COVID-19 brings with it a nearly endless series of questions—here’s how administrators can use tech to support stakeholders and spread information

3 ways to use tech to support stakeholders


COVID-19 brings with it a nearly endless series of questions—here’s how administrators can use tech to support stakeholders and spread information

As schools across the country both open and close their doors, administrators are furiously working to keep students, parents, and educators in the loop and armed with information about the latest COVID-19 protocols. This, in addition to normal workloads and prepping for potential transitions to e-learning at the drop of the hat, is a monumental task in terms of effort. School leaders can use tech to support stakeholders to keep them up-to-date in their current learning environments.

Related content: How mass notification helps during the pandemic

School administrators are looking for technology solutions to help field questions from students and families. It’s likely that many incoming questions will be repetitive to what information is already out there from the school. Tech solutions can scale the school’s ability to provide answers in a timely manner and disseminate information quickly.

Here are three ways educators can use tech to support stakeholders and help with COVID-19 information-sharing.

An updated web presence

Perhaps the easiest and most cost-effective way to disseminate information and use tech to support stakeholders is via a school’s existing website and social media platforms. People are predisposed to searching the internet for information before picking up the phone, so a webpage dedicated to frequently-asked questions is always a good idea. Webpages are also always available and easily editable. This way, information is accessible at all hours of the day and can be updated should protocols change.

Chatbots

A step further into an updated web presence is adding a chatbot to the school website. Today, nearly everyone is familiar with the small chat widget featuring a virtual assistant that opens on certain sites, asking if you need help finding information. Chatbots enhance the user experience. By taking advantage of the chatbot, visitors won’t have to physically navigate to an FAQ page to find answers. And, advanced chatbots can deliver insights to administrators regarding frequent searches and trending topics, which can impact what information is shared and how prominent it should be on your website.

AI-powered support automation

While a chatbot can be very helpful to students and families searching for information, an AI-powered support automation platform is even more advanced. AI-powered support automation platforms can predict where a conversation is headed, and they learn from organizational knowledge and the interactions within your school to automate your helpdesk, processes and decisions in real-time.

They can facilitate workflows and handle tasks without supervision. Schools can use a support automation platform to enroll students, process refunds for courses, fulfill transcript requests, and more. Automating repetitive workflows frees up time so faculty and staff can focus on supporting and communicating with their students during this unprecedented time.

Much like the rest of the world, educational institutions are operating under entirely new circumstances. As administrators navigate the new systems in place, answering questions and updating everyone of changes may fall to the wayside. These three technologies can help schools struggling to stay afloat in an overload of questions about COVID-19 protocols and procedures.

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