Generative AI beyond the classroom: Introducing a new line of defense for districtwide operations
The generative AI-powered Let’s Talk Assistant by K12 Insight empowers school districts to provide accurate, fast, and friendly customer service
“School districts focusing strategically on their digital transformation and adopting responsible AI tools to automate and enhance operations districtwide are at the forefront,” said Lenny Schad, Co-Founder of K12 Strategic Technology Advisor Group and education technology industry thought leader. “Responsible, secure generative AI solutions, such as Let’s Talk Assistant are designed to automate routine inquiries, and can play a pivotal role in improving customer service for families.”
Let’s Talk Assistant — built using best-in-class large language models and secure, responsible AI best practices — helps school districts provide always-on customer service and create internal efficiencies by giving parents, teachers, and school districts a fast and easy way to get answers to frequently asked questions 24-7. Let’s Talk Assistant empowers school districts to:
- Leverage one platform to deliver AI-powered customer service. Let’s Talk Assistant is powered by Let’s Talk— K12 Insight’s customer service and intelligence platform — which means school districts only need one platform to deliver customer service districtwide — from managing community questions to IT tickets to internal staff support and beyond.
- Capture customer interactions and analytics in a centralized location. In a time when districts are held to high standards for transparency and accountability, the platform provides visibility, reporting, and customer service metrics. Chats are auto-cataloged and can be logged for the individual customer — ensuring every customer interaction is captured in one location.
- Launch the chatbot in 24 hours or less. The platform makes it easy to upload existing content — including documents, FAQs, Knowledge Base articles, and web pages — to train the chatbot and launch it quickly.
- Deliver comprehensive and accurate responses — without hallucinations. Let’s Talk Assistant is designed to only answer questions with the information supplied by the district. The chatbot also cites its sources in responses, giving customers confidence they’re receiving accurate information.
- Provide conversational and friendly interactions. Families and staff will enjoy a superior customer experience with a chatbot trained to provide simple, clear responses, no matter the complexity of the information provided.
- Support multiple languages. Translated in Spanish — and available in additional languages in the future — Let’s Talk Assistant increases equitable access to families.
- Boost staff productivity with unmatched efficiency. The chatbot streamlines routine inquiries and tasks for staff — answering up to 80% of routine inquiries and saving time for all departments, including human resources and transportation. The chatbot can be used internally to give staff instant answers, too.
- Ensure security and data privacy. Let’s Talk Assistant is a safe, secure, and responsible chatbot. Districts can have confidence in the secure platform with K12 Insight’s third-party zero data retention policy — which means data is only retained within the Let’s Talk platform and does not allow third parties, like OpenAI, to retain data.
School districts around the country use Let’s Talk Assistant to deliver AI-powered customer service, including Fort Wayne Community Schools (Indiana), Robbinsdale Area Schools (Minnesota), and York County School Division (Virginia), among others. Fort Wayne Community Schools, located in one of the most competitive school choice states in the country, was the first adopter of Let’s Talk Assistant in 2020 and was an early adopter of the new generative AI features released this spring.
“Let’s Talk Assistant has streamlined our district’s operations and customer experience by automating routine tasks and allowing us to deliver fast, accurate, and friendly AI-powered customer service to all families — which helps us stay competitive in today’s K-12 market,” said Krista Stockman, Director of Communication and Marketing at Fort Wayne Community Schools. “We are finding AI to be an important tool in creating efficiencies and saving time for staff and administrators. School districts looking to improve their online customer service experience should consider adding the Let’s Talk Assistant.”
K12 Insight’s data science team has been using AI to provide leading solutions for its customer service platform, Let’s Talk, and continues to develop innovative AI solutions that bring efficiency and insight to school district operations. K12 Insight also collaborates with the University of Chicago and leverages the best tools, including OpenAI, to automate and optimize technology systems for school districts.
“We are constantly innovating to deliver the best-in-class AI-powered solutions for school districts that empower them to advance their operations and provide superior customer service to all families,” said Suhail Farooqui, CEO of K12 Insight. “We’ve all heard about how generative AI will one day transform education, but we don’t think K-12 should have to wait. AI technology is critical for developing a robust school system that can withstand competition, misinformation, and political polarization. In today’s education environment, Let’s Talk Assistant is the first line of defense for school districts.”
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