff interactions, universities can reallocate resources to higher-priority academic and strategic initiatives while improving service delivery across departments.
Internal staff support
Conversational AI can assist university staff in finding HR, finance, IT, and facilities information quickly, supporting smoother internal operations and reducing reliance on manual processes.
Crisis and emergency communications
During emergencies, such as health outbreaks, weather events, or campus security incidents, AI assistants can deliver immediate, accurate information to students and staff, improving response times and safety outcomes.
Supporting student wellbeing
Make it easier for students to access counseling services, mental health resources, and wellbeing support through confidential, AI-driven interfaces, expanding reach without overwhelming human support teams.
Multilingual student engagement
Conversational AI can deliver services in multiple languages, helping universities serve their increasingly diverse and international student populations with inclusive, equitable access to information and support.
Academic success and retention support
Conversational AI can guide students through academic milestones including assignment deadlines, exam schedules and study support resources. By surfacing timely, personalized assistance, AI assistants help students stay on track, reduce dropout risk, and boost overall academic success.
Leverage Conversational AI, at scale
Understand how your university can leverage Conversational AI technology with the help of CDI. Work with our experts or give your team the tools and training to build successful AI assistants.
Trusted by global brands
“CDI is the leading expert in the conversational landscape and we’re really happy they shared their knowledge during the workshops with us. Moreover, we applaud them for making our students enthusiastic about this field of work!”
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“The partnership with CDI confirms that we’re at the forefront of a rapidly evolving field. Over the past 5 years, they’ve grown into a respected global platform, and we’re proud to contribute to that journey. By joining forces, we’re creating new ways to share applied knowledge across borders. And truthfully, every step of the process has been a pleasure—collaborating with CDI is as enjoyable as it is impactful. ”
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“Higher education today faces unprecedented pressure to modernize services, deliver better student experiences, and operate more efficiently — all while navigating tight budgets and complex governance. CDI understands the unique challenges of higher education and brings deep expertise in Conversational AI to support real, sustainable transformation.”
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About the CDI Standards Framework
When organisations want to have more interactions on their conversational channels than their contact centres have the capacity for, they reach for conversational AI solutions to automate a large part of the interactions.
But this is not easy to do. People and machines have different ways of interacting so building a good AI assistant requires a unique understanding of technology, linguistics, and psychology.
CDI has worked with leading organisations around the world and has systematised the proven ways of creating successful AI assistants, and the enterprise capabilities that develop, manage, and grow them: the CDI Standards Framework.
CDI Standards Framework
Unlocking value in Conversational AI
The CDI Standards Framework is our definition of what it takes to get AI conversations right: thirty-one standards across six domains, each with maturity levels, grounded in years of experience with the world's leading conversational AI teams.
CDI Standards Framework is a systematic approach to developing a conversational AI capability: thirty-one standards across six domains, each evaluated through Four Forces, Mindset, Skillset, Culture and Systems, developed together, at the right pace.
CDI Workflow
turns the standards into practice: human-centred, goal-oriented AI assistants at scale.
The workflow works for all conversational channels, is technology-agnostic, and covers both declarative and generative AI approaches.
Discover our case studies
Assessing, improving and implementing the building process for a cosmetics chatbot
Conversation Design Institute (CDI) was asked to perform a fast track audit. This improved the inter…
Honeybook explores Agentic Experience Design
CDI enjoyed hosting a group of talented content and design experts from Honeybook for a one day work…
Boosting Voice AI Performance for Deutsche Telekom
CDI equipped Deutsche Telekom's mixed team of engineers, business stakeholders, and designers with t…
Leading Global HR Services Provider
Conversation Design Institute (CDI) was asked to help redesign the chatbot of a global leader in wor…
IND embraces Conversational AI as a channel
The IND is the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst). Their 'c…
Global Sports Retail Chatbot
A Forbes 500 sports retail brand launched their customer service chatbot in the US market in 2020. I…
Migrating Hansgrohe's Chatbot, Hans
The Hansgrohe Group, a leading German sanitation company, is known for its premium brands Hansgrohe…
Migrating Trulet’s Chatbot, Trudi
Trulet, an Australia-based company, created Trudi—an innovative AI chatbot for real estate that enha…
Expanding multilingual IVR support
A leading global provider of cutting-edge software and services, embarked on a transformative journe…
Goodcall’s AI Phone Assistants
Goodcall is a California-based startup that specializes in delivering AI-powered phone assistants th…
Healthcare HR Chatbot
Over the course of two years, CDI worked with one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies to…
Vandebron’s Chatbot, Mick
Conversation Design Institute worked with Dutch energy company Vandebron to build and launch their c…
Vodafone’s Virtual Assistant, TOBi
Vodafone Group Plc, Europe’s largest Mobile and Fixed Network Operator, serves over 300 million mobi…
HP’s Virtual Assistant
HP Inc. is a technology company that believes one thoughtful idea has the power to change the world.…
Chatbot excellence package
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Expert review
Our experts perform a detailed evaluation of your chatbot or voice assistant. We identify areas of improvement and provide actionable recommendations on how to improve.
Course Access
Gain access to our world-class learning material covering everything from conversation design to AI training to AI ethics.
Bespoke Workshops
Put theory into practice. Level up your team’s knowledge through a series of interactive workshops on AI training and/or conversation design.
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