How to Balance Automation and Human Interaction in EdTech

Colleges and universities are responsible for attracting prospective students to campus, convincing students of the value of a degree, keeping students on track to graduate, fostering a sense of belonging from the moment students express interest — oh, and managing day-to-day administrative tasks, too. Technology is integral to fulfilling all of these needs, but the sad reality is that empathy is often an afterthought for EdTech solutions.

What does empathy mean in an effective EdTech framework? And why does it matter? EdTech-powered automation unlocks the power of time savings, but add empathy to that mix and you have the life-changing potential to elevate student engagement, bolster mental well-being, and cultivate an enduring sense of community as well.

Tapping Tech to Scale Empathy Across the Student Lifecycle

To ensure a balance between automation and human interaction, we need to understand our audiences’ needs and use technology as a bridge rather than a barrier. Automation can serve us best by taking over mundane tasks, freeing up the human element for nurturing and guidance. At the same time, offering a direct channel for questions helps students feel acknowledged and heard in the moment.

Picture this: A student is struggling to complete their online class registration on your institution’s website. An AI-driven chatbot takes charge, walking the student through the registration process and providing prompt responses to common inquiries about topics like deadlines and prerequisites.

When the student moves beyond frequently asked questions, seeking more hands-on guidance as they navigate the stress that comes with starting a new semester, the chatbot is programmed to ping a human representative, seamlessly handing the conversation to someone who can communicate with empathy and understanding.

This thoughtful transition from an automated app interaction to personal, human interaction ensures that students feel supported and valued at all times — not frustrated when automated processes fail to meet their unique needs. This blend of automated troubleshooting with the chatbot and the ability to connect seamlessly with live support when necessary is just one example of how educational technology can help scale empathy across the student lifecycle.

Three Tips for Expanding Empathy through EdTech

You have educational technology solutions live on your campus, baked into the many processes that keep your institution going. Now, how can you ensure those solutions create opportunities to foster social and emotional learning and create more authentic, human connections? Choose empathetic technology partners, pulse-check your communication strategy, and recognize your audience’s realities.

Tip 1: Choose empathetic technology partners.

You have options when it comes to choosing higher ed messaging tools, and the truth is that many companies are just that — providers of one-size-fits-all technology that may or may not help drive your most important outcomes.

To truly balance automation and human connection, start when you’re vetting the companies behind your potential communications platform.

Two important questions to ask are:

1. Does this partner use what they’ve learned from institutions like yours to benefit you?

For instance, offering a chatbot is one thing, but developing and offering proven playbooks that boost a chatbot’s effectiveness is quite another. The Mongoose team has taken what we’ve learned from our network of over 1,000 institutions and built that into Mongoose, our integrated engagement platform. Through Mongoose, you have the power of texting, chat, and chat-to-text, plus best practices baked in through chat playbooks and texting templates.

2. Does this partner go above and beyond to ensure your institution sees a return on investment?

Mongoose provides end-to-end compliance support and powerful real-time engagement capabilities that let staff focus on supporting students, not managing carrier registrations.

Tip 2: Pulse-check your communication strategy.

Once you know you have the right tech partners, you’ll need a communication strategy that makes every conversation matter. Understanding your students’ learning environment, and tailoring outreach accordingly, is key to building empathy and fostering connection.

To start, recognize that each student is unique, with different communication styles. Be mindful of timing and tone, especially when interacting with transfer students or non-traditional learners. Use tools like Mongoose’s real-time chatbot to deliver personalized assistance or direct them to campus interventions such as student services or professional development resources.

As emotional intelligence becomes increasingly vital, your outreach should reflect not just what you want to say, but how students may receive it. That means incorporating active listening, recognizing different perspectives, and promoting problem-solving in your messaging approach.

Tip 3: Recognize your audiences’ realities.

Whether they’re choosing a school or navigating the learning process, your students are surrounded by noise — crowded inboxes, full calendars, and a steady stream of social media notifications. You need multiple touchpoints to ensure your message lands.

“The golden number is seven,” explained Sharon Horinka, Assistant Director of Annual Giving at UNC Charlotte, during a Mongoose workshop. “An individual needs to see or interact with your brand at least seven times before taking action. Even if they don’t reply right away, every contact helps build empathy, awareness, and momentum.”

By integrating digital tools into your communication plan — from apps and chatbots to virtual reality tours and online learning experiences — your institution can better foster empathy and inclusion at every step of the student journey.

Let’s Explore Empathy and Technology Together

Infusing empathy into educational technology requires continuous effort to strike the right balance between automation and human interaction. Fortunately, with the right tools and partners, your team can create learning experiences rooted in compassion and connection — ones that build community, drive retention, and support students from prospect to alumni.

Ready to bring a more human approach to your EdTech strategy? Book a demo with the Mongoose team to explore how our comprehensive engagement platform can help you deliver smarter, more empathetic communication — in real time.

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