Aug 21 2025
Montcalm CC Increases Student Engagement and Reduces Melt with Personalized Texting
NWOSU Scales 24/7 Student Support and Enrollment Engagement with Mongoose Chat
Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU) expanded its student support model with Mongoose Chat, enabling 24/7 assistance for enrollment, advising, housing, and more. The chatbot has become a cornerstone of NWOSU’s LASSO Center, allowing real-time engagement and follow-up without increasing staff load.
- 24/7 chatbot support across the student lifecycle
- Human follow-up from the LASSO Center team
- Up to 8,000+ students reached annually through chat
- Reduced friction around enrollment and FAQs
- Used for advising, onboarding, events, and retention
- Seamless live chat + chatbot handoffs
- Chat transcripts surface trends and unmet needs
- Supports NWOSU’s mission of student-centered service
For students at Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU), especially those navigating enrollment, advising, or housing outside of 9–5 hours, answers can’t always wait. That’s why the university turned to Mongoose’s Conversation Intelligence Platform, embedding chatbot and live chat support within its broader strategy for student success and retention.
With a small but deeply committed team, NWOSU launched the LASSO Center, a one-stop shop focused on persistence and academic coaching. Mongoose became the backbone of that experience, scaling communication, surfacing trends, and ensuring no student gets lost in the shuffle.
“The chatbot fills a huge gap in after-hours support. Students feel heard, even when we’re not there.”
Lisa Cline, Title III LASSO Project Director at NWOSU
The Challenge: High Demand, Limited Hours
NWOSU’s team faced common pain points:
- A hard-to-navigate website
- Ineffective email engagement
- Little insight into what students needed after hours
- Reliance on phone calls and in-person drop-ins
They needed a flexible, low-lift solution that could triage inquiries in real time, support multiple departments, and still feel human.
The Solution: Real-Time Chat, Real Results
Through Mongoose Chat, NWOSU deployed a hybrid model:
- Chatbot answers 24/7, surfacing links and guidance instantly
- Live chat escalations connect students with a real person when needed
- Conversation insights allow staff to proactively reach out
- Student thumbs up/down feedback helps train the AI
The chatbot is introduced during orientation, LASSO Center tours, and even onboarding Zooms to build early trust.
“I log into Mongoose Chat every day to see what people are asking. It helps us understand student needs, and often lets us intervene before someone gets frustrated or lost.”
Lisa Cline
The Impact
Always-On Student Support
Whether it’s 4 a.m. housing questions or weekend password resets, the chatbot delivers immediate help, and students feel supported.
Human Follow-Up That Builds Trust
When the bot flags nuanced needs or emotional messages, the LASSO team follows up, often the same day.
“A student messaged that he changed his mind about the military and wanted to attend college. I called him right away and helped him get started. It was that fast.”
Lisa Cline
Improved Enrollment Journeys
From directing students to the right academic advisor to surfacing onboarding resources, Mongoose helps clarify next steps and reduce melt.
“The chatbot helps with one of the biggest hurdles: Who do I contact to enroll?”
Lisa Cline
Better Campus-Wide Support
Even faculty and local community members use the chatbot to locate events, forms, and campus info, making it a true campus asset.
“We’re in a small town, and we pride ourselves on service. The chatbot helps us scale that personalized experience, even online.”
Lisa Cline
The Mongoose Difference
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| 24/7 Chatbot + Human Follow-Up | Real-time triage with personal intervention |
| Chat Data & Trends | Understand what students need—and when |
| Enrollment + Retention Use Cases | Supports full lifecycle: from inquiry to graduation |
| Cross-Department Flexibility | Supports housing, advising, admissions, IT, and more |
| Student-Centered Culture Fit | Reinforces NWOSU’s mission of mentorship and service |
What’s Next
With a new website on the way, Lisa’s team is preparing to:
- Expand chatbot content (e.g., academic advisor lists, timelines)
- Integrate chat into more phases of the student journey
- Use chat analytics to refine outreach and follow-up
“We call ourselves a one-stop shop, and the chatbot helps us prove it.”
LISA CLINE
Download the Full Case Study
NWOSU scaled personalized, student-centered support with 24/7 chat and real-time follow-up, without expanding headcount.
